As a family of travelers, traveling for us means the three p’s: planning, photos and paperbacks (or audiobooks, but that doesn’t start with ‘p’=). We’ve blogged a lot about planning, and shared many pictures along the way, but we haven’t talked much about books, outside of our reviews section and a blog that mentions the Library of Congress (fun fact – the LOC apparently receives a copy of every book ever copyrighted but they don’t keep them all – they keep those they believe are worth keeping in their libraries dispose of the rest – ouch!).
I love bringing books along on a trip, both because I can’t fall asleep unless I’ve read at least a few pages of a book (a little trick I learned from a sleep doctor) and because there’s nothing that kills the time on a long car ride (like the nine-hour one we recently suffered through on a trip back from Connecticut) better than a good audiobook. We take a family vote on which book to listen to, download it onto an iphone, and press play – the next 2 to 10+ hours are a literary adventure that all of us usually enjoy.
We’re about to launch our own first book and eBook in the Rocket Around kid’s visual adventure guide series, so stay tuned for that (or click here to see more before the official launch), but in the meantime, here are books we recommend for your own travels. The first list is for family reading and listening and the second includes books more suitable for parents. What books would you add to these lists? We mean it! We’re always eager to add good books to our reading list and would love your suggestions. Happy reading!
Books / Audiobooks for Families:
A Dog’s Purpose and other books in this series – A Dog’s Promise and A Dog’s Journey
A Wrinkle in Time and other books in the series – A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters, and An Acceptable Time
Anne of Green Gables: A Graphic Novel
Asperger’s Rules!: How to Make Sense of School and Friends
Bad Kitty books
Bakuman books
Berrybrook Middle School Shorts
Big Nate books
Captain Underpants books
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Diary of a Wimpy Kid series books
Dork Diaries series books
El Deafo (Emma recommended)
Greyson Gray: Camp Legend (The Greyson Gray Series)
Harry Potter book series – Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone/Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, plus Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Holes (Holes Series)
Hunger Games series: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay, and The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
Invisible Emmie and other books in this series – Positively Izzy, Just Jaime, Becoming Brianna, YOU-Niquely You, Truly Tyler, Surprisingly Sarah, and Remarkably Ruby
Pug Joke Book: Funny Cartoons for Kids and Puppy Lovers of All Ages (Rocket Recommended)
Real Friends and other books in the series – Best Friends and Friends Forever (Emma recommended)
The Babysitters Club books and graphic novels – especially Jessi’s Secret Language (Emma recommended)
The Popularity Papers (Emma recommended)
The Scavenger Hunt Adventure series
The Very Best One-Minute Mysteries and Brain Teasers
Tolkien 4-Book Boxed Set: The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King
Wings of Fire books
Books / Audiobooks for Parents:
Checkmate in Berlin: The Cold War Showdown That Shaped the Modern World
How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success
Katherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman
Love Warrior – A Memoir and other books by Glennon Doyle – Carry On, Warrior: Thoughts on Life Unarmed and Untamed
Michael John Conley – any of his books
Neurotribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity
Solving Executive Function Challenges: Simple Ways to Get Kids with Autism Unstuck and on Target
There Are Moms Way Worse Than You
Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood
Why Smart Kids Worry: And What Parents Can Do to Help (A Parenting Book for Children with Anxiety)