Free Audiobooks: The False Prince and The Prince and the Pauper

Two audiobooks are available for free from SYNC this week (through August 1st).

The False Prince
by Jennifer A. Nielsen
In a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king’s long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Three orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that Conner’s motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword’s point – he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. But Sage’s rivals have their own agendas as well.

The Prince and the Pauper
by Mark Twain
They look alike, but they live in very different worlds. Tom Canty, impoverished and abused by his father, is fascinated with royalty. Edward Tudor, heir to the throne of England, is kind and generous but wants to run free and play in the river—just once. How insubstantial their differences truly are becomes clear when a chance encounter leads to an exchange of clothing—and roles. The pauper finds himself caught up in the pomp and folly of the royal court, a role which is further complicated when the king dies soon after the switch; and the prince wanders horror-stricken through the lower strata of English society.

Out of the theme of switched identities, Mark Twain fashioned both a fiery assault upon social hypocrisy and injustice and a riotous comedy filled with high-spirited play.

In England this week Prince George Alexander Louis Winsdor was born. Celebrate the fact that we don't have a monarchy here by listening to these books. Yeah, I'm not sure how that works, either, but still, check 'em out.

To get either audiobook (or both!) start at the download page.

You'll need to install the OverDrive® Media Console™ first, but the page walks you through that. The audiobooks have download buttons below the green sync-head thing in the third column of the page.

Enjoy!

Free Audiobooks: Grave Mercy and Hamlet

Two audiobooks are available for free from SYNC this week (through July 24th).

Grave Mercy
by Robin LaFevers
Robin LaFevers has enchanted young readers with her Nathaniel Fludd: Beastologist and Theodosia series, which earned starred reviews from Booklist and Publishers Weekly. In Grave Mercy, LaFevers crafts a fantastical tale sure to win her a new fan base among young adults. Escaping an arranged marriage, 17-year-old Ismae finds sanctuary in the St. Mortain convent, where the sisters worship the gods of old. There Ismae learns that the God of Death has special plans for her—a destiny that will one day compel her to betray the man she loves.

AudioFile Magazine Review:
“In this medieval fantasy, Ismae is marked by a blood-red stain, which predicates that father sell her nuptials as if she were a prized pig. But her wedding night reveals that she’s been chosen by Mortain, god of death, to be his vengeful assassin. Narrator Erin Moon ably handles this twisty tale of intrigue. She smoothly delivers French pronunciations and medieval vocabulary as she describes Ismae’s convent training and life at Brittany court. ...[S]he elevates the story with her warm and tender portrayal of a young woman who must understand her role as a spy, avenger, and lover.”

Hamlet
by William Shakespeare
Shakespeare’s timeless story of revenge, corruption, and murder is considered one of the greatest works in the English language. Prince Hamlet sets out to avenge his beloved father’s death at the hand of his uncle Claudius—but Hamlet’s spiral into grief and madness will have permanent and immutable consequences for the Kingdom of Denmark. Composed over 400 years ago, Hamlet remains one of the theater’s most studied and performed works, and is presented here in a stunning, sound-rich full-cast recording.

Hamlet will be on your senior-year reading list. Download and listen now; be super-smart later!

To get either audiobook (or both!) start at the download page.

You'll need to install the OverDrive® Media Console™ first, but the page walks you through that. The audiobooks have download buttons below the green sync-head thing in the third column of the page.

Enjoy!

Free Audiobooks: The Peculiar and Oliver Twist

Two audiobooks are available for free from SYNC this week (through July 17th).

The Peculiar
by Stefan Bachmann
Don’t get yourself noticed and you won’t get yourself hanged.

In the faery slums of Bath, Bartholomew Kettle and his sister Hettie live by these words. Bartholomew and Hettie are changelings—Peculiars—and neither faeries nor humans want anything to do with them.

One day a mysterious lady in a plum-colored dress comes gliding down Old Crow Alley. Bartholomew watches her through his window. Who is she? What does she want? And when Bartholomew witnesses the lady whisking away, in a whirling ring of feathers, the boy who lives across the alley—Bartholomew forgets the rules and gets himself noticed.

First he’s noticed by the lady in plum herself, then by something darkly magical and mysterious, by Jack Box and the Raggedy Man, by the powerful Mr. Lickerish . . . and by Arthur Jelliby, a young man trying to slip through the world unnoticed, too, and who, against all odds, offers Bartholomew friendship and a way to belong.

Part murder mystery, part gothic fantasy, part steampunk adventure, The Peculiar is Stefan Bachmann’s riveting, inventive, and unforgettable debut novel.

Oliver Twist
by Charles Dickens
One of Charles Dickens’s most popular novels, Oliver Twist is the story of a young orphan who dares to say, “Please, sir, I want some more.” After escaping from the dark and dismal workhouse where he was born, Oliver finds himself on the mean streets of Victorian-era London and is unwittingly recruited into a scabrous gang of scheming urchins. In this band of petty thieves, Oliver encounters the extraordinary and vibrant characters who have captured audiences’ imaginations for more than 150 years: the loathsome Fagin, the beautiful and tragic Nancy, the crafty Artful Dodger, and the terrifying Bill Sikes, perhaps one of the greatest villains of all time.

Rife with Dickens’s disturbing descriptions of street life, the novel is buoyed by the purity of the orphan Oliver. Though he is treated with cruelty and surrounded by coarseness for most of his life, his pious innocence leads him at last to salvation—and the shocking discovery of his true identity.

These both look good to me. Check 'em out!

To get either audiobook (or both!) start at the download page.

You'll need to install the OverDrive® Media Console™ first, but the page walks you through that. The audiobooks have download buttons below the green sync-head thing in the third column of the page.

Enjoy!

Half Price at Half Price

Half Price Books offers extra savings this week via coupons available at their website. Usually, the 50% off coupon comes last, but this week, it's first!

Today only, save 50% on one item at Half Price Books. (If the cover price is $10, it would regularly be $5; today, though, it's only $2.50!) If you haven't already obtained your copy of the summer reading (Ender's Game for rising Sophomores, Animal Farm for rising Juniors, Brave New World for rising Seniors), today's the day to do it. Not only so you can get started with the reading, but so you can lose that feeling of shame and dread you've been carrying around for a month.

Enjoy!

Free Audiobooks: Carter Finally Gets It and She Stoops to Conquer

Two audiobooks are available for free from SYNC this week (through July 10rd).

Carter Finally Gets It
by Brent Crawford
Meet Will Carter, but feel free to call him Carter. (Yes, he knows it’s a lazy nickname, but he didn’t have much say in the matter.) Here are five things you should know about him:



1. He has a stuttering problem, particularly around boobs and belly buttons.

2. He battles Attention Deficit Disorder every minute of every day…unless he gets distracted.

3. He’s a virgin, mostly because he’s no good at talking to girls (see number 1).

4. He’s about to start high school.

5. He’s totally not ready.



Join Carter for his freshman year, where he’ll search for sex, love, and acceptance anywhere he can find it. In the process, he’ll almost kill a trombone player, face off with his greatest nemesis, suffer a lot of blood loss, narrowly escape death, run from the cops (not once, but twice), get caught up in a messy love triangle, meet his match in the form of a curvy drill teamer, and surprise the hell out of everyone, including himself.

She Stoops to Conquer
by Oliver Goldsmith
Love, lies, and dysfunctional families. Sound like your last family gathering? Try this one on for laughs. Two randy young gents, Charles and George, set out to woo the alluring and upper-crust Kate and Constance. But inexperienced Charles is shy and clumsy around upper-class ladies, so it s the barmaid who catches his eye. But is she really who she seems? Bawdy high-jinx, popped pretensions, and good dirty fun are the hallmarks of this romping frolic that s kept audiences laughing for over two centuries.

She Stoops to Conquer is actually a play (don't freak out). Read along as you listen with a copy of the text from Gutenberg.com.

To get either audiobook (or both!) start at the download page.

You'll need to install the OverDrive® Media Console™ first, but the page walks you through that. The audiobooks have download buttons below the green sync-head thing in the third column of the page.

Enjoy!