With audiobooks, young adults and kids of all ages can travel abroad without ever leaving home. Children and teens can deepen their understanding of the world by learning what it’s like to live in countries other than their own. From stories about the natural beauty of the territory of Puerto Rico to the repressive regime of North Korea, these audiobooks offer young listeners a chance to experience life in other countries and immerse themselves in another culture. If you know kids or teens ready to explore the world we live in, let these audiobooks be their tickets to adventure.

Young Adult

Travel to Tokyo, Japan, as a would-be princess in TOKYO EVER AFTER.

Narrator Ali Ahn gives this young adult rom-com fun doses of personality and sass. Raised in California by her mother, Izumi Tanaka doesn't know the name of her father until she accidentally discovers it just months before high school graduation. In PRINCESS DIARIES fashion, Izzy is shocked to learn that her dad is Japanese royalty and that she's been invited to Tokyo to meet him and learn how to be a princess. Ahn's delivery reflects Izzy's conflicted reactions to Japan, the people, the places, the customs and expectations—and her cute bodyguard. Strong-willed Izzy worries she'll never truly be accepted by her father's traditional family. Ahn's accents and Japanese pronunciations ring true as she differentiates characters of varying ages and nationalities.

Take a trip to the underground catacombs of Paris, France, in the survival thriller UNDER THE SURFACE.

Dual narrators present the alternating viewpoints of teens Ruby and Sean, who are studying French in Paris. Rebecca Soler captures Ruby's eagerness to create content for her YouTube channel and her reticence to sneak out of the hotel for an illegal party with three more daring friends. Soler's narration increases the tension when Ruby and her friends become lost in Paris's Catacombs and are stalked by an underground cult. Max Meyers portrays Sean, who tirelessly fights to rescue the girl he loves.

Middle Grade

IN THE SHADOW OF THE SUN makes it possible to safely visit North Korea in this Earphones Award-winning audiobook for thrill-seekers. 

Mia, who was adopted from Korea, discovers forbidden photos while visiting North Korea with her father and brother. When police seize their father, the siblings attempt to escape, carrying proof of government atrocities. Narrator Jackie Chung's delivery of the precise, stilted English of the government guides suggests Mia's sense of being an outsider. However, Chung truly sets the mood of otherworldliness in her performance of the contradictions inherent in every aspect of North Korean life—soaring pride in contributing to the grandiose glorification of the nation and abject terror of reprisal for failing to meet the Supreme Leader's expectations. The thoughts of North Koreans swing from rapturous to terrified—like balancing on a knife blade. As depicted by Chung, Mia and Simon are desperate and believable.

Thoughtful listeners will enjoy LISTEN, SLOWLY as they travel from California to Vietnam with a young girl discovering her roots.

A look at culture and family is expertly narrated by Lulu Lam. When Mai is sent to Vietnam for the summer with her grandmother, the California girl is upset to be missing out on beaches, bikinis, and boys. As summer progresses, she learns to accept others and learns more about herself as well. Lam convincingly portrays Mai's selfishness and spoiled personality and slowly adapts her tone as Mai changes throughout the novel. The audio suggests the Vietnamese language with accents and nuances in pronunciation, making for a rich experience for the listener.

Ages 4-6

Visit the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico with THE COQUIES STILL SING: A Story of Home, Hope, and Rebuilding, and hear the sounds of their singing frogs in this story of resilience.

Laura Gómez narrates this touching story of perseverance. Elena loves the garden in her family's home in Puerto Rico, especially the coquí frogs who sing there. When a hurricane nearly destroys the island, the coquíes stop singing, and Elena's beloved mango tree loses its leaves and fruit. Through the power of community, the situation improves. Music and sound effects add lighthearted touches. Gómez conveys Elena's joy and appreciation for the natural world around her.

Even in the midst of war, there is kindness, as young listeners will hear in THE CAT MAN OF ALEPPO, a story set in Syria.

Ramsey Faragallah narrates the touching story of Mohammad, a man dedicated to rescuing his city's abandoned cats amid Syria's civil war. A classic Arabic musical arrangement sets the mood for a story about kindheartedness born out of suffering. Listeners are then transported to both past and present Aleppo. The sounds of lively marketplaces mix with the harrowing sounds of a city under siege.

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