Audiobooks are an important way to draw in your reluctant readers and get them excited about reading. Often, hearing words spoken aloud can help unlock new levels of comprehension that these students aren’t always able to achieve reading conventional texts.

Because they’re so integral to inspiring enthusiasm among kids of all ages and abilities, audiobooks should factor in as a key component of your school’s literacy strategy. Audiobooks aren’t just great as a recreational reading option – they’re also an efficient use of curriculum budget, and they can be an important component of Individualized Education Programs for students who need additional learning support.

Finding high-interest audiobooks that can meet your needs for the right price might seem challenging – but it’s actually the easiest it will be all year because of OverDrive’s End of Year sale! During the sale, which runs from now until Dec. 31, you can find all kinds of discounted audio new releases and bestsellers for your K-12 students, including thousands of options priced under $30.

Here are some of the most popular elementary and middle school audiobooks across schools that you can get for less than $30 right now.

Audiobooks under $30

No Brainer1. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: No Brainer

by: Jeff Kinney, Ramón De Ocampo

Up until now, middle school hasn’t exactly been a joyride for Greg Heffley. So when the town threatens to close the crumbling building, he’s not too broken up about it. But when Greg realizes this means he’s going to be sent to a different school than his best friend, Rowley Jefferson, he changes his tune. Can Greg and his classmates save their school before it’s shuttered for good? Or is this the start of a whole new chapter for Greg?

(Fun fact: You can actually get audiobooks for the entire Diary of a Wimpy Kid series on sale right now, including this latest release.)

2. Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories

by: Jeff Kinney, Christopher Gebauer

Do your kids love Diary of a Wimpy Kid? Then they’ll love this adventure into the twisted, unexpectedly hilarious world of Rowley Jefferson’s imagination. You’ll meet zombies, vampires, ghosts, and much more in these comically terrifying tales. Rowley’s spooky stories might leave you laughing, but beware—you could end up sleeping with the lights on!

3. Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus

by: Dusti Bowling, Karissa Vacker

The audio edition of the bestselling middle grade novel about a spunky girl born without arms and a boy with Tourette syndrome navigating the challenges of middle school, disability, and friendship – all while solving a mystery in a western theme park.

4. Winnie-the-Pooh

by: A. A. Milne, Christopher Toyne, Don Davis, et al.

Blackstone Audiobooks presents, from the unabridged collection A. A. Milne’s Pooh Classics, the ten stories of Winnie-the-Pooh performed by Peter Dennis.

This reading has earned the prestigious Audie Award, Parents’ Choice Gold Award, Ohio State Award of Merit, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting Silver Award.

5. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

by: Steve Behling, Marvel Press, Cary Hite

Miles Morales was just your average thirteen-year-old Brooklyn teen … until a mysterious spider bite, like the one that once changed Peter Parker’s life, gave Miles super powers. Like Peter, Miles struggles with living up to his true potential. But he has one thing that Peter never did: a mentor—none other than Peter Parker himself. As Peter trains Miles to become the next Spider-Man and embrace his destiny as a hero, Miles will confront a rogues’ gallery of classic Spider-Man villains unlike anything that Peter had to face. Will Miles be able to come into his own as a bona fide Super Hero, or will the pressures of saving the world prove too great?

6. Mary Poppins

by: P. L. Travers, Sophie Thompson

The timeless story of Mary Poppins, the world’s favorite nanny, and her magical adventures with the Banks family

Mary Poppins is like no other nanny the Banks children have ever seen. It all starts when their new nanny is blown by the east wind onto the doorstep of the Banks house, carrying a parrot-headed umbrella and a magic carpetbag. She becomes a most unusual nanny to Jane, Michael, and the twins. Who else but Mary Poppins can slide up banisters, pull an entire armchair out of an empty carpetbag, and make a dose of medicine taste like delicious lime-juice cordial? A day with Mary Poppins is a day of magic and make-believe come to life!

7. The Terrible Two

by: Mac Barnett, Jory John, Adam Verner

Miles Murphy had it made. He lived in a great town near the ocean, he had two best friends, and most importantly, he had a reputation for being his town’s best prankster. All of which explains why he’s not happy to be moving to Yawnee Valley, a sleepy town that’s famous for one thing and one thing only: cows. Worse than that, Miles quickly discovers that Yawnee Valley already has a prankster—and a great one. If Miles is going to take the title from this mystery kid, he’ll have to raise his game.

In The Terrible Two, bestselling authors and friends Jory John and Mac Barnett have walked an impressive tightrope, creating a series that has its roots in classic middle-grade literature yet feels fresh and daring at the same time.

8. Encanto

by Angela Cervantes, Inés del Castillo

Disney’s Encanto is the tale of an extraordinary family that lives hidden in the mountains of Colombia in a wondrous, charmed place called an Encanto. Everyone in the Madrigal family has a unique gift, ranging from superstrength to the power to heal. Everyone except Mirabel. But when the magic surrounding the Encanto is in danger, Mirabel decides she might just be her exceptional family’s last hope. Encanto: The Junior Novelization retells the vibrant story!

9. Elemental

by: Erin Falligant, Inés del Castillo

This junior novelization is based on Disney and Pixar’s Elemental.

In a city where Fire, Water, Earth, and Air people reside together, a fiery young woman and a go-with-the-flow guy are about to discover something elemental: how much they have in common. Girls and boys ages 3 to 7 will love this junior novelization.

10. The Great Pet Heist

by: Emily Ecton, Patrice Clark

Ocean’s Eleven meets The Secret Life of Pets in this “classic caper” (Booklist) following a ragtag group of pets who will do whatever it takes to avoid being sent to the pound. Butterbean knew she wasn’t always a good dog. Still, she’d never considered herself a BAD dog-until the morning that her owner, Mrs. Food, fell in the hallway. Admittedly the tile was slipperier than usual, mostly because Butterbean had just thrown up on it. Now Butterbean and her fellow pets have to come up with a grand plan to support themselves in case Mrs. Food is unable to keep taking care of them.

When they discover a mysterious man in their building who seems to have lots of loot, they plan a heist. Oscar the mynah bird is the brains of the operation. Walt the cat has the necessary slyness and slink. Marco and Polo are the reconnaissance rats. And Butterbean . . . well, no one would ever suspect a cute little wiener dog, right? Can these animal friends can pull off the heist of the century?

 

Looking for more on sale audio?

You’re in luck! Besides the titles covered here, there are thousands of titles discounted 25-50% off from now through the end of December. Head over to OverDrive Marketplace to check out everything on offer!