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We love reading books as a family while taking road trips. It’s such a great way to pass the time, and way better than having everyone staring at a screen. And while I love quiet books to peruse, nonfiction to learn about the places we drive, and history, there’s something so fun about great road trip novels. I have a few criteria for what I love when it comes to road trip books for kids.
I especially love road trip books for kids that are fun for multiple ages (including the grown ups!). That way, I’m not hunting down chapter books for kindergarten as well as chapter books for 2nd graders. I love ones that will capture a wide range of interests and listening comprehension. We love either reading them aloud or listening to them on audio!
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I also love road trip books for families that are longer than just a picture book so I don’t have to change the book every 5 seconds. Chapter books are perfect for this – either read alouds or audiobooks. I especially love ones that give a strong sense of place. Many, but not all, of these are historical fiction books for kids.
Even if we’re not visiting that particular area, there’s something about hearing the specifics of a place – to get a sense of its sounds and sights and smells – that seems especially apropos when listening to the best road trip books.
It’s also important to me to have a variety of road trip novels from multiple perspectives. So much of classic children’s literature is very white-focused and told from a colonist perspective.
I do still think it’s important for our family to read those books to be fluent in those stories and ideas, problematic as some may be. However, I ALSO want to make sure we have a wide variety of perspectives – it’s super important to me to incorporate diverse children’s books into our reading, especially indigenous and native children’s books.
With that said, here are some of my very favorite road trip books for kids – I hope they are great family road trip novels for you, too!
This post on road trip books for kids contains affiliate links, but all opinions are 100% my own. That means I earn a small commission if you purchase through my link, but doesn’t change your price.
This beautiful series features a young Native American girl and her family in their life through the seasons of their land. It’s connective and rich.
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This is a great one to read in conjunction with the Birchbark House series. While there are some problematic racist elements, it provides context for a historical time period and compare/contrast opportunities. It also allows parents to discuss how overt racist statements may have changed to become more subtle. Plus, the pig on the sled scene is a classic.
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This is one on our soon-to-be-read list. A young Lakota boy adventures with his grandfather, and learns some of the oral stories and traditions of his people. What sounds like a poignant Own Voices book.
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There’s something so soothing, funny, and fun about this series. Spirited Anne is delightful in her escapades. And though it doesn’t take place in the US, the descriptions of Prince Edward Island are perfect for listening to while on a long car ride.
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I loved this book as a child, and still do now. The descriptions of New York City and the Met Museum are filled with adventure and excitement.
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Speaking of New York, this is another classic that evokes strong images of the city and will have you itching for some music on the street corner.
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Like the Little House books, Caddie Woodlawn is based in Wisconsin. The tales of her prairie upbringing are vivid and filled with excitement. Who knew the MIdwest was so exciting?
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Especially perfect for California travels, this book features a 12-year old boy who journeys to California (in a ship around the Cape Horn) during the Gold Rush. It’s filled with adventure as he and his aunt’s butler find their way as stowaways on the ship and then around the land itself.
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Another American classic, this one details a boy who escapes his New York City apartment crowded with siblings to his grandfather’s abandoned farm in the Catskill Mountains. Lots of courage and adventure and survival.
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Another homesteading book, this one takes place in Montana instead of Wisconsin. Hattie is only 16, but has been left a whole farm and must prove that she’s capable of caring for it.
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A great one if you’re visiting the Northeast United States, this classic tale starts off in Massachusetts and follows the lives of 4 sisters. With a background of the American Civil War, it’s historical fiction that has stood the test of time.
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When you’ve finished Little Women, be sure to check out this modern take with American Muslim sisters in Atlanta. Romance and family love stay true to form!
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This true story is a new one to me, and shares about an 8 year old Inuit girl who wants to learn to read. To do so, she must leave home and attend a residential school in the high Arctic. While it doesn’t take place in the US, it sounds like a beautiful tale that evokes a strong sense of place.
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A young girl moves from China to New York, and struggles as she doesn’t know any English. But she does learn to love baseball, which is perfect since Jackie Robinson is everyone’s current favorite.
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A classic children’s book about a boy who buys two hunting dogs, this book takes place in the Ozark Mountains. Perfect if you’re traveling through the South.
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This historical fiction book tells the story of a girl who crosses on a ship from England to the United States in the mid-1800s.
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Taking place in the Midwest, a widowed father tries to find a new wife to help with life on the farm. Lots of soothing descriptions of late-1800s farm life.
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A young boy grows up on a farm in Florida with his parents, who lost 6 children before him. He desperately wants a pet, and eventually adopts an orphaned fawn. A story of love and struggle.
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This beautifully scripted story of a young girl escaping Mexico with her mother and relatives to the United States is a must read for older elementary and middle school children. Some themes might be a bit intense for younger kids, but the message is important and poignant.
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Another novel with problematic racist elements, but that provides room for discussion and learning. It takes place in New England and follows the assimilation and growth of a young orphan who joins her Puritan extended family.
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Three brothers are sent by their parents from Cuba to Miami in search of safety and a better life. But the new city has its own challenges that they must navigate.
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A long-time classic, this novel has deep and vivid descriptions of the American South. Especially with the vernacular, it’s great as a read aloud or as a road trip audiobook, and is an excellent road trip book for kids.
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This book about racism during Jim Crow Mississippi starts to push young readers to consider effects and impact, especially as it’s told from the perspective of a child. An important work in middle grade literature.
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Set in Vermont, this book shares the story of farm workers who need assistance, and undocumented workers in the area.
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A young Chinese immigrant girl lives in a motel with her parents, and needs to hide the fact that they’re allowing other other immigrants stay for free.
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With elements of racism, the Depression, segregation, jazz music, and racist violence, this is definitely a book for older children. However, it’s so well written and explores really important themes.
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A story of runaways to New York City, 50 years apart. A well-crafted novel by the author of The Invention of Hugo Cabret.
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A beautiful classic, this is the coming-of-age story of a young Latina girl in Chicago.
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A newly orphaned biracial girl goes to live with her Black grandmother and struggles to find her place.
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A young Latina girl struggles to fit into her new life at an elite private school. The book presents discussions on family life, school bullying, and more. While it doesn’t revolve around a specific place, the school setting make it great for family listening and discussions.
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A coming-of-age story of a young girl who moves to the Southern bayou. She finds magic in her surroundings and in her family’s history, and so will you.
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