Common Sense Media Review
By Ashley Kemper
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Huge library of classic texts; terrible reading voice.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Download
Videos and Photos
vBookz Free Audiobooks 30,000 Classics aloud
What's It About?
Kids can use VBOOKZ FREE AUDIOBOOKS 30,000 CLASSICS ALOUD to access thousands of classic novels and stories on their mobile devices. As users select books, they can read them in a multitude of fonts (including a dyslexia-friendly font), adjust size and colors, or have the app read the text aloud. As it reads, it highlights each word to help a reader's eye practice fluently decoding words on the page. Over and above the initial purchase price, users can make in-app purchases to enable additional languages.
Is It Any Good?
As an e-reader, vBookz Free Audiobooks 30,000 Classics aloud is a solid option -- it provides a lot of wonderful classic texts in one location -- but as a read-aloud app, it falls short. The computerized voice reads every part of the page including symbols (saying "ampersand" instead of "and"), mistranslated words, and numbers. The majority of the texts offered on the app are complex in nature, and the sentence structure is not always accessible to younger readers. Having a computerized voice emphasizing awkward parts of words or phrases may only confuse kids. So, if you're just looking for mobile access to classic literature, there are better (and cheaper) choices. If you need a read-aloud feature, this is also not the best option.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about themes from classic literature in vBookz Free Audiobooks 30,000 Classics aloud. For example, ask kids about the major problem and solution in the text they're reading. Compare this conflict to one they may be experiencing now. Ask kids how we can use the lessons from classic literature to help guide our thinking today.
Discuss major character in classic literature and how they are sometimes referenced in today's pop culture. Beyond that, discuss recent movies that have been made from classic literature. For example, how does Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book compare to the most current motion picture?
App Details
- Devices : iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad
- Subjects : Language & Reading : letter or word recognition , reading
- Skills : Communication : listening
- Pricing structure : Paid
- Release date : May 11, 2015
- Genre : Books
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Adventures , Book Characters , History
- Publisher : Mindex International Ltd
- Version : 3.5
- Minimum software requirements : iOS 7.0 or later
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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