This summer, SYNC will be providing two free teen audiobooks each week from April 26th to July 25th. Each week will focus on a specific theme, pairing a classic YA title with a more modern YA title. These two titles will be available to download for free this week only (from 5/24 to 5/31) at the SYNC website. The fifth week will start on Thursday, May 24th with When Dimple Met Rishi . The theme for the fifth week is “twists of fate.”
Teenaged Dimple Shah is focused on winning Insomnia Con, an intense summer app-development program. To her dismay, she finds herself partnered with straitlaced Rishi Patel, the boy her parents have arranged for her to marry. Narrators Vikas Adam and Sneha Mathan create a rapid-fire repertoire through alternating chapters as these two unlikely teens work together–and realize that, ultimately, they might want more than the grand prize. In a charming and cinematic performance, Adam and Mathan work with a variety of perfectly matched accents to bring the world around Dimple and Rishi alive. Like the characters, the narrators’ chemistry bursts with energy, matching the story’s drama, humor, high jinks–and even a Bollywood dance number. This lovable YA romance is a full-on immersive listen. The library owns both the book and the CD audiobook.
A full cast works together seamlessly in this charming magical adventure. As the story’s narrator, Tavia Gilbert is crisply engaged, and she’s spirited as young Bee, the baker’s apprentice. Kenneth Cavett, with his rich and resonant voice, is a standout as kindly baker Master Bouts, and Robin Miles is a hoot as pirate captain Zafira Zay. The care in the production is evident—the rest of the cast adds vocal personality to characters both large and small, and mood-appropriate snippets of music begin and end each chapter, helping to sweep listeners along. Scenes in the bakery are rendered with as much attention to detail as those on the high seas or in the mage’s castle—beware of listening while hungry. The library owns both the book and the CD audiobook.