# Novel Effect: Read Aloud Books — Fun Interactive Stories

> Interactive storybook app with voice-activated sound effects and music. (iPhone/iPad app by Novel Effect Inc.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/novel-effect-read-aloud-books/id1057374139 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Novel Effect Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1057374138)
- Category: Books, Education
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.90/5 from 9,524 App Store ratings · 176 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 13.0 · 212 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2016-09-03
- Data updated: 2026-08-28
- Monetization: freemium
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/novel-effect-read-aloud-books/id1057374139/reviews.md

## What is Novel Effect?

Welcome to Novel Effect — an award-winning app that follows your voice as you read out loud from a children’s story book and responds at just the right moment with interactive music, sound effects, and character voices. Bring the story to life, promote literacy, imagination, and fun for kids 12 & under!

In the classroom or at home, see why parents and teachers alike say Novel Effect “…turns reading time into a magical experience." - App Store Review.

There are 3 versions of the Novel Effect service accessible through the app. New books are added weekly.

FREE
Free Novel Effect offers hundreds of soundscapes for a library of children’s books curated for teachers, librarians, kids and families. Enjoy limited access to soundscapes for free when you bring your own copy of the print book or ebook!

PREMIUM
For families and individual educators, Novel Effect Premium offers unlimited access to a library of kid friendly content. Enjoy soundscapes for popular children’s books when you bring your own copy of the book, or read aloud from hundreds of in-app eBooks, including non-fiction and early reader chapter books, as well as exclusive members-only content. 

CLASSROOM
For educators, Novel Effect Premium Classroom offers unlimited access to Premium features and content for one teacher and up to 30 students in a safe and secure environment. Overwhelmingly, educators say reading with Novel Effect is more engaging, creating motivated, confident, and empowered readers. 


HOW IT WORKS
Novel Effect’s service follows along as you read out loud, playing interactive music, sound effects, and character voices in response to your voice. Our library includes a wide variety of high-quality soundscapes for carefully selected family friendly books to engage and promote imagination and learning, updated weekly with new titles! Hundreds of titles are available as in-app eBooks, some titles may require you to read aloud from your own copy.

FIND - Use search or browse our collections to find the book you want to read out loud.
PLAY - Tap the cover and then choose how you’ll be reading — with print or an eBook.
READ - When you hear the chime, start reading aloud!
LISTEN - Hear the music and sounds respond to your voice and change with the story.

Add a little magic to story time with Novel Effect.


PRESS AND EXPERT REVIEWS
Novel Effect was featured on Shark Tank, The TODAY Show, and in Forbes, Variety, Lifehacker, and more.

“I felt like a real audiobook narrator. My five-year-old tried reading a book on her own… and amazingly, the system picked up her little voice and played the effects at all the right moments.” - Michelle Woo, Lifehacker

"Not only did this tool help make poetry come alive for [my student], he asked me if he could try reading... I about fell out of my chair because he never wants to read aloud... and he has asked to go to the library to check out books that he can read along with the app." - Julie Smith, The Techie Teacher®

"I think this is cool as cool can be… I love it, I love it!" - Lori Greiner, entrepreneur and investor on ABC’s Shark Tank


SAFETY, PRIVACY, AND SUPPORT
- Novel Effect requires access to the device's microphone to perform voice-recognition.
- The privacy of kids and their grown-ups is our top priority. Voice-recognition is performed on your device, no voice data is saved without express consent.
- Please go to http://www.noveleffect.com/privacy-policy or www.noveleffect.com/classroom-privacy-policy to learn more.

KEY FEATURES
• Hundreds of books with more added weekly
• Also includes Spanish books
• Online and offline reading
• A reading log tracks books you’ve read with the app
• Access Novel Effect’s digital library and soundscapes on almost any device

Terms of Service
https://www.noveleffect.com/terms-of-service

## Key features

- Voice-activated music and sound effects
- Character voices respond to reading
- Hundreds of curated children's books
- Weekly new book additions
- Supports print books and eBooks
- Classroom and family versions

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Annual Student Access | $99.99 | per year |
| Annual Premium Access | $59.99 | per year |
| Monthly Premium Access | $7.99 | per month |
| Annual Premium Access | $41.99 | per year |
| Monthly Premium Access | $5.99 | per month |
| Annual Premium Access | $59.99 | per year |
| Annual Premium Access | $49.99 | per year |
| Annual Premium Access | $49.99 | per year |
| Annual Premium Access | $49.99 | per year |
| Annual Premium Access | $49.99 | per year |
| Annual Premium Access | $59.99 | per year |
| Annual Premium Access | $59.99 | per year |

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mini Vote Bundle | $0.99 | one-time |
| Small Vote Bundle | $1.99 | one-time |
| Big Vote Bundle | $4.99 | one-time |
| Mega Vote Bundle | $9.99 | one-time |


## Chart rankings

- #112 in Top Free · Book (US App Store)
- #29 in Top Grossing · Book (US App Store)

## What do users think of Novel Effect?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- ❤️ Loved the app
- 🤩 Fun and good family time
- 🎨 Brings books to life
- 👍 Engaging for students
- 🎉 Adds magic to reading
- 🙌 Transforms read alouds
- 🎶 Wonderful sound effects
- 🤗 Makes reading more fun
- 📚 Motivates kids to read
- 👏 Absolutely amazing

**Cons**

- 🔒 Many locked books need premium
- 🔇 Sound issues - quiet or out of sync
- 💰 Expensive subscription
- 🤔 Not as many titles as expected

**Commonly reported bugs**

- App crashes or gets stuck
- Progress meter doesn't match audio

**Most requested features**

- Add more books, especially current titles
- Improve audio sync and volume
- Implement Apple Family Sharing
- Add more free books or samples
- Provide option to turn off background music

## Recent user reviews (10 of 176)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/novel-effect-read-aloud-books/id1057374139/reviews.md

### 3/5 — Great but pricey

*2026-08-16, version 3.10.1*

There are tons of great titles if you pay- if not there isn’t many.  I wanted to use it in my classroom but just can’t afford one more thing.  Think about adding more free books for teachers- or better yet a way cheaper option for teachers to use it.

### 5/5 — Brilliant

*2026-07-17, version 3.10.1*

I have used this app for a few years. Seems to just get better and better all the time? Love it!!

### 5/5 — Interrupting Chicken

*2026-07-14, version 3.10.1*

What an adorable story! Novel Effects brings to life, Chicken!  I will be giving Novel Effects and Interrupting Chicken, as a gift to my next birthday party invite! What a treasure! LOVE! LOVE! LOVE!  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

### 2/5 — Highly disappointed

*2026-07-08, version 3.10.1*

My daughter has been begging for this app for months.  Unfortunately, the in app ebook selection is extremely limited (even with the paid version.)  Any book worth reading gives you a link to buy the book separately.  Additionally, there is no easy way to search by reading level.  I was really hoping this would inspire her younger sister to read, but the app really isn’t designed to teach reading.  It’s impossibly hard to find easy books.  There is no assistance if the child reads something incorrectly.  You have to read loudly and clearly to get the sound effects to work.  The idea is adorable, but the execution leaves a LOT to be desired.

### 5/5 — Best App

*2026-06-28, version 3.10.1*

This makes story time so engaging and fun!! I love this app

### 5/5 — The Very Hungry Caterpillar

*2026-06-23, version 3.10.1*

Fantastic

### 1/5 — Not satisfying

*2026-05-24, version 3.10*

I am very disappointed it won’t read it won’t do it for you. You have to literally memorize the freaking book in order for it to play the sounds, which is absolutely stupid when you’re blind and just want to hear the story because you’re curious when you find out you have to memorize the book just to hear the sounds absolutely pointless.

### 1/5 — Hate it

*2026-05-10, version 3.10*

Hate the fact that I don’t have any of the same books 😡😡😡😡

### 1/5 — Just awful

*2026-03-21, version 3.9*

I tried to reach Eid the sound effects of all the places you’ll go and then it asks for a payment to do any of them makes me so mad😡

### 5/5 — French please?

*2026-03-17, version 3.9*

I read in French to the kiddos is there a French language option? Thank you

## Frequently asked questions about Novel Effect

### What does Novel Effect do?

Novel Effect is an app that enhances the experience of reading children's storybooks aloud. As you read, the app uses voice recognition to play interactive music, sound effects, and character voices that correspond to the story, bringing it to life.

### How does the app work with books?

You can use the app with your own physical copy of a print book or an eBook. Once you select the book in the app, you'll be prompted to start reading aloud when you hear a chime, and the app's audio features will play in response to your voice.

### Is Novel Effect free to use?

The app offers a free version with access to hundreds of soundscapes for a curated library of children's books. For unlimited access to content and additional features, there are Premium and Premium Classroom subscription options available.

### What age group is this app for?

This app is designed to promote literacy, imagination, and fun for children aged 12 and under. It aims to make reading engaging for young readers and is also used by teachers and librarians.

### Can I read any book with this app?

The app provides soundscapes for a wide variety of carefully selected family-friendly books. While hundreds of titles are available as in-app eBooks, some titles may require you to read aloud from your own physical copy of the book.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 3.10.1 — 2026-06-22

• Added Clever as a sign-in option for Premium Plan customers.

We're always looking to improve. If you have feedback or suggestions send an email to support@noveleffect.com

### 3.10 — 2026-03-24

• Performance improvements and bug fixes

We're always looking to improve. If you have feedback or suggestions send an email to support@noveleffect.com

### 3.9 — 2026-01-15

• Fixed an issue where ebooks and learning activities sometimes did not display properly
• Other performance improvements and bug fixes

We're always looking to improve. If you have feedback or suggestions send an email to support@noveleffect.com

### 3.8.5 — 2025-09-22

• Microphone modes can once again be changed directly from the More tab
• Other performance improvements and bug fixes

We're always looking to improve. If you have feedback or suggestions send an email to support@noveleffect.com

### 3.8.4 — 2025-09-15

• Fixed an issue that sometimes made soundscapes unresponsive in iOS 26
• Other performance improvements and bug fixes

We're always looking to improve. If you have feedback or suggestions send an email to support@noveleffect.com

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-28.*