For Kids
The best audiobooks for teens
The young-adult label tells you the protagonist's age and nothing about the content. These notes tell you the rest.
We earn a commission if you buy through the links on this page, at no extra cost to you. Prices come from Amazon and were last checked on October 6, 2026. It does not change which books we pick — see how we choose and how we are funded.
Young adult is a marketing category about protagonist age, not a content rating, and parents in particular should not read it as one. Some of the best books here deal with police violence, intrusive thoughts and death; a few popular YA titles elsewhere contain explicit sex or deliberately abusive relationships.
So every pick on this page carries a note about what is actually in it. That is not a warning against the books — most of these are better than the adult bestsellers next to them — it is the information the shelf label does not give you.
The best audiobooks for teenagers
Every entry says what is in the book. Narrators from the publisher's catalog; prices from Amazon at our last check.
| # | Title | Best for | Narrator | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  The Hunger Games Suzanne Collins · read by Tatiana Maslany Children fight to the death on television while the capital watches. Still the tightest YA dystopia and still genuinely angry about spectacle. | A fast listen that works for teens and adults | Tatiana Maslany | $17.88on Amazon |
| 2 |  Six of Crows Leigh Bardugo · read by Full cast (7 narrators) A six-person heist on an impenetrable fortress, with the best ensemble in YA fantasy. Better than the series it spun off from. | Heist listeners who want characters to love | Full cast (7 narrators) | $19.37on Amazon |
| 3 |  The Hate U Give Angie Thomas · read by Bahni Turpin A sixteen-year-old is the only witness when a police officer kills her friend. Direct, urgent and much warmer about family than its subject suggests. | A listen that works for teens and adults together | Bahni Turpin | $22.83on Amazon |
| 4 |  A Good Girl's Guide to Murder Holly Jackson · read by Full cast (12 narrators) A sixth-former reopens a closed murder case as a school project. Properly plotted YA crime with real procedural texture. | Teen listeners and adults who like a fair-play mystery | Full cast (12 narrators) | $21.66on Amazon |
| 5 |  The Poet X Elizabeth Acevedo · read by Elizabeth Acevedo A Dominican-American teenager writes her way out of her mother's rules. A verse novel, and verse is made to be heard. | A short listen with real voice | Elizabeth Acevedo | $8.98on Amazon |
| 6 |  Turtles All the Way Down John Green · read by Kate Rudd A teenager with intrusive thoughts tries to solve a mystery while her own mind interrupts. The best fictional account of OCD there is. | Listeners who want a mental-health novel that is not about recovery | Kate Rudd | $18.11on Amazon |
| 7 |  Legendborn Tracy Deonn · read by Joniece Abbott-Pratt Arthurian legend as a secret society at a southern university, and a Black girl who was never meant to be in it. Dense and ambitious. | Listeners who want a serious Arthurian reworking | Joniece Abbott-Pratt | $19.68on Amazon |
| 8 |  The Inheritance Games Jennifer Lynn Barnes · read by Leonie Landa A teenager inherits a billionaire's fortune on condition she solve his puzzles. Pure plot machine, unapologetically. | A puzzle-box listen for a trip | Leonie Landa | $7.95on Amazon |
The picks, in detail
Our top pick · A fast listen that works for teens and adults
The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins · narrated by Tatiana Maslany
- Runtime
- Not published in our source
- Narrators
- 1
- Audio edition
- 2018
Children fight to the death on television while the capital watches. Still the tightest YA dystopia and still genuinely angry about spectacle.
On audio
Tatiana Maslany's reading of the recent edition is sharp and unsentimental.
Who should skip it
- Violence involving children throughout.
- The love triangle is the weakest thread.
#ad How we are funded · Audible price as of October 6, 2026
Pick 2 · Heist listeners who want characters to love
Six of Crows
by Leigh Bardugo · narrated by Jay Snyder, Brandon Rubin, Fred Berman, Lauren Fortgang, Roger Clark, Elizabeth Evans, Tristan Morris
- Runtime
- Not published in our source
- Narrators
- 7
- Audio edition
- 2015
A six-person heist on an impenetrable fortress, with the best ensemble in YA fantasy. Better than the series it spun off from.
On audio
A full cast gives each of the six a voice, which is exactly what a six-viewpoint heist needs.
Who should skip it
- Assumes some familiarity with the setting.
- Dense with invented geography early.
#ad How we are funded · Audible price as of October 6, 2026
Pick 3 · A listen that works for teens and adults together
The Hate U Give
by Angie Thomas · narrated by Bahni Turpin
- Runtime
- Not published in our source
- Narrators
- 1
- Audio edition
- 2017
A sixteen-year-old is the only witness when a police officer kills her friend. Direct, urgent and much warmer about family than its subject suggests.
On audio
Bahni Turpin's performance is the standard recommendation for this book and deserves it.
Who should skip it
- Police violence described directly.
- Some speeches are didactic.
#ad How we are funded · Audible price as of October 6, 2026
Pick 4 · Teen listeners and adults who like a fair-play mystery
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder
by Holly Jackson · narrated by Bailey Carr, Marisa Calin, Michael Crouch, Gopal Divan, Robert Fass, Kevin R. Free, Sean Patrick Hopkins, Carol Monda, Patricia Santomasso, Shezi Sardar, Amanda Thickpenny, Various
- Runtime
- Not published in our source
- Narrators
- 12
- Audio edition
- 2020
A sixth-former reopens a closed murder case as a school project. Properly plotted YA crime with real procedural texture.
On audio
A full cast handles the interview transcripts and case notes, which is where the book's structure lives.
Who should skip it
- The adults are thin.
- The transcript sections need concentration.
#ad How we are funded · Audible price as of October 6, 2026
Pick 5 · A short listen with real voice
The Poet X
by Elizabeth Acevedo · narrated by Elizabeth Acevedo
- Runtime
- 3h 30m
- Narrators
- 1
- Audio edition
- 2020
A Dominican-American teenager writes her way out of her mother's rules. A verse novel, and verse is made to be heard.
On audio
Elizabeth Acevedo performs her own poems, and the line breaks only really work aloud. The audio edition is the better one.
Who should skip it
- Verse format is not for everyone.
- Very short.
#ad How we are funded · Audible price as of October 6, 2026
Runtime from the audiobooks.com catalog listing.
Pick 6 · Listeners who want a mental-health novel that is not about recovery
Turtles All the Way Down
by John Green · narrated by Kate Rudd
- Runtime
- Not published in our source
- Narrators
- 1
- Audio edition
- 2017
A teenager with intrusive thoughts tries to solve a mystery while her own mind interrupts. The best fictional account of OCD there is.
On audio
Kate Rudd makes the thought spirals audible as spirals rather than as description.
Who should skip it
- The thought loops are hard to sit with.
- The mystery plot is incidental.
#ad How we are funded · Audible price as of October 6, 2026
Pick 7 · Listeners who want a serious Arthurian reworking
Legendborn
by Tracy Deonn · narrated by Joniece Abbott-Pratt
- Runtime
- Not published in our source
- Narrators
- 1
- Audio edition
- 2020
Arthurian legend as a secret society at a southern university, and a Black girl who was never meant to be in it. Dense and ambitious.
Who should skip it
- Heavy exposition in the first third.
- Grief and racism handled unflinchingly.
#ad How we are funded · Audible price as of October 6, 2026
Pick 8 · A puzzle-box listen for a trip
The Inheritance Games
by Jennifer Lynn Barnes · narrated by Leonie Landa
- Runtime
- Not published in our source
- Narrators
- 1
- Audio edition
- 2022
A teenager inherits a billionaire's fortune on condition she solve his puzzles. Pure plot machine, unapologetically.
Who should skip it
- Characterization is minimal.
- Ends on a cliffhanger.
#ad How we are funded · Audible price as of October 6, 2026
What is actually in each one
| Book | The content note |
|---|---|
| The Hunger Games | Children killing children, on television. The anger is the point. |
| Six of Crows | Violence, trauma and references to trafficking. Full cast. |
| The Hate U Give | Police violence described directly; some speeches are didactic. |
| A Good Girl's Guide to Murder | Murder, drugs, and a sexual-assault subplot. |
| The Poet X | Religious conflict and emerging sexuality, in verse. |
| Turtles All the Way Down | Intrusive thoughts depicted closely; genuinely hard to sit with. |
| Legendborn | Grief and racism, unflinching. Heavy exposition early. |
| The Inheritance Games | Little. Pure plot machine, ends on a cliffhanger. |
What makes these good as audiobooks
Young adult is the best-performed shelf in publishing, because the market expects it — full casts are common and used well. Six of Crows gives each of its six heist characters a voice, A Good Girl's Guide to Murder handles interview transcripts the same way, and The Poet X is performed by its own author, which a verse novel needs.
Where to go next
- For the wider shelf, young adult audiobooks.
- Back an age, audiobooks for ages 10 and up.
- For romantasy, which most teens are reading, romance audiobooks.
- If they loved The Hunger Games, books like The Hunger Games.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best audiobook for a teenager?
Is YA suitable for all teenagers?
Which YA audiobooks have full casts?
What YA audiobook works for a reluctant teenage listener?
Which of these should a parent listen to first?
Sources
Read next
Genres
The best young adult audiobooks
The best-performed shelf in publishing, with honest notes on what the YA label does not mean.
For Kids
The best audiobooks for ten-year-olds
The children's canon is fully open, and several of these are better than most adult fiction.
Genres
The best romance audiobooks
Romantasy and contemporary together, with dual narration that genuinely earns its place.
Read Next
Books like The Hunger Games
The arena is memorable; the anger about spectacle is the good part. Matching on that gives better answers.
Narrators
The best full-cast audiobooks
For transcript, chorus and correspondence, a cast is the form working rather than a flourish.
By Occasion
The best audiobooks for family road trips
Books that hold a nine-year-old and an adult at once, with content warnings on every pick.