We’re back!!!
So what do you do when you have 2 kids and thoughts of the beach? Road Trip! How do you keep those kids occupied? DVDs, MP3′s, and other assorted electronics? Since we had a captive audience, we thought it would be good to listen to some audio books. I would really like to thank Sync for some great free audio book downloads this summer. If you haven’t had a chance to see this site, they have 2 free audio books per week during the summer. You’ve got to grab them when they are available and then you can listen to them whenever you want. Here’s the link. There is still one more download available (they seem to be having a few technical difficulties this week). What’s nice about this site is that you get a chance to pick up books that you may not have heard of. I’ve also noticed that audio books are great for the reluctant reader in your family as they make reading more accessible. Here are the books we listened to:
Guys Read: Funny Business edited by Jon Scieszka
OK, we were stuck in the car for quite a while so when we started listening to these short stories, something happened. The kids stopped bickering. They stopped asking “are we there yet?” Peaceful driving through some scary mountain roads.
Guys Read: Funny Business is a collection of short stories read by different narrators. All the stories have their merits, but a few stories stood out for us. I need to apologize for not taking notes on the titles of the stories (it was dark in the car) so here are our top picks:
1. I think our favorite had to be the one about Papa Red – the really mean grandfather who enjoyed playing nasty tricks on his family. There’s some pretty gross hot dog humor there and we were laughing our heads off.
2. The Travis the Turkey story – Told from the point of view of a boy who felt like Travis was taking his place in the family. Quite funny, especially when the boy thought that the turkey was out to get him.
3. Will – This story kind of reminded me of The Incredibles. A special school for kids with “talent” and a bit of crazy superheroes. Lots of fun and special costumes and of course, really smart kids.
4. Remember those reading assignments you got as a kid? Or if you ever had one of those creative teachers that made you actually write an author and ask questions? This story had a really lazy kid ask an author to answer the standard boring questions. The back and forth letter writing was quite entertaining.
This series is great for the reluctant reader. The stories are interesting and have just the right amount of gross out factor combined with humor. Well done.
Rating: – A-
The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud.
What an awesome book to listen to on a very long car trip! The narrator was incredible. He was able to change up voices and input just the right amount of pomposity into Bartimeus’ character to make him both believable and humorous. For those looking for a book in a similar vein to the Harry Potter series, this story of a young apprentice magician is a must read. I would recommend the audio version to children ages 9+. The parents in the car enjoyed the story, too.
Rating: – A
Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
Skulduggery Pleasant started off as an amusing audio book. It was quite funny at first and we were giggling as we listened. The reading of the will scene was very entertaining and had that British comedy feel to it. I think that the first half was much more entertaining than the second half and the middle did lag a bit.
Skulduggery Pleasant is a skeleton and a detective. He kind of reminded me of a Tim Burton “Nightmare Before Christmas” character. Well, that’s how I pictured him. I loved Stephanie – she was smart, precocious, and a real likable heroine.
This audio book had one of the longest villain monologues ever. Overall, Skulduggery Pleasant had some good entertainment value. I would recommend this for kids 10 years old and older.
Rating: (3.5) – B+
If you have a captive audience trapped in a car for many hours at a time, consider listening to an audio book. The right narrator and story can entertain the entire family.
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AH
Hi all! Bonjour! I’m AH and I am obsessed with reading. I read all kinds of books, but my favorites are paranormal romance and urban fantasy. What is it about those vampires and shape-shifters? Lately, I seem to be reading a lot of dystopian books as well. Are zombies the new vampire? I hope not. I have 3 boys – all reluctant readers so I tend to read a lot of young adult books aimed at boys. I want them to catch the reading bug too! I’m looking forward to sharing my thoughts about books with you. Hope we can discover some great reads together.
This is so true! Audiobooks have saved our trips a few times too!
I know, right? The funny thing is that none of these books were on my radar before the road trip. I listened to a few minutes, put the stories on a memory stick and plugged in. Easy-peasy!
We do this too, for every road trip (and we usually go on several per year). This year we got the first Harry Potter, and I think my 6 year old was interested but my 4 year old was just too young to get into it. I’m really looking forward to the years when they’ll both be able to join in though. Great post AH!
Catie (The joiReadventurer) recently posted..Adult Review: Thirteen by Kelley Armstrong
Thanks, Catie. I think that what surprised me with this particular selection of audio books was that they were books I had never even heard of, not even on my radar. The fact that they were able to entertain everyone (especially the Guys Read: Funny Business one) was a definite plus. My youngest is 12 so they were perfect for him. I do recall a Mordecai Richler story Jacob Two Two and the Hooded Fang that was amazing for ages 6+. The audio version was a full cast/CBC Radio production. Very well done.
AH, can I copy you? See, I haven’t read a book in like forever but audiobooks, they saved my sanity! Plus, I have been known to follow you around like a puppy dog so this wouldn’t be anything new.
I missed you guys!
Great post….btw!