Amazing Apps: Novel Effect

There are so many innovations in books coming out that I'm amazed at the creativity of authors and developers. I recently had a chance to review a book from Novel Effect, a voice-interactive reading app that follows along as a children’s book is read aloud, enhancing the story with theme music, sound effects and characters voices. 

This is really unique - instead of an app that simply reads the book for kids, it follows along with where the child or parent is reading aloud and fills in with background additions to the story - sound effects, theme music, snippets of voices. This means that whatever pace the book is being read, it will provide effects at just the right time. It has an advantage over traditional audiobooks because sometimes kids like to read at a faster or slower pace.

Novel Effect was on ABC’s hit show Shark Tank. It works by downloading the free app on an electronic device, then finding a story in the over one hundred books in the library - classics and newer hits. Novel Effect also has a subscription-based Book Club. For $25 a month, they will send two paperbacks or three board books to read along to. Choose from monthly, half-year or annual subscriptions. For details, visit: https://www. noveleffect.com.