Website review by Stephanie Trautman, Common Sense Education | Updated October 2015
Loyal Books
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Loyal Books

Tons of audiobooks, but lack of variety and little interaction limit e-reading experience

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Learning rating
Editorial review by Common Sense Education
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Grades
2–12 This grade range is based on learning appropriateness and doesn't take into account privacy. It's determined by Common Sense Education, not the product's publisher.
Subjects & Skills
English Language Arts, Social Studies, Communication & Collaboration
Price:  Free
Platforms:  Website
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Take a look inside

4 images
The homepage displays popular audiobooks.
Users can download books in multiple formats.
Find books in many different languages.
Stream or download audiobooks, but it's tough to avoid advertisements.

Pros: Access hundreds of audiobooks with download or streaming options.

Cons: Users will need to sift through ads on a site with a not-so-straightforward design.

Bottom Line: Use this to stream or download audiobooks, but the unvaried offerings may not encourage your students to read outside class.

How Can I Teach with This Tool?

Teachers can use audiobooks with their ELL students, struggling readers, or with any student; they're a great way to engage kids' imaginations as they explore a new world or characters. Audiobooks lend themselves equally well to individual listening, whole-class listening, and small-group listening; consider which works best for your classroom and adapt activities accordingly. Some teachers may want to have their students listen with a physical copy of the book in front of them, while others may prefer they simply listen. This is a great way to teach critical-listening skills and empower students to read and access texts that may be above their current reading level. Paid audiobooks may have actors who excel at character voices, but Loyal Books is a good alternative if a teacher doesn’t want to purchase a CD or an audiobook but still wants their students to have a good listening experience.

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Standards:

Loyal Books is a website that contains hundreds of free public domain audiobooks. They can be downloaded in a zipped MP3 file to iTunes, listened to from your RSS feed reader, or streamed from the Loyal Books website. There is an ample selection of texts, mainly classic novels by authors such as Jane Austen, Herman Melville, Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, and Hans Christian Andersen. The site is broken up into categories by genre, paid books, and language spoken; audiobooks are read in languages from Mandarin to Italian and Spanish. Classic literature seems to be the site's specialty, so if teachers are looking for young adult literature, they should look elsewhere.

Almost all the recordings are taken from Libravox recordings, which are performed by volunteers; although all speak clearly, some read better than others. Also, keep in mind that tons of books are better suited to adults, including books about sex advice and relationships that pop up under the Advice filter. Be cautious about letting students roam free on this site.

Audiobooks have long been a great resource for ELLs, students with dyslexia, and struggling readers, and they can be a boon to all learners. If students download an audiobook, they can listen at their own pace, and if they have their own device, they can listen outside the classroom with ease. The choices on Loyal Books may not be every reader's cup of tea, but many are classics that kids will happily devour, which gives this site great potential for individual reading, class reading, or small group reading (such as literature circles). The Children and Young Adult/Teen filters may be the best bets for teachers and their students: Use these as your starting point to search for books, and maybe make these the sections of the site to which you point students first.

One important note: The design isn't especially student-friendly. There are rows of books to download or stream, and then there are several ads. Students can easily click the ads and follow them to third-party sites, some of which are book-related (such as Audible) and others that aren't (such as Google). This might make the site an iffy choice for independent reading in your classroom.

Overall Rating
Engagement Would it motivate students and hold their interest? Is it visually appealing? Would it inspire teachers to try something new or change their instruction?

Minimal in design and easy to search, this site offers free public domain audiobooks that users can download or stream. The site also features ads, which distract from the overall design.

Pedagogy Does the tool help teachers promote a more student-centered experience? Will students gain conceptual understanding or think critically? Does it deepen teachers’ pedagogical thinking?

Users will simply search for and find an audiobook, which they'll stream or download to listen to. They'll need to develop critical-thinking and reading skills on their own.

Support Can students and teachers get assistance when they need it? Is it created with people of different abilities and backgrounds in mind? Is learning reinforced and extended beyond the digital experience?

Although the site is meant for people with visual disabilities, it does not have any help for people who may not know how to download audiobooks; it could provide some user tips for downloading and about the various types of downloads available.

Common Sense reviewer
Stephanie Trautman Classroom teacher
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Key Standards Supported

Reading Foundational Skills

  • RF.5.4

    Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

Reading Literature

  • RL.6.10

    By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 6–8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

  • RL.7.10

    By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 6–8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

  • RL.8.10

    By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of grades 6–8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

  • RL.9-10.10

    By the end of grade 9, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 9–10 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

  • RL.11-12.10

    By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 11–CCR text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

Speaking & Listening

  • SL.5.2

    Summarize a written text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

  • SL.5.5

    Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, sound) and visual displays in presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes.

  • SL.6.1a

    Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion.

  • SL.6.5

    Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, images, music, sound) and visual displays in presentations to clarify information.

  • SL.7.2

    Analyze the main ideas and supporting details presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how the ideas clarify a topic, text, or issue under study.

  • SL.7.5

    Include multimedia components and visual displays in presentations to clarify claims and findings and emphasize salient points.

  • SL.8.2

    Analyze the purpose of information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and evaluate the motives (e.g., social, commercial, political) behind its presentation.

  • SL.8.5

    Integrate multimedia and visual displays into presentations to clarify information, strengthen claims and evidence, and add interest.

  • SL.9-10.2

    Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source.

  • SL.9-10.5

    Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.

  • SL.11-12.2

    Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data.

  • SL.11-12.5

    Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.

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