10 Nonfiction Audiobooks for Young Listeners
by Kate Smith
We all know a young reader who has caught the nonfiction bug, voraciously memorizing facts and clamoring for more. Nonfiction audiobooks are a launchpad for first conversations about important topics. As a young reader, I loved nonfiction book series because of their reoccurring format and appealing content. Audiobooks can be helpful for reluctant readers who love podcasts or don’t like to sit still to read. For tweens and teens, memoirs and zoomed in nonfiction nurture a love of informational reading. And if you are worried about the summer slide, audiobooks are an exciting option to mix up summer reading.
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Every Body: A First Conversation About Bodies
A cute and upbeat audiobook by early literacy and childhood educators Megan Madison and Jessica Ralli, Every Body is a first conversation about bodies — their needs, strengths, and individuality. Charming instrumental music plays throughout Phil Corin’s narration, and helpful resources for parents follow the main text. Check out the rest of the First Conversations series for guidance on various topics, including love, grief, and consent.
(Ages 2 – 5)Available from: -
She Persisted Audio Collection: Volume 1
This audiobook series is an absorbing celebration of women’s history, inspired by the #1 New York Times bestseller, She Persisted by Chelsea Clinton and Alexandra Boiger. A straightforward and engaging audiobook collection, Volume 1 features eight women from history: Harriet Tubman, Claudette Colvin, Sally Ride, Virginia Apgar, Nellie Bly, Sonia Sotomayor, Florence Griffith Joyner, and Ruby Bridges. If your young reader enjoys this collection, there are many more to choose from in this ever-growing series.
(Ages 6 – 9)Available from: -
Disasters!: A Who HQ Collection
Chances are your young readers have come across a book from the Who HQ series. My littlest cousin recently devoured a chunk of the series, eagerly checking out book after book. This audio collection is a terrific way to get kids excited about history. With easy-to-listen narration, Disasters!: A Who HQ Collection is an accessible way for kids to learn about famous historical disasters including the Titanic, Pompeii, and the Great Depression. There are one hundred audiobooks in the series to read next!
(Ages 8 – 12)Available from: -
I'm Still Here (Adapted for Young Readers)
A new young readers edition of the Reese’s Book Club pick and bestselling hit, Austin Channing Brown tells her story to a tween audience with all-new middle school and high school stories included. Narrated by Austin herself, this audiobook is an empowering story for young Black girls and important to share with all kids to teach empathy and the importance of antiracist work.
(Ages 8 – 12)Available from: -
Unstoppable Us, Volume 1: How Humans Took Over the World
Learn the earliest history of humankind with world-renowned historian and philosopher Yuval Noah Harari, author of the bestselling Sapiens, in his first book for tweens. This audiobook balances the fun facts of a nonfiction book with the overarching narrative of our history. Unstoppable Us is excellent for younger readers who love series nonfiction and are ready for a deeper dive.
(Ages 10+)Available from: -
Fashionopolis (Young Readers Edition)
Kids and tweens care about helping our planet. Dana Thomas’s young readers edition of Fashionopolis is perfect for empathetic kids who want to learn about and do more for the environment. This comprehensive look at the fast fashion industry teaches young listeners how our daily actions make an impact for good or bad. Read by the author, this audiobook is excellent for classroom discussions and family conversations about fashion, social justice, and environmentalism.
(Ages 10 – 14)Available from: -
The Botany of Desire Young Readers Edition
Adapted for young readers, this audiobook explores the relationship between plants and people. Pollan explains in an approachable voice how the apple, the tulip, coffee, the potato, and more have evolved to satisfy our desires. It’s the perfect audiobook for any tween interested in STEM, environmentalism, gardening, and climate change.
(Ages 10 – 14)Available from: -
Where to Start
Mental Health America’s new audiobook makes mental health education accessible for young people with Max Meyer’s conversational and comforting narration. This audiobook invites young listeners to assess their mental health in a destigmatizing manner. This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF with worksheets, resources, and mental health-boosting ideas from the printed book.
(Young Adult)Available from: -
How to Be a (Young) Antiracist
Today’s teens want to create a just and antiracist society. In this audiobook, bestselling authors Ibram X. Kendi and Nic Stone partner as co-authors and co-narrators to address antiracism, teens’ concerns, and social issues. Kendi and Stone weave anecdotes and data into an accessible and engaging audiobook, encouraging teens to push for an equitable and antiracist society.
(Young Adult)Available from: -
From Here
This profoundly personal and absorbing memoir for teens opens with the author considering how to tell her young daughter about her life. Refugee advocate and author Luma Mufleh shares her story of being a privileged Jordanian, a gay woman, a Muslim, and a refugee. Expertly narrated by Mufleh, an inspirational speaker, this timely audiobook highlights how difficult it is to be a refugee in the United States.
(Young Adult)Available from:
