Audiobooks work to provide access to literature and help all readers enjoy books. Audiobooks require readers to understand the message, think critically about the content, use their imagination, and make connections to the text. When we listen to a book, we’re forced to slow down. We’re more likely to notice details and savor the author’s language. Audiobooks ground readers in the here and now. They offer all readers a powerful new way to experience story.
But not all audiobooks are created equal. In this podcast episode, you’ll hear about what goes on behind the scenes in audiobook production. You’ll also hear samples from an array of distinguished audio titles, including YA classics as well as newer works of contemporary realistic fiction, dystopian fiction, historical fiction, and novels written in verse.
NCTE member-leader and Secondary Section Committee member Joel Garza spoke with Education Week about the impact of audiobooks on his students. Read more in this article.
What is your favorite attribute of audiobooks?
Lisa Fink is an NCTE staff member, a former elementary teacher, and a current university instructor at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She can be reached on Twitter/X: @fink_girl.
It is the policy of NCTE in all publications, including the Literacy & NCTE blog, to provide a forum for the open discussion of ideas concerning the content and the teaching of English and the language arts. Publicity accorded to any particular point of view does not imply endorsement by the Executive Committee, the Board of Directors, the staff, or the membership at large, except in announcements of policy, where such endorsement is clearly specified.