Celebrating Reluctant Readers: 5 Fabulous Top 50 Titles in Children’s Audiobooks

It’s Dyslexia Awareness Month. You can read an article here by Better Reading resident Book Worm Jane, about having dyslexic sons. One way she has helped her sons read is by encouraging them to follow a book – and track it with their eyes – while they’re listening to the audiobook version. It’s a great idea for all children, especially those with processing issues or reluctant readers. Here are five great audiobooks from our 2019 Top 50 Kids’ Books… as voted by you.

The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton

In the middle of the Enchanted Wood you can hear the trees whispering “Wisha-Wisha” and amongst the thick forest is the most enchanted tree in the world – the magic Faraway Tree. Here, fairy folk live on every branch. Meet Moon-Face, Silky the Fairy and Saucepan Man, and visit the different lands at the top of the Faraway Tree – including the Land of Spells, the crazy Land of Topsy-Turvy and and Land of Do-As-You-Please where the children ride in a runaway train! Enid Blyton has created a magical journey for children with The Magic Faraway Tree.

Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White 

The classic, much-loved story by E. B. White beautifully brought to life by the author himself. Since its publication in 1952, Charlotte’s Web has become one of America’s best-loved children’s books. For fifty years, this timeless tale of how a little girl named Fern, with the help of a friendly spider, saved her pig Wilbur from the usual fate of nice fat little pigs has continued to warm the hearts of readers everywhere. Now this classic, a 1953 Newbery Honor book, comes to life in a delightful unabridged recording, read lovingly by the author himself.

Alice-Miranda at School (Alice-Miranda #1) by Jacqueline Harvey

Alice-Miranda Highton-Smith-Kennigton-Jones can’t wait to start boarding school. When she arrives at Winchesterfield-Downsfordvale Academy for Proper Young Ladies, the adventure begins … only not quite as Alice-Miranda expects. The minute she sets foot on the school’s manicured grounds, she senses that something is wrong: Miss Grimm, the headmistress, is nowhere to be seen; the gardens have no flowers; and a mysterious stranger seems to be hiding out on the premises. But that’s not all. Some girls are mean and spoiled, like Alethea Goldsworthy. Can Alice-Miranda defeat Alethea in one of three difficult tests she must pass to remain at school? Will she discover Winchesterfield-Downsfordvale’s big secret and make things right? Well, if anyone can, it’s Alice-Miranda!

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

The first in Jeff Kinney’s side-splitting series, join Greg Heffley as he’s thrust into a new year and a new school.

Being a kid can really stink. And no one knows this better than Greg Heffley, who finds himself thrust into high school where undersized weaklings share the hallways with kids who are taller, meaner and already shaving. Luckily Greg has his best friend and sidekick, Rowley. But when Rowley’s popularity starts to rise, it kicks off a chain of events that will test their friendship in hilarious fashion.

The 13-Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton

Andy and Terry live in a 13-storey treehouse. They’ve also got a new book to write, but there’s a problem. A BIG problem. Well, quite a few big problems actually …

Andy and Terry’s 13-storey treehouse is the most amazing treehouse in the world! It’s got a bowling alley, a see-through swimming pool, a tank full of man-eating sharks, a giant catapult, a secret underground laboratory and a marshmallow machine that follows you around and shoots marshmallows into your mouth whenever you’re hungry. Well, what are you waiting for? Come on up!