Jefferson-Madison Regional Library kicked off its summer reading challenge on June 1. The challenge runs through August 8th. Racking up reading minutes gives readers a chance to come to the library and pick out two books of their own (one book for every 500 minutes read).

Today, I logged minutes for four members of our household with one audiobook listening session on the car ride to camp. Short car trips are a great way to squeeze in some extra reading time. While adults may debate whether audiobooks “count” towards their total books read (btw, they count), they count for the JMRL summer reading challenge.

Picking the right audiobook for short car trips can be tricky. On top of looking for a book that will please multiple ages, books with highly descriptive language or slow-burning plots (see, for example, Narnia or many other classics) are difficult to translate into a compelling listen. If you want to select on your own, look for books that are described as “page-turners,” “funny,” “character-driven,” or “exciting.” If you see a character’s name in the title of the book, it is usually a character-driven book. For audiobooks, you can also look for books narrated by a full cast of readers.

The books I recommend below are great for full households. This means that even if you are riding without a gaggle of kids, I think you will enjoy them. All these books are available on Libby, the JMRL app for borrowing audio and e-books.

Junie B. Jones series

Junie B. Jones is a hoot. Middle-aged, teen-aged, and elementary-aged, we were all laughing and groaning at Junie B.’s antics and misunderstandings. The Libby audiobooks come in collections of four of the books. Each set of four clocks in at about 4 hours total. The short chapters and book-lengths, make this a great choice for short car rides, as you’re always close to the end of a chapter.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series

Love ’em? Hate ’em? But have you read them? Diary of a Wimpy Kid books continue to be incredibly popular. Just consider that Jeff Kinney was featured in the NY Times on the occasion of the publication of the 20th book in the series. Parents’ complaints about these books include rudeness, lack of positive role models, and their “stickiness” (some kids appear to get stuck reading them over and over and will accept no substitutions). These are probably the same issues that make kids love the series. Although the physical books are drawing-heavy, the audiobook versions come across very well, with an engaging narrator who does great sound effects. If you have kids in the car who groan when you say you want to listen to an audiobook, the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series is a great “gateway” audiobook to get familiar with the format. As a bonus, it gives you a chance to hear the books and learn what all the fuss is about. In our own household, this has led to some great discussions about Greg and whether he’s a hero or a villain.

The First Cat at Pizza in Space Series – The Albums

Technically, this is not an audiobook, but I’m going to argue that listening to the albums that were made to accompany the graphic novels should count as reading. I don’t think the librarian will quibble with you about it, especially if you do read the graphic novels or use it to inspire interest in the graphic novels. There’s also an officially sanctioned read-aloud on YouTube.

These next recommendations are for late elementary school and up

Slacker (and any Gordon Korman book)

Funny, engaging, and a bit challenging. Slacker is the story of a kid who tries to scam his way out of trouble by starting a club that does nothing. His plan hits a bump in the road when other kids want to join and start…doing things…My kids loved the absolute audacity of the main character…and seeing him meet his match.

The Strange Case of Oragami Yoda

This book is a great “rung up the ladder” for Diary of a Wimpy Kid fans (reading ladders help kids move from one level or genre of reading, into another). Told in the style of journal entries, this book is an investigation into Dwight and his Oragami Yoda puppet. Is Oragami Yoda really wise and dispensing excellent advice to these middle schoolers? Or is someone else pulling the strings? This book shines when it describes the real, often hilarious scrapes the kids get themselves into.

This last recommendation is for middle school and up

Ghost (Track Series)

Jason Reynolds is the GOAT. He proves it over and over in this opener to his Track series. Reynolds’ writing pulls in the reader. The narrator’s ability to morph into different characters keeps the reader engaged. Ghost’s life is not simple and it’s not easy. Is it about to get easier or harder when he joins the Defenders, a city track team? He’s got talent, but can he live up to his promise of no more altercations and stay on the team? I loved the way this book hooked all my kids from the first word.