Friday, May 20, 2016

June Is Audiobook Month: Audiobooks for Summer Reading

Submitted by Sharon Grover, Youth Services & Audiobook Literacy Consultant
Co-author, Listening to Learn: Audiobooks Supporting Literacy

Yes, you read that right, audiobooks are a legitimate way to read and should be part of every summer library program. In the summer, when everyone’s on the go, an audiobook can be an especially good way to squeeze in summer reading lists, reading for pleasure, or a shared family literature experience. If you're looking for great audiobook titles to include in your recommendations for summer reading, here are some suggested sites that will make it easy:

Sound Learning (http://soundlearningapa.org)
This terrific toolkit for teachers and librarians from the Audio Publishers Association is one-stop shopping for information on audiobooks and literacy-development, as well as a treasure-trove of teacher tips, suggestions for audiobook promotion in public libraries, and loads of great titles for every occasion, including summer reading.

Sync Audiobooks for Teens (http://www.audiobooksync.com)
This free program includes 30 titles (2 titles each week for 15 weeks) that can be downloaded and kept as long as you like. Geared toward teen interests and learning themes, this is an exciting, easy way to promote listening for teens ages 13 and up. Many adult listeners will find this list appealing as well.

Audiobooks for Kids and Teens (http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/kids-teens/)   
AudioFile magazine’s comprehensive list of titles is divided by age group and even includes titles particularly recommended for family listening. The large mix of genres, themes, and narration styles provides plenty of suggestions for all types of listeners. The AudioFile blog also offers ways to encourage discussion of what kids have read with their ears (https://blog.audiofilemagazine.com/category/audiobooks-literacy/).

Listen-Alikes for Grades 5-12
AudioFile also offers this broad selection of genres and themes paired together for listening and discussing. Check out the digital edition of the magazine for these titles in a five-page spread: http://digital.audiofilemagazine.com/i/657727-april-may-2016/21


And when you're doing audiobook Readers’ Advisory, don't forget the wonderful lists available from ALA: Notable Children's Recordings (http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/notalists/ncr), Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults (http://www.ala.org/yalsa/amazing-audiobooks), and the premier Odyssey Award, jointly administered by ALSC and YALSA (http://www.ala.org/yalsa/odyssey-award). You also don't want to miss titles selected for the Audio Publishers Association Audies Awards, exciting audiobooks for all ages and interests (https://apa.staging.t-r.io/uploads/pdf/Audies_Nominations_Release.pdf).


Happy listening!

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