It’s hard to imagine doing anything outside when much of the US is suffering through a Polar Vortex, but those times will be upon us soon enough. And just in time, AudioFile Magazine is bringing free audiobooks for teens.
Starting April 29th, AudioFile is launching its twelfth summer of SYNC, a free summer audiobook program for teens 13+. Each week, two thematically-paired audiobooks will be made available for teens. Last year, SYNC gave away 26 audiobooks over their 13-week program, totaling over 136,000 downloads.
And those audiobooks are free to keep. Forever.
“We’re excited about the continued interest in SYNC as we launch the 12th season,” says Robin Whitten, founder of AudioFile. “Especially in a time of travel and activity restrictions, we’re glad to offer a dynamic and diverse season that encourages teens to explore new audiobook titles.”
SYNC is teaming up with Overdrive this year to make the weekly selections available through their Sora reading app, specifically designed for K-12 students. SYNC is also extending to 14 weeks this year, which means a total of 28 free audiobooks for teens, librarians, and educators.
Here’s the full list of free audiobooks for teens coming this summer:
Week 1 (April 29-May 5)
Come on In: 15 Stories About Immigration and Finding Home edited by Adi Alsaid, read by Amielynn Abellera, Jonathan Todd Ross, Katherine Littrell, Leila Buck, Maria Liatis, Sneha Mathan
Illegal by Francisco X Stork, read by Roxana Ortega and Christian Barillas
Week 2 (May 6-12)
They Went 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 Full Cast
What Makes Us 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, Jensen Wheeler
Of Beetles 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)
Rook 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 Town by Allen Cheney and Julie Cantrell, read by Allen Cheney
Extinction by Hannie Rayson, read by Seamus Dever, Sarah Drew, Darren Richardson, Joanne Whalley
Week 8 (June 17-23)
Poemsia by Lang Leav, read by Saskia Maarlveveld
This Is What I Know 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 Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar, read by Priya Ayyar
Saints and Misfits by S.K. Ali, 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 C.B. Lee, read by Emily Woo Zeller
Spellsinger 1 by Alan Dean Foster, read by Terence Aselford and a Full Cast
Week 14 (July 29-August 4)
Keep This to Yourself by Tom Ryan, read by Michael Crouch
Storm and Fury by Jennifer L. Armentrout, read by Lauren Fortgang
For more information and to sign up for the 2021 SYNC program, check their website.