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Novel Effect

Reviewed on 11/3/17

Add a movie-like soundtrack to your favorite bedtime stories!  This unique app includes a library of over 70 titles (and they’re adding more all the time!) from classic picture books to new favorites.  Simply find a printed copy of one of the books on your home bookshelf or local library, open the app and choose that title, then as you begin to read the words, like magic, a soundtrack will begin to play.  Music that matches the mood of the book, appropriate sound effects that bring the story to life, all triggered by your own voice, reading the words.  No need to worry about reading at a certain pace -- you can even skip ahead in the book and the app will keep up!  Don’t have access to a printed copy of the book?  A few of the titles also include e-book pages that you can read for free or links to copies of the e-books that you can purchase to read aloud from your device. This app works best in a quiet space, but it still has minimal functionality even in noisy atmospheres like a library storytime.  At the time of this review, the app can be downloaded for free, so grab it soon!