Week 3 of AudiobookSYNC 2017 celebrates teens who speak from the heart. Poetry and diaries both cut to the essence of what we need to say, and the voices you hear this week may inspire the articulation of your own feelings, thoughts, and concerns. Both of these audiobooks are short, offering good listening introductions for those new to audiobooks.
Coretta Scott King Award-winning Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes offers proof of literature’s capacity to build empathy in the audience. The diverse group of narrators speak compellingly as the high school class members who find ways to confront their hopes and fears by sharing their poetry in weekly open mic sessions.
In Teenage Diaries: Then and Now, four real-life audio-diarists recorded their lives, both as teens and, a few years later, about how their lives have developed in young adulthood. Juan, Frankie, Josh, and Melissa have handled a variety of circumstances, including immigrant life along the Rio Grande, early stardom and later stumbling, Tourette’s syndrome, and teen parenthood. 
This week’s AudiobookSYNC pair features two short and powerful selections that can serve as inspirations for group discussions, open mic programs, and cross-generation interviews.
We want to know: What interests you most about each of these? How can you aspire to follow the leads recorded here to create their own personal power of words?
Available for a Limited Time
Remember — grab these titles before they are replaced by a new pairing on 5/18/2017! While the download time is limited, your listening time is not. Once you have downloaded the MP3 files, the audiobook is yours to keep.
New to SYNC? Learn more to get you started!
Adapted from Teen Voice Power