It’s hard to imagine doing anything outdoors when much of the US is suffering from a Polar Vortex, but those times will be before us soon enough. And just in time, AudioFile Magazine is bringing free audiobooks for teenagers.
From April 29th, AudioFile will start its twelfth summer of SYNC, a free summer audio book program for young people aged 13 and over. Two thematically paired audio books are made available for young people every week. Last year, SYNC gave away 26 audio books with a total of over 136,000 downloads in its 13-week program.
And these audiobooks can be kept for free. Forever.
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“We’re excited about the continued interest in SYNC as Season 12 starts,” said Robin Whitten, Founder of AudioFile. “Especially in times of travel and activity restrictions, we are pleased to be able to offer a dynamic and varied season that encourages young people to discover new audio book titles.”
SYNC is partnering with Overdrive this year to make the weekly selection available through the Sora Reading App, which is specially designed for K-12 students. SYNC also extends to 14 weeks this year, which means a total of 28 free audio books for young people, librarians and educators.
Here is the full list of the free teen audiobooks out this summer:
Week 1 (April 29th – May 5th)
Come on In: 15 Stories About Immigration and Housing Hunting, edited by Adi Alsaid, read by Amielynn Abellera, Jonathan Todd Ross, Katherine Littrell, Leila Buck, Maria Liatis and Sneha Mathan
Illegal by Francisco X Stork, read by Roxana Ortega and Christian Barillas
Week 2 (May 6-12)
They were left by Monica Hesse, read by Caitlin Davies
Trell by Dick Lehr, read by Bahni Turpin
Week 3 (May 13-19)
Descendant of the crane by Joan He, read by Nancy Wu
Monkey by Wu Ch’êng-ên, translated by Arthur Waley and read by Kenneth Williams
Week 4 (May 20-26)
Alive by Scott Sigler, read by Colleen Delaney and a cast
What we do by Rafi Mittlefehldt, read by Graham Halstead
Week 5 (May 27 – June 2)
Magic Barrel by Bernard Malamud, read by Sheldon “Shelley” Berman, David Cromer, Marge Kotlisky, Naana Potok, Malcolm Rothman and Jensen Wheeler
Of bugs and angels: A boy’s remarkable journey from a refugee camp to Harvard by Mawi Asgedom, read by Mawi Asgedom
Week 6 (June 3-9)
Tower by Sharon Cameron, read by Caroline Feraday
Salty, bitter, sweet by Mayra Cuevas, read by Jennifer Jill Araya
Week 7 (June 10-16)
Crescendo: The story of a musical genius who forever changed a southern city by Allen Cheney and Julie Cantrell, read by Allen Cheney
Extinction by Hannie Rayson as read by Seamus Dever, Sarah Drew, Darren Richardson and Joanne Whalley
Week 8 (June 17-23)
Poems by Lang Leav, read by Saskia Maarlveveld
I know this about art by Kimberly Drew, read by Kimberly Drew
Week 9 (June 24-30)
Sasha Masha by Agnes Borinsky, read by Agnes Borinsky
Stay Gold by Tobly McSmith, read by Theo Germaine and Phoebe Strole
Week 10 (July 1-7)
Dust by Kara Swanson, read by Natasha Soudek
The Raven’s Tale by Cat Winters, read by Michael Crouch and Nicole Wood
Week 11 (July 8-14)
The Adiba Jaigirdar Henna Wars, read by Priya Ayyar
SK Ali saints and outsiders, read by Ariana Delawari
Week 12 (July 15-21)
The Ruinous Sweep by Tim Wynne-Jones, read by Tim Wynne-Jones
The Body Snatcher and Other Stories by Robert Louis Stevenson, Read by Roy McMillan
Week 13 (July 22-28)
Not Your Sidekick by CB Lee, read by Emily Woo Zeller
Spellsinger 1 by Alan Dean Foster, read by Terence Aselford and a cast
Week 14 (July 29th – August 4th)
Keep this to yourself by Tom Ryan, read by Michael Crouch
Storm and Fury by Jennifer L. Armentrout, read by Lauren Fortgang
Further information and registration for the SYNC program 2021 can be found on the website.
