SYNC 2021 Is Almost Here!
On April 15, AudioFile is cohosting a free webinar for group leaders and other program facilitators who want to brush up on how to get on board with SYNC in 2021. Join AudioFile and OverDrive as we discuss the benefits of audiobooks, talk about this year’s offerings, and demonstrate how to access the titles with Sora, the student reading app. The webinar will also be recorded and posted for later viewing. Register for the webinar.
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This compelling audio collection of 15 #ownvoices short stories explores the realities of immigration and its abundant facets. The works are written by YA authors who are immigrants or the children of immigrants. Six narrators create authentic performances with appropriate pronunciations and accents of these timely stories that many listeners will relate to. |
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Narrator Caitlin Davies reflects the terrible confusion of 18-year-old Zofia, who has recently been liberated from Gross-Rosen concentration camp in Germany. She is haunted by memories of her younger brother, Abek, who may be her only family member still alive. Davies’s narration doesn’t hold back on emotions as the story reveals Zofia’s past hell, broken present, and future hopes.
AudioFile Earphones Award
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Author Agnes Borinsky delivers a thoughtful performance of her debut novel about a teenager who is discovering their gender identity. Alex, who is portrayed in an introspective tone, tries to discover their genuine self. Growing up in Baltimore, Alex struggles with heteronormative expectations, striving to feel like a “real boy” in the eyes of his peers and family. Then, a photograph sent from Alex’s long-distance best friend awakens dormant personal truths involving Alex's suppressed identity. |
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Caroline Feraday’s brisk narration moves this swashbuckling romance along with a vigorous cadence and tone. If it’s true that history repeats itself, 18-year-old Sophia Bellamy is in the thick of it. In a dystopian future, the earth’s magnetic poles have shifted, wiping away all technology and returning Paris, now the “Sunken City,” to a political hellscape. Feraday’s intense performance is a fine match for the compelling storyline. |
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Melania-Luisa Marte narrates the first-person free verse of Camino, the Dominican daughter of a man who has died in a plane crash. Elizabeth Acevedo delivers the alternating verses of his other daughter, Yahaira, who lives in New York. Neither sister knows the other exists until their father’s death. Both narrators create a beautiful duet of the girls’ raw and lingering grief, forgiveness of their beloved and imperfect father, and nascent sisterhood.
AudioFile Earphones Award
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The author intrigues listeners from start to finish with his powerful memoir. Both Daniel Nayeri’s narrative and his narration express the innocence, tenderness, humor, and losses of the 12-year-old refugee he once was. Nayeri captivates listeners with a patchwork of compelling memories and stories woven from Persian history and myth.
AudioFile Earphones Award
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Rosie Jones gives an elegant performance of this reimagined Snow White story. Princess Sophia’s heart has been cut out and stolen by the queen’s huntsman, and with the help of seven allies, she’s on a quest to get it back. Jones’s enchanting voice is perfect for this fantasy, and she maintains an intense level of suspense throughout Sophia’s journey. |
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Narrators Jennifer Haralson and Andrea Lang deliver a contemporary fantasy with a focus on social justice. Tavia, a siren whose magical power to control others must be kept secret, is portrayed with gentle vulnerability by Haralson. Effie, depicted warmly by Lang, is afflicted with a strange skin condition and has no clues about her heritage. These best friends navigate high school drama, crushes, and the secrets their families keep from them. |
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Bahni Turpin’s heartfelt narration highlights the determination of a family as they encounter the painful realities of the criminal justice system. Seventeen-year-old Tracy Beaumont’s father, an innocent man, has been sentenced to death, and although her family is exhausted with worry, they remain hopeful that the truth will come out. Then things go from bad to much worse when Tracy’s brother, Jamal, a track star, is accused of killing a white girl.
AudioFile Earphones Award
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