Planning a family vacation this summer? Bring along some exciting audiobooks, and watch the miles fly by. Listening to stories in the car or on an airplane helps reduce stressful travel conditions and provides entertaining content for kids of all ages. The key to a successful audiobook experience is to select a really good narrator or even a full cast recording so children are immersed in the storytelling. Members can choose from several different formats at the library:
1) Playaways. These are self-contained MP3 players pre-loaded with an audiobook, so all you need to do is plug in some headphones and you’re ready to go. This is a good choice for convenience, durability, and younger children who may not have their own mobile device.
2) Downloadable audiobooks. Visit our Digital Library, and find free content from Hoopla, Overdrive, and Tumblebooks! Browse hundreds of titles, and stream or download highly popular picks without any late fees or returns.
3) Books on CD. We’ve got a huge collection of audiobooks on CD if you prefer a physical media format. Here are the 2019 Odyssey Award winners:
2019 Odyssey Award Audiobook
Part true crime podcast, part revenge road trip, Sadie is the story of a young girl seeking vengeance for her sister’s murder. The full ensemble cast brings together more than thirty voices, with Rebecca Soler authentically capturing Sadie’s stutter and angry, tortured emotions while Dan Bittner gives voice to radio journalist West McCray and tries to piece together what has happened. Sadie is the epitome of what an audiobook can do, elevating it to a whole new level. The two formats woven together should not be missed,” said Odyssey Award Committee Chair Stephanie R. Charlefour.
2019 Odyssey Honor Audiobooks
Du Iz Tak features adorable children’s voices and music that brilliantly enhances this unique story of backyard insects who communicate in their own language. This production helps listeners decipher the plot while sound effects and evocative music spark the imagination. An original song written for this production is a wonderfully “scrivadelly” bonus.
Esquivel! Space-Age Sound Artist combines the work of innovative composer Juan Garcia Esquivel and is uniquely portrayed in this picture book biography by Susan Wood. Brian Amador’s narration, meshed with tracks of space-age music and sound effects, presents a carefully orchestrated experience, with each element of the illustrations perfectly represented in stereo sound.
The Parker Inheritance takes readers down a trail of clues spanning three generations of fear and discrimination in the American South. Narrator Cherise Boothe evokes an appropriate sense of time and place with her compelling cast of characters and authentic range of emotions.
The Poet X is infused with palpable energy as award-winning slam poet Elizabeth Acevado reads her debut novel and coming-of-age tale. Acevado’s raw, rhythmic delivery is perfect for performing the novel’s free-verse poems, which describe Xiomara Barista’s transformation from an obedient girl to a free-thinking young woman in Harlem.