After 14 years, AudioFile’s AudiobookSYNC has come to an end. The teen audiobook program was designed to encourage listening for summer reading programs. Each week during the 10-14 week season, a pair of carefully chosen audiobooks were offered free to be downloaded and kept by the young listeners ages 13 and up. Teachers and librarians brought the program to their communities, and many families added AudiobookSYNC to their summer activities and travel.

SYNC’s 14th season wrapped up with our traditional survey to learn what worked best for teens among the free audiobooks they received during the summer. This year, 28 titles were available, and 71,000 listeners registered to receive the weekly pairs. Content ranged from genre fiction to biography, classics, history, and drama, while performance styles included full casts, paired narrators, and individual voice actors employing a variety of delivery techniques. A big thank you to the many publishers who helped to make this program available and to the participants who took the time to share their opinions at the end of the season.