Genres
The best young adult audiobooks
The best-performed corner of publishing, and the shelf most adults read without admitting it.
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 fiction is unusually well served in audio, for a practical reason: the market expects strong voice work, so publishers commission better productions than they do for a comparable adult literary novel. Full casts are common and used well.
Where YA audio is strongest
- Verse novels. The Poet X is performed by its own author and the line breaks only really work aloud. This is a format where the audio edition is clearly the better one.
- Multiple viewpoints. Six of Crows uses a full cast for its six-person heist, and A Good Girl's Guide to Murder handles interview transcripts the same way.
- Contemporary voice. The Hate U Give is carried by Bahni Turpin's performance, which is the standard recommendation for this book for good reason.
The best young adult audiobooks
Dystopia, fantasy, mystery and contemporary. Narrators from the catalog credits; 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 |  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 |
| 5 |  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 |
| 6 |  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 |
| 7 |  The Cruel Prince Holly Black · read by Caitlin Kelly A mortal girl in the faerie court decides the only way to be safe is to be dangerous. The sharpest YA fae book there is. | Fae politics with a mean streak | Caitlin Kelly | $4.99on Amazon |
| 8 |  They Both Die at the End Adam Silvera · read by Michael Crouch & Robbie Daymond +1 Two boys get the call telling them today is the day. The title is the premise and the book earns it. | A short listen that will upset you | Michael Crouch & Robbie Daymond +1 | $20.47on 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 · 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 5 · 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 6 · 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 7 · Fae politics with a mean streak
The Cruel Prince
by Holly Black · narrated by Caitlin Kelly
- Runtime
- Not published in our source
- Narrators
- 1
- Audio edition
- 2018
A mortal girl in the faerie court decides the only way to be safe is to be dangerous. The sharpest YA fae book there is.
On audio
Caitlin Kelly keeps Jude's calculation audible under the teenage register.
Who should skip it
- The central relationship is genuinely unhealthy — read as intended.
- Reads young if you have come from adult fantasy.
#ad How we are funded · Audible price as of October 6, 2026
Pick 8 · A short listen that will upset you
They Both Die at the End
by Adam Silvera · narrated by Michael Crouch, Robbie Daymond, Bahni Turpin
- Runtime
- Not published in our source
- Narrators
- 3
- Audio edition
- 2017
Two boys get the call telling them today is the day. The title is the premise and the book earns it.
On audio
Two narrators plus interstitial voices, which suits the countdown structure.
Who should skip it
- The ending is in the title.
- The interstitial chapters interrupt.
#ad How we are funded · Audible price as of October 6, 2026
What "young adult" does and does not mean
It is a marketing category about protagonist age, not a content rating, and parents in particular should not read it as one. The Cruel Prince has a central relationship that is genuinely unhealthy and intentionally so. They Both Die at the End is about two boys being told they will die today. The Hunger Games is children killing children on television.
These are all good books and several of them are better than most adult fiction. They are not automatically suitable for a ten-year-old because of the shelf they sit on. Audiobooks for teens is the page aimed at that question specifically, and it says what is in each book.
Where to go next
- For romantasy with adult protagonists, romance audiobooks.
- For the younger end, audiobooks for ages 10 and up.
- For teens specifically, audiobooks for teens.
- If The Hunger Games was the one, books like The Hunger Games.
- For full-cast productions across all ages, full-cast audiobooks.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best YA audiobook?
Is YA appropriate for younger children?
Why is YA audio so well produced?
Are verse novels good as audiobooks?
Which YA audiobooks work for adults?
Sources
Read next
Genres
The best romance audiobooks
Romantasy and contemporary together, with dual narration that genuinely earns its place.
For Kids
The best audiobooks for teens
The YA label tells you the protagonist's age and nothing about the content. These notes tell you the rest.
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.
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
Short audiobooks under two hours
Complete books you finish in an evening, with every runtime verified. The most underrated shelf in audio.