Book apps have become increasingly popular as developers have found creative ways for readers to interact with stories. You may wonder how book apps differ from e-books. The biggest difference is that book apps allow readers to interact with the story in a variety of ways: by reading the text on the page, swiping, tapping, recording, listening to narration and sound effects, viewing animation and videos, and much more. In the most effective book apps, the interactive features enhance the story without distracting readers or disrupting the flow of the narrative.
Do you have a book app you would like to nominate to the CYBILS? Book Apps nominations may be fiction or nonfiction and may appeal to any age from preschool to young adult. Our judges will use iPads to evaluate book apps, so all nominations must be available for iPad and available in the iTunes App Store. Please note, books available in iBooks are not considered Book Apps. To be eligible for the 2015 CYBILS, the book app must be released between October 16, 2014 and October 15, 2015. We’re looking for the original release date not when updates occurred. If you aren’t sure of the initial release date, you can check in the App Store or refer to appshopper.com. – Cathy Potter