53,000 schools worldwide to participate in Sora Sweet Reads reading program with free digital books to avoid the “summer slide”

 

CLEVELAND – May 4, 2022 – As schools seek innovative new strategies to increase reading and learning, teachers are using digital tools inside and outside the classroom. In response, OverDrive Education is offering the most expansive Sora Sweet Reads summer reading program yet, May 4–August 17. In its ninth year, this free program is designed to help educators and students beat the “summer slide” with popular digital reading materials through the award-winning Sora student reading app. Currently, over 53,000 schools around the world are opting into the program.

Sora Sweet Reads provides free access to a variety of popular digital books during the next 100+ days to encourage student reading during the rest of the school year and summer break. From May 4 through August 17, students from participating schools worldwide can enjoy free, 24/7 access through the Sora reading app to 50 juvenile and young adult ebooks, audiobooks and Read-Alongs from their school, the largest amount ever offered through the program. The Sora Sweet Reads titles are provided by 21 publishers and divided into elementary, middle and high school sections. Ebook titles include 10 Blind Dates, Sal and Gabi Break the Universe, Ironheart, and Ark Angel. Audiobook titles include Flannery and Game Changer. See the full list.

“When our students began using Sora last spring, they were excited to check out ebooks and we wondered whether that excitement would carry over into the summer months,” said Alexandra Brown, Educational Technology Specialist at National Heritage Academies in Michigan. “When we participated in Sora Sweet Reads our students were so enthusiastic about the selection of books that our checkouts surpassed all our expectations. Sora Sweet Reads gave our students access to ‘always available’ books ensuring there was no waiting list and students could read favorites at the same time as their friends.”

Educators and students can also leverage valuable elementary, middle and high school resources for Sora Sweet Reads titles from TeachingBooks.net, the leading K-12 reading resources site. TeachingBooks, which features lessons, book guides and activities, was acquired by OverDrive in 2021.

If your school offers access to Sora, find your digital collection at https://soraapp.com. If not, schools can sign up before June 17 to gain access to the Sora Sweet Reads collection as well as a wide range of other no-cost books.

Since its creation in 2014, Sora Sweet Reads has proven to be a highly successful, global program in encouraging students to read. During the 2021 program, nearly 45,000 schools participated, a 59 percent increase from 2020’s program. Student checkouts reached a record-high one million (+92 percent year-over-year) and the number of students that read at least one of the program’s titles doubled from the previous year. Most importantly, Sora has provided ongoing access to additional reading materials from the school’s digital collection. During 2021’s program, students read more than six million titles from their school’s collection beyond the Sora Sweet Reads digital books.

Students of schools that use Sora can download the app for free from any app store or use in web browsers at https://soraapp.com. Students can then borrow from the school’s digital collection and read on all major eReading devices, computers, tablets and smartphones with a valid student ID.

For more information on the Sora Sweet Reads program, visit https://resources.overdrive.com/sora-sweet-reads/.

Educators can learn more about how Sora ensures each student has access to the right books at https://discoversora.com.

 

 

About OverDrive Education – a division of OverDrive

OverDrive Education, a division of OverDrive, offers the industry’s largest catalog of ebooks, audiobooks, digital magazines and other content for over 53,000 K-12 schools and millions of students worldwide. The company’s student reading app, Sora, provides every student with access to the right books. Supporting the need to read required curriculum titles, class sets and pleasure reading digital books, Sora’s powerful learning tools and insights help meet the needs of students and educators. Sora was named one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2019. Acquired in 2021, TeachingBooks.net complements Sora with one of the largest catalogs of original and curated literary resources. Founded in 1986, OverDrive – the leading digital reading platform for libraries – and OverDrive Education are based in Cleveland, Ohio USA. www.overdrive.com/schools

Contact:
David Burleigh
Director of Brand Marketing & Communications
dburleigh@overdrive.com

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