This summer, SYNC will be providing two free teen audiobooks each week from May 5th to August 11th. Each week will focus on a specific theme, pairing a classic YA title with a more modern YA title. This week starts Thursday, June 9th with I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson and Zac and Mia by A.J. Betts. These two titles will be available to download for free this week only (from 6/09 to 6/16) at the SYNC website. The theme for this week is “Learning to be close, learning to let go.”
Thirteen-year-old Noah believes he shares one heart with his twin sister, Jude, but jealousy and secrets threaten their relationship. Dual narrations by Julia Whelan and Jesse Bernstein distinguish both protagonists, articulate their changing personalities, animate minor characters, and reveal dramatic truths. When Jude resumes the story at age 16, the two barely speak. Jude reveals a history of hurt and betrayals, and a desire for their former closeness. Whelan’s Jude sounds overtly sarcastic, but listeners are privy to her feelings of vulnerability. For example, she believes she can fend off her mother’s vindictive ghost by continually wielding superstitions devised by her quirky grandmother. Bernstein’s young Noah is vulnerable as well, coping with the pain of a turbulent family and his burgeoning homosexuality. Two emotive performances describe the heartbreak of lonely teens who long for a closeness they feel they don’t deserve. The library owns this in book, CD, Playaway, and ebook formats.
Narrators Kristin Condon and Nicholas Mondelli voice the title characters, two teens residing in adjacent
rooms of a cancer ward. The novel begins with Zac’s perspective, and Mondelli brings a world-weary yet hopeful quality to Zac’s voice as he recovers. His pacing is slow and measured, highlighting his feeling of resignation toward his slow treatment. His calmness contrasts with his description of Mia, who is angry, stubborn, and prone to fits of shouting. When Condon later narrates Mia’s perspective, she reveals surprising vulnerability in an internal monologue that adds dimension to her complex character. Condon and Mondelli give thoughtful and subtle readings, but there’s no trace of accent, though the novel, set in Perth, Australia, is peppered with regional words and phrases. The library owns this in both book and ebook formats.
Check out the rest of the June SYNC schedule here… you can even get text alerts about upcoming titles!
