Whether you are driving over the river or flying through the sky to Grandma's house this holiday season, consider the trip. You might spend hours crammed in a car with your siblings or waiting at an airport. It could be too noisy to read but perfect for putting on your headphones and listening to a book on CD. KidsPost's Amy Orndorff offers three of her current favorites. You can find many more CD books at the public library.

"A Crooked Kind of Perfect," by Linda Urban

Read by Tai Alexandra Ricci

Time: 3 1/4 hours

Ages 9-12

This quirky story features a middle-schooler named Zoe Elias who dreams of playing piano at New York's Carnegie Hall. But with her parents strapped for cash -- her dad is afraid to leave the house, so he doesn't work -- there doesn't seem to be a piano in Zoe's future.

Worse, her onetime best friend gets a new baby grand piano and begins hanging out with a cooler crowd.

But Zoe remains optimistic, taking music lessons at the senior center. One day her dad ventures out to make his daughter's dream come true. He returns with ... not a new piano, but an old organ.

No one plays organs at Carnegie Hall, Zoe knows.

So, will she make it to Carnegie Hall someday, and will she be happy even if she doesn't?

"Igraine the Brave," by Cornelia Funke

Read by Xanthe Elbrick

Time: 4 1/2 hours

Ages 9-12

Igraine hopes to become a famous knight. Never mind that she is a girl and that Pimpernel Castle, where she lives, is boring -- even if it does contain books of magic spells.

The castle and its books are well-protected. Igraine's older brother has the ability to turn enemies' arrows back toward them, and any attackers who try to cross the moat turn into fish the moment they touch the water. Really, there isn't anyone to fight.

That all changes around the time of Igraine's 12th birthday. A villain with an army and a little magic of his own comes to steal the books. At the same moment, Igraine's parents goof up a spell and turn into pigs!

Can Igraine, her brother and a Sorrowful Knight protect the castle and make her parents normal again?

This story has just the right amount of fantasy and adventure.

"Piper Reed: Navy Brat," by Kimberly Willis Holt

Read by Emily Janice Card

Time: 2 hours

Ages 9-12

Moving is tough. Moving around the world multiple times because your father is in the Navy can be even tougher. Add two sisters, a not-very-tough dog and the need to make new friends, and the world can seem downright impossible.

That, in short, is the life of 9-year-old Piper Reed. She is spunky and quirky. This makes her lovable but also gets her into trouble.

At her new school she tries to start a club (will people want to come like they did in California if she doesn't have a treehouse?) and get kids to talk like she does.

Her doubts about fitting in will ring familiar with any kid who has ever had to move.