Short audiobooks are great for road trips, evenings with family, or just for building listening stamina. I think 6 hours is a good point as a listening time, and most audiobooks longer than that timeframe can feel really long for newer listeners. Plus, if you listen at faster speeds (which I recommend in my tips for enjoying audiobooks), these could be much shorter (between 2-4 hours long).
If you’re looking for short audiobooks under 6 hours long, you’ll enjoy the picks on this list, including children’s fiction, YA, and one adult non-fiction book I loved. I’ve added links for Amazon (Audible) and Libro.fm (which I LOVE using). Some of these books are also on Scribd.
📚 Disclaimer in the books: Just so you know, Reading Middle Grade uses affiliate links. This means that when you shop via the links in our posts, we may earn a cent or two at no extra cost to you. Thanks for adding to our book buying fund.
Fantastic Short Audiobooks Under 6 Hours Long
Here are 25+ excellent short audiobooks under 6 hours long:
📚 Disclaimer in the books: Just so you know, Reading Middle Grade uses affiliate links. This means that when you shop via the links in our posts, we may earn a cent or two at no extra cost to you. Thanks for adding to our book buying fund.
Too Small Tola
Published: July 8, 2021
Listening time: 1 hour and 9 minutes
I love this charming chapter book series set in Lagos, Nigeria — but I love the Nigerian audiobook narrator even more. Each book, including this first one in the series, features three stories about Tola. Everyone teases Tola — sometimes lovingly — for being so small. They think she can’t lift heavy loads or do other things because of her size. But Tola’s grandmother reassures her that you can be small but mighty, and Tola proves that she is! This book is, in turns, funny, insightful, and thoroughly enjoyable. (Read my Too Small Tola review)
Harriet Spies
Published: February 7, 2023
Listening time: 3 hours and 36 minutes
Harriet’s mom is pregnant and has been placed on bed rest until the baby is born. Harriet, an energetic child has been sent to Marble Island, where her grandmother lives and runs a bed and breakfast. She’s understandably frustrated, feeling abandoned by her parents. Thankfully, she takes her cat, Matzo Ball, with her. When she arrives at Marble Island, Harriet starts to learn more about her father’s childhood and discovers that they have more in common than she expects. (My Just Harriet review.)
Zara’s Rules for Record-Breaking Fun
Published: April 19, 2022
Listening time: 2 hours and 7 minutes
Ten-year-old Zara has been crowned Queen of the Neighborhood by a loving neighbor. Zara makes fair rules for all the games she and her brother Zayd play with the other kids, and Zara likes things just like that. But when her neighbor, Mr. Chapman, moves out, a new family moves in. Their daughter Naomi has other ideas for playing, and the other kids seem to like many of her ideas too. To win back her crown, Zara decides she’ll try to break a World Guinness Record. But as time goes on, she realizes that it may just be better to share her crown instead. I listened to this on audio, and it was absolutely delightful.
(Read my Zara’s Rules for Record-Breaking Fun review)
Sideways Stories from Wayside School
Published: March 3, 2020
Listening time: 3 hours
This is the start of a wacky, funny series for kids who love funny chapter books. Accidentally built sideways and standing thirty stories high (the builder said he was very sorry for the mistake), Wayside School has some of the wackiest classes in town, especially on the thirtieth floor. That’s where you’ll meet Bebe, the fastest draw in art class; John, who only reads upside down; Myron, the best class president ever; and Sammy, the new kid—he’s a real rat.
The Terrible Two
Published: January 13, 2015
Listening time: 3 hours and 22 minutes
Proud prankster Miles Murphy is not happy to be moving to Yawnee Valley, a sleepy town that’s famous for one thing and one thing only: cows. Especially when he discovers that Yawnee Valley already has a great prankster. If Miles is going to take the title from this mystery kid, he’ll have to raise his game.
It’s prankster against prankster in an epic war of trickery until the two finally decide to join forces to pull off the biggest prank ever seen, a prank so huge it would make the members of the International Order of Disorder (a loose confederacy of pranksters that flourished a couple of centuries ago) proud. This book is a hoot and is on sale on Libro.fm for less than $1 this June.
A Rover’s Story
Published: October 4, 2022
Listening time: 5 hours and 29 minutes
This book is all about a Mars robot sent to collect samples and help determine whether Mars is suited to human living. The story is told from several perspectives, including that of the rover (whose name is Res, short for Resilience) and Sophie, the daughter of one of the programmers who’s building the rover.
After months of testing and tinkering in the lab, Res discovers that he’s experiencing human emotions. His twin rover, Journey, repeatedly tells him that robots should be logical, not emotional, so Res tries unsuccessfully to restrain his emotions. Finally, Res is sent to Mars with a friendly drone he calls Fly. But can he accomplish his mission? Or will his emotions get in the way? I listened to the audiobook and loved it. (Read my review.)
Golden Ticket
Published: June 21, 2022
Listening time: 4 hours and 13 minutes
Golden Ticket is a true-to-life middle grade book about intelligence, identity, and recovering from poor choices as a kid. After Ash McAnulty won the school-wide Quiz Bowl in the fifth grade, it was almost like she got a golden ticket. Although she’d been in the school’s Gifted and Talented program since first grade, now everyone viewed her as the smartest of the bunch. But now fifth grade is wrapping up, and Ash feels less gifted. She can’t seem to grasp the abstract concepts other kids in her class do, and she begins to feel like a fraud.
If she asks for help and her teachers learn she’s struggling, she’ll no longer be “gifted,” will she? Then who will she be without her “gifted” identity? She resolves to prove herself in the upcoming Quiz Bowl, but her plan doesn’t go to plan, triggering a sequence of events that forces Ash to evaluate what matters most. (Read my review.)
Morning Sun in Wuhan
Published: November 8, 2022
Listening time: 3 hours and 44 minutes
This is a fascinating, insightful middle grade account depicting the genesis of the COVID-19 pandemic in Wuhan. 13-year-old Mei loves cooking and playing video games with two of her friends. She lives with her physician dad and is still grieving the loss of her mother.
Her life suddenly turns upside down when a new virus starts killing people in her hometown Wuhan. Her dad is stuck working at the hospital and leaves Mei at home when the city is locked down. Can Mei cope with the pandemic — and find a way to help others around her? I recommend listening to it on audio (which I did) because it might be a slower start if you read the actual book. (Read my review.)
Roll with It
Published: October 1, 2019
Listening time: 4 hours and 30 minutes
Twelve-year-old Ellie is a sassy, determined baker. It just so happens that she also has cerebral palsy and has to use a wheelchair. Her dad couldn’t deal with her being ill at birth (and for months after), so he pretty much skipped out on her and her mom who’s been her number one advocate.
When Ellie’s grandfather’s Alzheimer’s takes a turn for the worse, Ellie and her mom move into her grandparents trailer in Oklahoma to help out for six months. This book is warm and sensitive and written by an author with a child who has cerebral palsy. (Read my review.)
A Duet for Home
Published: April 5, 2022
Listening time: 6 hours 19 minutes
12-year-old June, her younger sister Mabel, and her mother are forced to move into Huey House, a homeless shelter in New York City. June’s mother has become non-verbal since their father died a few months ago, so June has to care for Mabel on her own.
At Huey House, June meets Tyrell and the two form a friendship on the back of their shared love for music. June also starts getting viola lessons from a next-door neighbor.
But just when she’s finding her footing at Huey House, she finds out through Tyrell that the government is trying to get people out of the home before they’re ready and sending them to unsafe neighborhoods. Can June and Tyrell make a difference? This one is just over 6 hours but worth the extra minutes! (Read my review.)
The Not-So-Uniform Life of Holly Mei
Published: April 5, 2022
Listening time: 5 hours and 4 minutes
This one is on sale right now for less than $4. Packed with humor and heart, this debut middle grade series follows a girl finding her place in a brand-new world of private school and frenemies when her family moves to Hong Kong.
Holly-Mei Jones couldn’t be more excited about moving to Hong Kong for her mother’s job. Her new school is right on the beach and her family’s apartment is beyond beautiful. Everything is going to be perfect . . . right?
Maybe not. It feels like everywhere she turns, there are new rules to follow and expectations to meet. On top of that, the most popular girl in her grade is quickly becoming a frenemy. And without the guidance of her loving Ah-ma, who stayed behind in Toronto, Holly-Mei just can’t seem to get it right.
It will take all of Holly-Mei’s determination and sparkle (and maybe even a tiny bit of stubbornness) to get through seventh grade and turn her life in Hong Kong into the ultimate adventure!
It’s the End of the World and I’m in My Bathing Suit
Published: April 5, 2022
Listening time: 5 hours and 42 minutes
Twelve-year-old Eddie Gordon Holloway has concocted his most genius plan ever to avoid chores. If he can wear all the clothes he owns, he’ll only have to do the laundry once during his school break. On the day of the highly anticipated Beach Bash, Eddie’s day tasks a turn for the worst when his monstrous pile of dirty laundry is found by his mom. Now he’s stuck at home by himself, missing the bash and doing his whole pile of laundry. But midcycle, the power goes out!
With his first load of laundry wet and the rest of his stuff still filthy, he sets out to explore the seemingly empty neighborhood, and he soon meets up with other neighborhood kids. As they group up to cover more ground and find out what happened, they realize that their families aren’t coming back anytime soon. And as night falls, the crew realizes that they aren’t just the only people left in the neighborhood, they might be the only people left…anywhere.
Air
Published: March 15, 2022
Listening time: 5 hours and 19 minutes
Twelve-year-old Emmie is working to raise money for a tricked-out wheelchair to get serious about WCMX, when a mishap on a poorly designed ramp at school throws her plans into a tailspin. Instead of replacing the ramp, her school provides her with a kind but unwelcome aide – and, seeing a golden media opportunity, launches a public fundraiser for her new wheels.
Emmie loves her close-knit rural town, but she can’t shake the feeling that her goals – and her choices – suddenly aren’t hers anymore. With the help of her best friends, Emmie makes a plan to get her dreams off the ground – and show her community what she wants, what she has to give, and how ready she is to do it on her own terms.
Time to Roll
Published: April 4, 2023
Listening time: 3 hours and 55 minutes
I loved this sequel to Roll With It, even though I’m not a sequel kinda gal. It was great to reconnect with Ellie and see her navigate beauty standards, friendship squabbles, and her budding relationship with her dad and his new family.
The Unofficial Lola Bay Fan Club
Published: April 18, 2023
Listening time: 5 hours and 21 minutes
After her plan to start an official Lola Bay fan club is usurped by some mean girls, sixth-grader Iris befriends eighth-grader Dana who’s starting an “unofficial” fan club. But soon, Dana’s actions (like hacking into a website, using Iris’s parents’ credit card to buy tour tickets) begin to unsettle Iris. A chilling look at the power of celebrity fandom and toxic friendships. The audio really captures the essence of this story!
You Are Here: Connecting Flights
Published: March 7, 2023
Listening time: 5 hours and 40 minutes
You Are Here: Connecting Flights is a series of interconnected stories (a different one per chapter) about 12 Asian-American kids at the international terminal of a major airport. It explores the prejudice that people of Asian descent continue to experience. We follow each kid as they deal with microaggressions, disdain, and outright racism. This collection was edited by Ellen Oh and features stories from a star-studded group of authors, including Christina Soontornvat, Erin Entrada Kelly, and Linda Sue Park. I loved this on audio! (Read my review.)
Leeva at Last
Published: March 7, 2023
Listening time: 5 hours and 36 minutes
In Leeva at Last, we meet Leeva, a child who’s been kept indoors and put to work by her famous parents. Her mom is the Mayor, and her dad is the Treasurer. They both only care about fame and money, respectively, but not about their daughter or townspeople. They don’t even send her to school, and Leeva learns new words from a vocabulary section of the newspaper and teaches herself to read. But when Leeva finds her way to the town library one day, her eyes are opened to the world around her, and she finds the answer to a question that’s been on her mind forever: “What are people for?”
This is a classic story with a moving message of community, friendship, and the love of books (and the power of libraries). This feels like a ready-made childhood classic in the vein of Matilda, Ramona, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. (Read my review.)
Ruby Finley vs. the Interstellar Invasion: Ruby Finley
Published: September 27, 2022
Listening time: 4 hours and 17 minutes
Ruby is an 11-year-old future entomologist who loves studying insects and playing video games with her neighborhood friends. When she sees a strange bug in her bedroom and shares a picture of it on social media, suspicious agents appear at her door to re-capture the now missing insect.
Soon, all the metal in her neighborhood begins to disappear as Ruby and her friends realize there’s more to the strange bug. This was a lot of fun and will appeal to fans of STEM stories and books about robots. There was just too much disbelief suspension for me, but kids will love it.
The Rhythm of Time
Published: April 18, 2023
Listening time: 4 hours and 28 minutes
When Rahim’s friend Kasia gifts him her newest invention, he has no idea that it’s a time travel device. Rahim ends up in 1997 meeting his father as a tween before he became the strict dad he is. Can Kasia get him back in time for dinner–and before his actions change the future? Hand this funny, suspense-filled sci-fi release to fans of time travel stories.
Spy School
Published: February 07, 2017
Listening time: 6 hours and 1 minute
Ben Ripley may only be in middle school, but he’s already pegged his dream job: CIA or bust. Unfortunately for him, his personality doesn’t exactly scream “secret agent”. In fact Ben is so awkward, he can barely get to school and back without a mishap. Because of his innate nerdiness, Ben is not surprised when he is recruited for a magnet school with a focus on science – but he’s entirely shocked to discover that the school is actually a front for a junior CIA academy. Could the CIA really want him?
Actually, no. There’s been a case of mistaken identity – but that doesn’t stop Ben from trying to morph into a supercool undercover agent, the kind that always gets the girl. And through a series of hilarious misadventures, Ben realizes he might actually be a halfway decent spy…if he can survive all the attempts being made on his life!
An Occasionally Happy Family
Published: May 18, 2021
Listening time: 4 hours and 50 minutes
An Occasionally Happy Family is a surprisingly heartwarming, funny, and adventure-packed road-trip story about family and grief. Theo’s dad is bundling him and his sister, Laura, into the car for a road trip to Big Bend National Park. Although nature doesn’t fit into any of the kids’ interests (Theo like comics), they follow along for a chance to have a nicer family vacation than visiting their grandma. It’s also a good chance to bond more since their mom died a few years ago.
The kids notice, though, that their dad is suspiciously over-excited (and in turns) nervous about the trip and everything makes sense when mid-way through, he introduces them to his new girlfriend, Lucrecia. (Read my review.)
Sweet and Sour
Published: September 06, 2022
Listening time: 5 hours and 32 minutes
For as long as she can remember, Mai has spent every summer in Mystic, Connecticut, hanging out with her best-friend-since-birth, Zach Koyama. Then two summers ago, everything changed. Zach humiliated Mai, proving he wasn’t a friend at all. So when Zach’s family moved to Japan, Mai felt relieved.
But this year, the Koyamas have returned, and the family vacation is back on. And if Mai has to spend the summer around Zach, the least she can do is wipe away the memory of his betrayal…by coming up with the perfect plan for revenge! Only Zach isn’t the boy he used to be, and Mai’s memories of their last fateful summer aren’t the whole truth of what happened between them. Now she’ll have to decide if she can forgive Zach, even if she can never forget.
Chaos Theory
Published: February 28, 2023
Listening time: 5 hours and 41 minutes
This is a gripping romance about two teens: Shelbi, a certified genius living with a diagnosed mental disorder, and Andy, a politician’s son who is running from his own addiction and grief.
When Shelbi sees Andy at his lowest, she can relate. So she doesn’t resist reaching out. And there’s no doubt their connection has them both seeing stars . . . but the closer they get, the more the past threatens to pull their universes apart. It also features two narrators to capture the perspectives of both teens.
Rhythm and Muse
Published: May 30, 2023
Listening time: 5 hours and 10 minutes
This was very sweet! I loved the message of putting yourself out there instead of living in your head. I also liked that while we’re in Darren’s head, we learn enough about his love interest that she’s not just a manic-pixie dream girl. Lovely teen-parent relationships and main characters who attend church without it being a preachy book. Really fun and perfect for younger teens with nearly no language!
Hey Kiddo
Published: October 29, 2019
Listening time: 2 hours and 50 minutes
If you’re brave enough to listen to a graphic novel on audio, here’s one to try! I love that it’s full-cast audio too. It’s a graphic memoir following Jarrett Krosoczka’s childhood living with his grandparents and dealing with a mom struggling with addiction. Heartwrenching but so well done.
Die With Zero
Published: July 28, 2020
Listening time: 5 hours and 11 minutes
I loved the ideas this author presents about focusing on living and experiences instead of over-saving to make sure you “die with zero.” I especially loved the hard truth that dead people can’t be generous (the money isn’t theirs anymore, anyway). So, give while you’re alive. Of course, as the author reiterates several times, this book would best benefit people who actually have disposable income, not readers on a tight budget who might only find this impractical.
There they are: 25+ of the best audiobooks under 6 hours long! Which of these have you listened to? What did I miss? Besides your library (and Overdrive), you can buy audiobooks on Libro.fm, which supports your local bookstore or use Scribd’s unlimited audiobook subscription. (See how Scribd compares to Audible.)
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