The fall crop of new audio titles is on the way and will land in a market that saw double-digit growth last year over 2015. The annual sales survey from the Audio Publishers Association, which collects data from roughly 20 publishers and is conducted by Management Practice, was released in early June; it shows an 18.2% rise in audio sales during 2016, for a total of about $2.1 billion. For those counting, that’s the third straight year that audio sales have grown by almost 20%.
The number of audio units sold in 2016 is also up, by 33.9% over 2015. That jump, for the most part, is because the number of listeners continues to grow. According to the APA’s recent consumer survey, also released in June and conducted by Edison Research, more than 67 million people listened to at least one audiobook last year, which translates to a 22% increase over listeners in 2015.
The most popular categories among audiobook listeners surveyed by Edison remain the same: mystery/thriller/suspense, followed by sci-fi/fantasy and romance. Our list of publishers’ highlights for the season contains plenty of all of these, with titles from such authors as Stephen King, James Patterson, Nora Roberts, and Karin Slaughter. Literary fiction makes a strong showing this fall as well (Louise Erdrich, Alice McDermott, and Salman Rushdie), along with fellow category stalwarts history and politics (Ron Chernow, Walter Isaacson, Dan Rather, and Katy Tur) and memoir (Hillary Clinton, Art Garfunkel, and Amy Tan). Children’s and YA offerings include a robust number of new and returning series, and titles by debut and celebrity authors (Neil Patrick Harris and Isla Fisher). We hope our list provides a good sampling of autumn offerings, and inspires further exploration of the array of titles available in the audio format. Happy listening!
Adult
Blackstone Audio
The Billionaires’ Club: The Financial Godfathers Behind the Shadow GOP by Peter Stone (Jan., unabridged CD, $34.95, ISBN 978-1-4830-1512-5) provides an inside look into the world of überwealthy conservative patrons.
Gone to Dust by Matt Goldman, read by MacLeod Andrews (Aug., unabridged CD, $34.95, ISBN 978-1-5047-6881-8). Emmy-winning Seinfeld writer Goldman introduces a private investigator trying to solve a murder without any useable evidence.
The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter, read by Kathleen Early (Aug., unabridged CD, $39.95, ISBN 978-1-5047-7996-8). A young woman is witness to a violent tragedy that brings back memories of the similar crime that destroyed her family years earlier.
The Indigo Girl by Natasha Boyd, read by Saskia Maarleveld (Oct., unabridged CD, $34.95, ISBN 978-1-4551-3718-3), is based on the true story of Eliza Pinckney (1722–1793) who changed agriculture in the South when she cultivated indigo as a viable export.
Nail’s Crossing by Kris Lackey, read by Mark Bramhall (Oct., unabridged CD, $32.95, ISBN 978-1-4551-2237-0), kicks off a mystery series set in Oklahoma’s Chickasaw Nation.
The Sisters of Glass Ferry by Kim Michele Richardson (Nov., unabridged CD, $34.95, ISBN 978-1-5384-3158-0). Decades after her twin sister disappeared on prom night, new clues compel Flannery to face the dark truth about her small Kentucky town.
Brilliance
The Boy by Tami Hoag (Dec., unabridged CD, $39.99, ISBN 978-1-5113-7535-1). A Louisiana detective encounters a brutal and confusing crime scene at which a seven-year-old boy has been murdered by an alleged intruder and his mother has been left behind unharmed.
The Last Castle: The Epic Story of Love, Loss, and American Royalty in the Nation’s Largest Home by Denise Kiernan (Sept., unabridged CD, $29.99, ISBN 978-1-5012-3824-6) reveals the true story behind the Gilded Age North Carolina estate of George Vanderbilt, Biltmore, one of the largest and grandest residences built in the U.S.
Retrograde by Peter Cawdron (Sept., unabridged CD, $29.99, ISBN 978-1-5436-0267-8). The international team that established the Mars Endeavour colony has planned for just about everything—except for the disaster that strikes Earth.
Truth Doesn’t Have a Side: My Alarming Discovery About the Danger of Contact Sports by Bennet Amalu, read by Ron Butler (Aug., unabridged CD, $29.99, ISBN 978-1-5226-5547-3). The pathologist who discovered chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) shares his findings about the brain disease’s links to concussion and his passion for trying to prevent it.
Year One by Nora Roberts (Dec., unabridged CD, $44.99, ISBN 978-1-5318-3444-9) kicks off the Chronicles of the One dystopian series featuring a group of survivors who move out of a wrecked New York City to a new frontier in the west.
Dreamscape
A Killer Harvest by Paul Cleave, read by Paul Ansdell (Aug., unabridged CD, $59.99, ISBN 978-1-5200-7126-8). A blind teenager receives a corneal transplant and begins to see and feel the memories of the donor—his father, a homicide detective killed while working a case.
Never Coming Back by Alison McGhee (Oct., unabridged CD, $59.99, ISBN 978-1-5200-8155-7). Ten years after leaving home for college, Clara returns to care for her mother, who has early-onset Alzheimer’s, and to learn about her family before it’s too late.
The Secret, Book and Scone Society by Ellery Adams (Oct., unabridged CD, $59.99, ISBN 978-1-5200-7965-3). When one of her customers is found dead, bookseller Nora forms a secret society at her bookstore to help solve the case.
Hachette Audio
The Patriot: The Shocking and Surprising True Story of Aaron Hernandez—A Charmed Superstar, His Deadly Crimes, and His Explosive Trials by James Patterson (Jan., unabridged CD, $35, ISBN 978-1-4789-9904-1) offers new first-person accounts and untold stories about the troubled late NFL star who was convicted of murder and committed suicide in prison.
The Revolution of Marina M. by Janet Fitch (Nov., unabridged CD, $40, ISBN 978-1-4789-2336-7) tells the story of the Russian Revolution from the vantage point of one heroic woman whose privileged life is abruptly turned upside down.
Righteous by Joe Ide, read by Sullivan Jones (Oct., unabridged download, $25.98, ISBN 978-1-4789-3505-6). IQ, the PI with a knack for solving neighbors’ problems in his east L.A. neighborhood, uncovers a secret about the death of his brother Marcus.
Sisters First by Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush, read by the authors (Oct., unabridged CD, $35, ISBN 978-1-4789-8990-5). The former first daughters share funny and poignant personal stories.
The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin, read by Robin Miles (Aug., unabridged download, $24.98, ISBN 978-1-4789-1629-1), concludes the postapocalyptic trilogy that began with The Fifth Season.
Yesterday by Felicia Yap (Aug., unabridged download, $25.98, ISBN 978-1-4789-6911-2). This sci-fi murder mystery told from four different perspectives takes place in a world in which classes are divided by how much each group can remember.
HarperAudio
Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich (Nov., unabridged download, $24.99, ISBN 978-0-06-274238-4) presents a portrait of a young, pregnant Native American woman who is compelled to fight increasing repression and growing panic in a dystopian world to find her own birth mother.
Growing up Fisher by Joely Fisher (Nov., unabridged download, $24.99, ISBN 978-0-06-274288-9). In this memoir, the actress reveals candid stories about her life, her famous parents, and how the loss of her sister Carrie Fisher spurred her to write.
Hunting El Chapo by Cole Merrell, read by Robert Fass (Oct., unabridged download, $21.99, ISBN 978-0-06-269440-9), relates the story of the American federal lawman who captured the world’s most wanted drug-lord, El Chapo, after a dangerous eight-year hunt.
The Twelve-Mile Straight by Eleanor Henderson, read by Allyson Johnson (Sept., unabridged download, $34.99, ISBN 978-0-06-269487-4). This saga set in 1930 rural Georgia addresses racially motivated violence, social inequity, and the ties that bind.
Unbelievable by Katy Tur (Sept., unabridged download, $24.99, ISBN 978-0-06-269485-0). The NBC journalist who covered Donald Trump on the presidential campaign trail offers an inside look at one of the most surprising elections in U.S. history.
Where the Past Begins by Amy Tan (Oct., unabridged download, $24.99, ISBN 978-0-06-269475-1). Tan recalls her traumatic childhood, reflects on her life as a writer, shares shocking truths she unearthed via family memorabilia, and explains how her fiction and emotional memory feed each other.
Highbridge Audio
From Holmes to Sherlock: The Story of the Men and Women Who Created an Icon by Mattias Boström, trans. by Michael Gallagher, read by Shaun Grindell (Aug., unabridged CD, $44.99, ISBN 978-1-68168-621-9), explores the enduring popularity of Arthur Conan Doyle’s fictional character.
The Last Days of Café Leila by Donia Bijan, read by Deepti Gupta (Aug., unabridged CD, $34.99, ISBN 978-1-68168-734-6). A California woman, accompanied by her reluctant teenage daughter, revisits her Persian childhood when she travels to see her father, and the family restaurant, in Tehran.
What Unites Us by Dan Rather (Nov., unabridged CD, $29.99, ISBN 978-1-68168-736-0). The career newsman shares his reflections on what it means to be an American and offers examples of what patriotism looks like today.
Insatiable
Absolute Surrender by Lyn Hunter, read by Janet King (Aug., unabridged download, $19.95, ISBN 978-1-62461-448-4), is a supernatural romance between Aethan, an immortal Guardian, and Echo, a mortal woman who can see demons.
L.A. Theatre Works
The Tug of War by David Rambo, performed by a full cast including Matthew Arkin and David Selby (Aug., unabridged CD, $29.95, ISBN 978-1-68266-048-5). Recorded at its world premiere in May 2017, this drama explores President Kennedy’s decisions on the brink of war.
Macmillan Audio
Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker, read by Therese Plummer (Aug., unabridged CD, $39.99, ISBN 978-1-4272-8930-8). Three years after two teen sisters disappear, only one returns with a horrific story, and the forensic psychiatrist doesn’t believe her.
Exposed by Lisa Scottoline (Aug., unabridged CD, $39.99, ISBN 978-1-4272-8574-4). Friends and law partners DiNunzio and Rosato are pitted against each other by a case that poses a conflict of interest.
The Ninth Hour by Alice McDermott (Sept., unabridged CD, $34.99, ISBN 978-1-4272-8919-3). Though it is never spoken of in his family or Catholic Brooklyn neighborhood, a young man’s suicide touches many lives.
Sourdough by Robin Sloan (Sept., unabridged CD, $39.99, ISBN 978-1-4272-8927-8). A software engineer turns bread baker when she inherits the sourdough starter from a neighborhood restaurant.
The Vanity Fair Diaries by Tina Brown (Nov., unabridged CD, $39.99, ISBN 978-1-4272-9266-7). Brown shares the daily diaries kept during her eight years as editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair in the 1980s.
Naxos Audiobooks
The Hearing Trumpet by Leonora Carrington, read by Siân Philips (Sept., unabridged CD, $41.98, ISBN 978-1-78198-138-2), is the first audiobook recording of this classic novel about residents trapped in a bizarre and sinister retirement home.
A House for Mr. Biswas by V.S. Naipaul, read by Sam Dastor (Sept., unabridged download, $70, ISBN 978-1-78198-084-2). A beleaguered man struggles to become independent of his wife’s domineering family and buy a house of his own.
North Atlantic
Ascent of Humanity by Charles Eisenstein, read by Steve Wojtas (Aug., unabridged download, $19.95, ISBN 978-1-62317-218-3), explores the history and future of civilization, focusing on the ideology of the discrete and separate self.
Otto Binder: The Life and Work of a Comic Book and Science Fiction Visionary by Bill Schelly, read by Derek Botten (Aug., unabridged download, $19.95, ISBN 978-1-62317-214-5), chronicles—via interviews with family and friends, personal letters, and comic panels—the career of the pulp magazine and comic book (Supergirl, Captain Marvel) writer.
Penguin Audio
Grant by Ron Chernow, read by Mark Bramhall (Oct., unabridged CD, $45, ISBN 978-0-525-52844-9), presents an expansive portrait of Civil War general and U.S. president Ulysses S. Grant.
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (Sept., unabridged CD, $40, ISBN 978-0-525-49806-3). The Richardsons’ carefully ordered life is turned emotionally upside down when they rent a house to a mother-daughter pair with a mysterious past.
My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent, read by Alex McKenna (Aug., unabridged CD, $45, ISBN 978-0-525-49790-5). A 14-year-old girl takes steps to escape the very isolated life she’s lived with her father since her mother’s death.
A Stranger in the House by Shari Lapena, read by Tavia Gilbert (Aug., unabridged CD, $35, ISBN 978-0-525-49854-4). A suspicious accident threatens to tear a husband and wife apart.
Unqualified by Anna Faris, read by the author (Oct., unabridged CD, $40, ISBN 978-1-5247-7880-4), blends memoir and the humorous, honest love and relationship advice that actress Faris serves up on her hit podcast Anna Faris Is Unqualified. Her husband, actor Chris Pratt, provides a foreword.
Random House Audio
Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery by Scott Kelly, read by the author (Oct., unabridged CD, $40, ISBN 978-1-5247-3417-6). The American record holder for consecutive days spent in space offers his account of his time there as well as recollections from his childhood and career trajectory and thoughts on the future of space flight.
From a Certain Point of View (Star Wars) by Meg Cabot et al. (Oct., unabridged CD, $45, ISBN 978-0-451-48621-9). This collection of 40 stories, each by different authors, celebrates the 40th anniversary of Star Wars: A New Hope.
The Golden House by Salman Rushdie (Sept., unabridged CD, $45, ISBN 978-0-525-52470-0). An aspiring filmmaker sets his sights on the eccentric, superwealthy family who become his neighbors in a cloistered pocket of New York City’s Greenwich Village.
Uncommon Type: Some Stories by Tom Hanks, read by the author (Oct., unabridged CD, $40, ISBN 978-1-101-92363-4), is the first short-story collection by Oscar-winner Hanks.
We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy by Ta-Nehisi Coates (Oct., unabridged CD, $35, ISBN 978-0-525-49480-5) collects favorite and two brand-new essays focused on the culture, arts, and politics of the Barack Obama era.
What Is It All but Luminous: Notes from an Underground Man by Art Garfunkel, read by the author (Sept., unabridged CD, $40, ISBN 978-0-525-49989-3). The musician recalls his life before, during, and after his time as half of the folk-rock duo Simon & Garfunkel.
Recorded Books
Iron Gold by Pierce Brown (Jan., unabridged CD, $39.99, ISBN 978-1-5019-6053-6) launches a new sci-fi trilogy set in the world of Red Rising.
Miss Kopp’s Midnight Confessions by Amy Stewart (Sept., unabridged download, $29.99, ISBN 978-1-5019-6557-9). Fictionalized versions of the real-life Kopp sisters investigate and defend women facing morality charges in 1916 New Jersey.
The Origins of Creativity by Edward O. Wilson (Oct., unabridged download, $24.99, ISBN 978-1-5019-6383-4) examines the question of how the expression of creativity—unique to humans—came to be.
The Quantum Spy by David Ignatius (Nov., unabridged download, $29.99, ISBN 978-1-5019-6380-3). The race between China and the U.S. to build the first quantum computer is on in this high-tech thriller.
Sulfur Springs by William Kent Krueger, read by David Chandler (Aug., unabridged download, $29.99, ISBN 978-1-5019-6556-2). Cork O’Connor searches for a missing man in southern Arizona who has tangled with the head of a Mexican drug cartel.
The Summer That Made Us by Robyn Carr (Sept., unabridged download, $29.99, ISBN 978-1-5019-6385-8). A family torn apart by a tragic accident at their vacation home tries to come together again and face the truth of the past.
Simon & Schuster Audio
Bobby Kennedy by Chris Matthews (Nov., unabridged CD, $39.99, ISBN 978-1-4423-8998-4) offers a new in-depth portrait of Robert F. Kennedy, chronicling key moments from his life and political career.
Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson (Oct., unabridged CD, $49.99, ISBN 978-1-5082-4198-0) explores the diverse passions and creative genius of the artist and scientist.
The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman (Oct., unabridged CD, $39.99, ISBN 978-1-5082-3827-0). In the prequel to Practical Magic, the Owens family living in 1960s New York tries to break the love curse set on them in 1620 when an ancestor was charged with witchery.
Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward (Sept., unabridged CD, $29.95, ISBN 978-1-5082-3754-9) follows multiple generations of a family on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi.
Sleeping Beauties by Stephen King and Owen King (Sept., unabridged CD, $59.99, ISBN 978-1-5082-3812-6) imagines what might happen if women disappeared from the world after falling victim to a sleeping disease.
Untitled Memoir by Hillary Rodham Clinton (Sept., unabridged CD, $39.99, ISBN 978-1-5082-3975-8). The former first lady, secretary of state, and presidential candidate reveals what she was thinking during the controversial, contentious, and unpredictable 2016 election.
Tantor
Beast by Paul Kingsnorth, read by Simon Vance (Aug., unabridged CD, $34.99, ISBN 978-1-5159-1387-0). The sequel to The Wake begins as a lone man on a moor in the west of England is being tracked by a mysterious creature.
Electric October: Seven World Series Games, Six Lives, Five Minutes of Fame that Lasted Forever by Kevin Cook, read by Joe Barrett (Aug., unabridged CD, $42.99, ISBN 978-1-5414-0640-7), tells the story of six lesser-known big-league figures who earned fleeting fame in the 1947 World Series between the New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers.
To Die in Spring by Ralf Rothmann, read by Tim Bruce (Aug., unabridged CD, $37.99, ISBN 978-1-5414-0172-3). A son pieces together the wartime experiences of his late father, who was a 17-year-old German soldier during the spring of 1945.
The Women Who Flew for Hitler: A True Story of Soaring Ambition and Searing Rivalry by Clare Mulley, read by Christa Lewis (Aug., unabridged CD, $54.99, ISBN 978-1-5414-0993-4), profiles Hanna Reitsch and Melitta von Stauffenberg, who bucked convention and made their names in the male-dominated world of aviation in 1930s Germany.
Thomas Nelson
Capital Gaines by Chip Gaines, read by the author (Oct., unabridged download, $15.99, ISBN 978-0-7852-1622-3). The renovation expert and co-star—with his wife—of HGTV’s Fixer Upper reveals some of the craziest antics he’s pulled in his life and what he’s learned from them.
Home All Along by Beth Wiseman (Sept., unabridged download, $24.99, ISBN 978-0-7852-1502-8). Daniel, an Amish man, wonders if he can leave the only world he’s ever known when he falls in love with Charlotte, an “Englisher.”
Never Look at the Empty Seats by Charlie Daniels, read by the author (Oct., unabridged download, $24.99, ISBN 978-0-7852-1639-1). The musician and songwriter looks back on his rise to the top of country music and offers insight on legendary performers he’s worked with, including Elvis Presley and Willie Nelson.
The View from Rainshadow Bay by Colleen Coble, read by Devon O’Day (Jan., unabridged download, ISBN 978-0-7180-8579-7), begins a romantic suspense series set amidst the lavender fields of Washington state.
Zondervan
Church of Small Things by Melanie Shankle (Oct., unabridged download, $18.99, ISBN 978-0-310-35165-8) features humorous stories designed to help women embrace the idea that they can live a simple, yet very meaningful life by finding the beauty in every moment.
Laugh It Up! by Candace Payne, read by the author (Nov., unabridged download, $18.99, ISBN 978-0-310-35236-5). The star of the viral video “Chewbacca Mom,” in which she wears a Chewbacca mask and laughs uncontrollably, shares her secrets for keeping unshakable joy in her life.
Madison Park: A Place of Hope by Eric L. Motley (Nov., unabridged download, $15.99, ISBN 978-0-310-35160-3). In this memoir, Motley credits the values of his hometown—the small Alabama community of Madison Park, founded by freed slaves—with preparing him for his journey to become a special assistant to President George W. Bush.
Children’s/YA
Blackstone Audio
The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco (Sept., unabridged CD, $34.95, ISBN 978-1-5384-6939-2). A vengeful ghost tries to free a teen from the demon that is trapped inside him.
The Lairdbalor by Kathleen Kaufman (Oct., unabridged CD, $34.95, ISBN 978-1-5384-0572-7). Seven-year-old Jamie finds himself trapped in a dark fantasy world where his worst nightmare comes to life.
Shutter by Laurie Faria Stolarz (Oct., unabridged CD, $34.95, ISBN 978-1-5384-3249-5). When aspiring photographer Day crosses paths with Julian, a troubled escapee from a juvenile detention center, she tries to learn his story.
The Terrible Two Go Wild by Mac Barnett and Jory John (Jan., unabridged CD, $32.95, ISBN 978-1-5047-7760-5) continues the adventures of prankster pals Miles and Niles.
Brilliance
42 Is Not Just a Number: The Odyssey of Jackie Robinson, American Hero by Doreen Rappaport, read by J.D. Jackson and Doreen Rappaport (Sept., unabridged CD, $24.99, ISBN 978-1-5366-8520-6), profiles the baseball legend who broke the color barrier in major-league baseball and altered white Americans’ perceptions of African-Americans.
Landscape with Invisible Hand by M.T. Anderson, read by the author (Sept., unabridged CD, $24.99, ISBN 978-1-5366-8536-7). On a future Earth, aspiring artist Adam and his girlfriend Chloe must find a way to survive an invasion by the technologically advanced and seemingly generous vuvv.
Trell by Dick Lehr (Sept., unabridged CD, $24.99, ISBN 978-1-5366-8556-5). Thirteen-year-old Trell persuades a reporter and an attorney to help prove her imprisoned, wrongly convicted father’s innocence.
Wave Me Goodbye by Jacqueline Wilson, read by Amy Enticknap (Sept., unabridged CD, $19.99, ISBN 978-1-4894-0588-3), tells the story of a 10-year-old girl evacuated from London in 1939 and sent to live in the countryside with a mysterious and reclusive woman.
The Wonderling by Mira Bartók (Sept., unabridged CD, $24.99, ISBN 978-1-5366-8564-0). Bartok’s first title for young readers introduces a one-eared, foxlike 11-year-old who courageously finds a way to escape the Home for Misbegotten Creatures run by evil Miss Carbunkle.
Dreamscape
27 Hours by Tristina Wright (Oct., unabridged CD, $39.99, ISBN 978-1-5200-8117-5) launches the sci-fi-fantasy-romance series the Nightside Saga, which features four teens fighting to save their lives and their home.
The List by Patricia Forde, read by Imogen Wilde (Aug., unabridged CD, $39.99, ISBN 978-1-5200-7675-1). Set in a postapocalyptic, neomedieval world, this fantasy explores the power of words and the dangers of censorship.
Hachette Audio
Becoming Kareem by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Nov., unabridged CD, $25, ISBN 978-1-4789-2340-4) is the story of the NBA great’s life and career, focusing on his relationships with several important coaches, including his father, his high school coach, and UCLA coach John Wooden.
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black (Jan., unabridged CD, $25, ISBN 978-1-4789-2373-2) is the series-launching tale of a mortal girl who finds herself caught in a web of royal faerie intrigue.
Expelled by James Patterson and Emily Raymond (Oct., unabridged CD, $20, ISBN 978-1-4789-8802-1). Will befriends various suspects as he tries to find out who posted online the scandalous photo that got him and three other students expelled.
Gunslinger Girl by Lyndsay Ely (Jan., unabridged CD, $30, ISBN 978-1-4789-2364-0). Set in a future U.S. where the West is wild after a second Civil War, 17-year-old sharpshooter Serendipity “Pity” Jones fights lawlessness in a dark, corrupt city.
The Magic Misfits by Neil Patrick Harris, read by the author (Nov., unabridged CD, $25, ISBN 978-1-4789-7678-3). In this series starter, runaway street magician Carter teams up with five like-minded kids to save a small New England town from a crooked villain.
HarperAudio
Love Sugar Magic: A Dash of Trouble by Anna Meriano (Jan., unabridged download, $26.99, ISBN 978-0-06-282088-4) begins a new middle grade series about a family of Mexican American bakers who happen to be brujas—witches.
Marge in Charge by Isla Fisher, read by the author (Oct., unabridged download, $24.99, ISBN 978-0-06-279194-8). The debut work of actress and comedian Fisher introduces Marge, the madcap babysitter with rainbow hair and mischievous plans who cares for young Jake and Jemima.
Max Tilt: Fire the Depths by Peter Lerangis (Oct., unabridged download, $24.99, ISBN 978-0-06-268926-9). In this first installment of a trilogy, Max, a descendant of Jules Verne, follows clues in a long-lost Verne manuscript that lead him to adventure and buried undersea treasure.
The Whiz Mob and the Grenadine Kid by Colin Meloy, read by Bronson Pinchot (Oct., unabridged download, $24.99, ISBN 978-0-06-268911-5), chronicles the humorous adventures of a band of child pickpockets.
Zach King: My Magical Life by Zach King (Sept., unabridged download, $24.99, ISBN 978-0-06-268823-1). The initial title in a series from social media personality and filmmaker King focuses on seventh grader Zach, who comes from a family with magical powers but hasn’t figured out what his own is yet. The book comes with a code for a free augmented reality app that brings the illustrations to 3-D life, and is in development at Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment.
Listening Library
The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman (Oct., unabridged CD, $60, ISBN 978-0-525-52298-0) begins a new trilogy set 10 years before The Golden Compass that centers on Lyra and her daemon Pantalaimon.
Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart (Sept., unabridged download, $20, ISBN 978-1-5247-8199-6) is a psychological thriller featuring two similar-looking orphans from very different worlds and a twisted case of mistaken identity.
Miles Morales by Jason Reynolds, read by Guy Lockard (Aug., unabridged download, $27.50, ISBN 978-0-525-52710-7), stars Marvel superhero Miles, an African-American and Puerto Rican teen from Brooklyn who becomes Spider-Man.
Warcross by Marie Lu (Sept., unabridged download, ISBN 978-0-525-49520-8). Teen coder and bounty hunter Emika Chen is offered the job of a lifetime by the billionaire creator of the hit virtual reality game Warcross.
Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo, read by Mozhan Marno (Aug., unabridged CD, $45, ISBN 978-1-5247-8218-4). Before she was known as Wonder Woman, young Amazon princess Diana faced exile to save the life of Alia, a warbringer.
Macmillan Audio
The Bernie Sanders Guide to Political Revolution by Bernie Sanders (Aug., unabridged CD, $29.99, ISBN 978-1-4272-9506-4). The senator and former presidential candidate offers young people practical information about how to effect change in the world.
Betty Before X by Ilyasah Shabazz, with Renee Watson (Jan., unabridged CD, $29.99, ISBN 978-1-4272-9368-8), is a fictionalized childhood biography of the author’s mother, civil rights advocate Betty Shabazz, who became Malcolm X’s wife.
The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert (Jan., unabridged CD, $39.99, ISBN 978-1-4272-9353-4). When Alice’s author grandmother dies, Alice’s mother is kidnapped by a figure who claims to be from the creepy supernatural world in her grandmother’s books.
The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe, trans. by Lilit Thwaites (Oct., unabridged CD, $39.99, ISBN 978-1-4272-8707-6), spotlights the true story of 14-year-old Dita, who risked her life to circulate precious books among her fellow concentration camp prisoners during the Holocaust.
Renegades by Marissa Meyer, read by Rebecca Soler (Oct., unabridged CD, $39.99, ISBN 978-1-4272-9008-3). Renegades—humans with extraordinary abilities—champion justice in Meyer’s romantic fantasy-adventure.
Naxos Audiobooks
Worzel Gummidge by Barbara Euphan Todd, read by Jessica Martin (Aug., unabridged CD, $29.98, 978-1-78198-088-0). This classic tale, originally published in 1936, features the adventures of two children and the half-scarecrow-half-man they meet during their holiday in the English countryside. This book was the first ever published by Puffin Books in the U.K. and has enjoyed popular British radio and TV adaptations.
Recorded Books
Click’d by Tamara Ireland Stone (Sept., unabridged download, $19.99, ISBN 978-1-5019-6768-9). Allie faces a dilemma when she discovers the hit friend-matching app she created at coding camp has a glitch.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Getaway by Jeff Kinney, read by Ramon de Ocampo (Nov., unabridged CD, $14.99, ISBN 978-1-5019-7365-9), marks 12 books and 10 years for this bestselling series starring beleaguered middle schooler Greg Heffley.
The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding: A Fiendish Arrangement by Alexandra Bracken (Sept., unabridged download, $24.99, ISBN 978-1-5019-6390-2). Young Prosper must purge the ancient demon that is living inside of him to break a centuries-old curse and save his family.
The Epic Crush of Genie Lo by F.C. Yee (Sept., unabridged download, $24.99, ISBN 978-1-5019-6771-9). Ordinary high schooler Genie discovers she is a celestial spirit who must save her Bay Area suburb from hellspawn.
The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karian Glaser (Oct., unabridged download, $24.99, ISBN 978-1-5019-6770-2). The five young Vanderbeeker siblings have 11 days to convince their cranky landlord to renew the lease on their apartment.
Scholastic Audio
All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater, read by Thom Rivera (Oct., unabridged CD, $44.99, ISBN 978-1-338-23022-2). Three cousins in a Colorado family known for its members’ ability to perform unusual miracles try to change their future.
Chasing King’s Killer by James L. Swanson, read by Lucy Strange (Nov., unabridged CD, $34.99, ISBN 978-1-338-18755-7), transports listeners back in history to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968, and focuses on the gunman, James Earl Ray.
Disappeared by Francisco X. Stork, read by Roxana Ortega and Christian Barillas (Oct., unabridged CD, $39.99, ISBN 978-1-338-19039-7). A young reporter searches for her missing friend, and her brother tries to make easy money—both under the watch of the drug kingpins that terrorize Juarez, Mexico.
The Incredible Magic of Being by Kathryn Erskine, read by Pierce Cravens (Oct., unabridged CD, $29.99, ISBN 978-1-338-19153-0). Astronomy enthusiast Julian faces anxiety about his stressed family—and many unknown factors—as they relocate from Washington, D.C., to rural Maine and try to build a new life.
Refugee by Alan Gratz, read by Michael Goldstrom, Kyla Garcia, and Assaf Cohen (Aug., unabridged CD, $34.99, ISBN 978-1-338-19107-3), follows the dangerous journeys of three different children, each from a different time period, as they seek refuge.
Simon & Schuster Audio
Dork Diaries 12 by Rachel Renée Russell, read by Jenni Barber (Oct., unabridged CD, $14.99, ISBN 978-1-5082-3765-5), focuses on the latest exploits of middle schooler Nikki Maxwell.
Little Bigfoot, Big City by Jennifer Weiner (Oct., unabridged CD, $29.99, ISBN 978-1-5082-3774-7). Twelve-year-old Alice and her BFF, a tiny bigfoot named Millie, sneak off to New York City so Millie can audition for a reality singing show.
Pablo and Birdy by Alison McGhee, read by the author (Aug., unabridged CD, $19.99, ISBN 978-1-5082-3170-7). Ten years after Pablo landed in the seaside down of Isla as a baby on a raft, he wants to know where he and his parrot came from.
Zondervan/Blink
Solo by Kwame Alexander, with Mary Rand Hess, read by Kwame Alexander and Randy Preston (Aug., unabridged download, $24.99, ISBN 978-0-310-76189-1). Recently heartbroken and living in the shadow of his addiction-battling rock star dad, 17-year-old musician Blade travels to Ghana to find the truth about a family secret.
The Thing with Feathers by McCall Hoyle (Sept., unabridged download, $18.99, ISBN 978-0-310-76386-4). Sixteen-year-old Emilie tries to keep her epilepsy a secret as she moves from being homeschooled to attending public school.
Zonderkidz
Voices of Christmas by Nikki Grimes, read by a full cast (Nov., unabridged download, $13.99, ISBN 978-0310-76506-6), presents 14 poems telling the story of the Nativity through the voices of Mary, Joseph, the innkeeper, and others who were witness.
