June is Audiobook Month
I love reading. I especially love to read while I am driving, cooking, cleaning, exercising, or basically doing anything other than sitting down and actually holding a book in front of my face. Audiobooks have helped me to keep current with newly published books since becoming a librarian. Plus audiobooks are fun! And I'm not the only person who feels this way because audiobooks are the fastest growing sector of the publishing industry, nearly tripling in revenue over the past five years. #LoveAudiobooks
Audiobook performances and production has also greatly improved and is recognized by the American Library Association with The Odyssey Award, which is an annual award is given to the producer of the best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults, available in English in the United States. The award is picked by a passionate group of librarians who spend their days and nights consuming audiobooks. You can read all about the process, as well as get some awesome recommendations, on the Mock Odyssey Award blog: Ears on the Odyssey.
Even if you think you aren't an "audiobook person" I recommend giving one of the titles below a try this Summer vacation while on a roadtrip or relaxing at the beach.
And don't forget to track all the time you are listening to audiobooks during our Summer Learning program! It counts as reading!
Free Audiobooks for Teens!
SYNC is a free summer audiobook program for teens 13+. SYNC will give away two complete audiobook downloads a week - pairs of high interest titles, based on weekly themes from April 26, 2018 to July 25, 2018. SYNC introduces a variety of audiobook experiences to teens to demonstrate that reading can be completed by listening. SYNC is sponsored by AudioFile Magazine and titles are delivered through the OverDrive app. Titles change every Thursday at 4am PT when the program is running and you can sign-up to get notifications when the FREE audiobook downloads are available by text message, email newsletter, or by visiting www.audiobooksync.com.
Amazing Narrators
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
After witnessing her friend's death at the hands of a police officer, Starr Carter's life is complicated when the police and a local drug lord try to intimidate her in an effort to learn what happened the night Kahlil died.
The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman
When Malcolm finds a secret message inquiring about a dangerous substance called Dust, he finds himself embroiled in a tale of intrigue featuring enforcement agents from the Magisterium, a woman with an evil monkey daemon, and a baby named Lyra.
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
Driven by the secrets and vengeance that mark his street culture, 15-year-old Will contemplates over the course of 60 psychologically suspenseful seconds whether or not he is going to murder the person who killed his brother.Jason Reynolds reads his riveting free verse novel with authority, authenticity, and emotion.
The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
Two friends on a Grand Tour of 18th-century Europe stumble across a magical artifact that leads them from Paris to Venice in a dangerous manhunt shaped by pirates, highwaymen and their growing attraction to one another.
Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum
Sixteen-year old Jessie, still grieving over her mother's death, must move from Chicago to "The Valley," with a new stepfamily but no new friends until an anonymous fellow student emails and offers to help her navigate the school's treacherous social waters.
Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson
When Mary, a teenager living in a group home, becomes pregnant, authorities take another look at the crime for which Mary was convicted when she was nine years old.
Further Reading
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