AudioBook SYNC Blog

By the time we're in our teens, we're expected to be able to read not only books but also complex directions, ingredient labels, news accounts, and more both fluently and with a good grasp of the content as well as how that content might be meaningful. Reading is a part of every high school course, including mathematics, art, and vocational track programs. Teens who read with facility, however, may have fallen into the habit of speed reading or skimming, neglecting nuances that are, in fact, important to comprehension of the text in full. Listening to audiobooks--at the speed each was intended to be played--can help good readers become better critical thinkers, empathizers, and engaged citizens. Here's why and how:

How do you find audiobooks that make you want to to listen all the way through--and then feel a little sad when they've run their course? How do you talk about audiobooks with teens and others whom you are trying to help find good audiobooks options?

Schools are opening everywhere for the 2018-2019 academic year. As you head back after a summer of SYNC, prepare to discover that you've learned more than just the content in your free audiobooks.

Today's the last day to respond to our survey. While we await the final submissions and work through them all, we've asked you on various social media channels to share what's in your headphones right now.

Just as we heard from many of you the past 10 days or so, we'll miss SYNC 2018 edition, too. Thank you for joining in the listening and audio bookshelf-building! What happens now?

Our 12th week of AudiobookSYNC 2018 brings us a pair of novels with distinctly Puritan Colonial roots. Thanks to Listening Library for providing them.

This week we’ve paired a classic most high school students will encounter before graduation with a contemporary gothic novel that offers a good introduction to the genre.

The Juneteenth holiday is just the right time for the pair of audiobooks we offer this week. The last day to download the pair is Juneteenth itself, so you have seven days to be sure you have them, and even have time to get some listening done to give the date more meaning in your own life. The occasion of Juneteenth, dating from 1865, is a good time to celebrate both freedom and equal rights.

Both of the audiobooks you can download during this Week 6 of our 2018 program have won AudioFile Magazine’s Earphones Award for excellence. Listeners will be quick to understand why as they settle into these stellar teen novels.

In Week 4, both titles in our audiobook pair are brought to us courtesy of Listening Library. Both feature strong girls who meet challenges to their self assurance with a balance of standing up for themselves and accepting the support of those who wish them well.