Getting kids to read can be a tough job for parents and teachers alike.
“I have a few students who routinely read for fun,” said Andrew Ramsey, a 6th grade teacher in Indiana. “Most of my other students, it’s like pulling teeth to get them to read.”
On the flip side, you may have a kid who waits in line to get the latest popular book and finishes it within hours of purchase. Your problem is not trying to get them to read, but figuring out how to fund the good habit.
Whether you’re encouraging reluctant young readers or feeding a bookworm’s habit, you’re probably trying to avoid spending too much. You want your kids to experience the thrill of exploring endless book possibilities, but you’ve got a budget to think about, too.
We’ve compiled a list of 17 ways to get free or inexpensive children’s books to tempt both your avid and reluctant young readers.
Some parents prefer physical books to ebooks. “My kids are more interactive when they read physical books,” said Kylie Clark, a mom of three. “They talk to us more about what they’re reading.”
If you want your kid to get away from a screen, check out these websites offering deals on physical books.
Sign up for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and the organization will mail an age-appropriate book to your little one once a month — for free.
The program started in Dolly Parton’s home county in Tennessee in 1995 and has since grown, mailing over 1 million free books for kids each month in the United States, U.K., Ireland, Canada and Australia. It’s open to all families with children from birth to age 5 who live in a participating area (you can check if you qualify here). Several states have recently begun to offer the program statewide.
As the name suggests, Kidsbooks.com is an online book retailer that focuses exclusively on books for kids aged 0-12. They get overstock books for discounted prices and pass the savings on to customers, so the books are cheap while still being in new condition.
There are over 7,000 books in the “Under $5” section of the website.
The website’s format makes it easy to find cheap kids’ books by organizing them in age groups, reading level and subject. Puzzles, coloring books, toys and other kids activities are available.
Shipping is free on orders over $35.
Want to get books for yourself, too? Check out the sister site bookoutlet.com, where you can find discounted books for all ages.
While you’re browsing for your next read on Thriftbooks.com, check out the children’s section. It offers new and used books for children of all ages.
Is your teen on TikTok? Thriftbooks has a section of #BookTok favorites.
Do you want to reward your kids for reading? You can also find children’s movies, music and video games. All purchases on Thriftbooks earn points in their rewards program. Once you hit 500 points, you’ll get a free book. (We won’t tell if you use it on yourself.)
“Incentives are great for parents to use to encourage reading,” Ramsey said. “Maybe they can work to earn something they want at the store or unlock more screen time.”
Standard shipping is $1.49 per item on orders under $15. Orders over $15 ship free. Thriftbooks is also available as an app.
Adults want deals on books, too. Check out our roundup of 14 ways to get cheap books online.
If you like surprises, sales at your local library are a great option. You can also browse your local social media yard sale sections or write up your own “ISO” post. Maybe your neighbor’s son has outgrown his copy of “Dragons Love Tacos.”
Physical books are a great resource — where else will you get that book smell? — but they’re not always accessible. And some kids respond more to the digital experience.
“Digital resources allow students to have access to materials that might not be available locally to them,” Ramsey said. “We need to meet students where they are daily. It’s not just sitting down with a physical book anymore.”
If you want your child to put that screen time to good use, then check out these websites offering free digital books, both text and audio.
All you need is internet access and your children under 12 can read books for free on Epic.
Books are categorized by age and topic, so it’s easy to find books your child might be interested in. They can choose to read through the book themselves or use the “Read to Me” option, which highlights the text as it goes so they can follow along easily.
If they really like a book, you can create a favorites list or access the reading log in their profile to find it again. The reading log also tells you how many books your child has read and how long it took them to read each book. You can have up to four children’s profiles on one account.
The free version gives access to one book, including the Read-to-Me versions, each day. If your child enjoys Epic, you can upgrade to Epic Unlimited for $9.99 per month to get access to their entire library of 40,000 books, audiobooks and videos. You can also choose to do a yearly subscription for $79.99.
Epic also has an app that can be accessed on a phone or tablet.
Does your elementary school child prefer listening to books? Try Storyline Online, a free service offered by the SAG-AFTRA Foundation.
The organization recruits actors like Jennifer Garner, James Earl Jones, Chris Pine and many others to narrate books with accompanying illustrations. The videos are shared via Youtube or SchoolTube.
Each book description includes information like run time and grade level to help choose appropriate books for your child. And it’s available as an app.
Do you have a kid who is interested in reading the classics? If your child has access to an e-reader or web browser, they can download free ebooks at Project Gutenberg.
All the books in the Project Gutenberg library are in the public domain, so the organization can offer them for free.
Project Gutenberg has something for all age groups. You can find picture books like “The Three Little Pigs” and “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” for younger readers, alongside “The Call of the Wild” and “Pride and Prejudice” for teenagers.
The International Children’s Digital Library has over 4,400 books across 76 different language options, including bilingual versions, in an effort to provide families with books in their native language no matter where they live.
All ICDL books are available for free. All you need is an internet connection and you can access their books through your web browser.
If you have an Amazon Prime account, you can find free Kindle versions of books for your young reader by searching for free kids ebooks on Amazon.
Kindle Unlimited members get access to additional free children’s books.
If you don’t want to trust your Kindle to sticky fingers, just download the free Kindle app on a device, and your kids can access their new ebooks there. Amazon offers children’s ebooks in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
If you’re a Barnes & Noble Nook user, you can access free children’s books through the bookseller’s website, which has options for age groups birth through teens.
Don’t have a Nook? Download the Nook app on your device to access the free ebooks you’ve added to your account.
Preschoolers through 8th graders can use Funbrain, an educational website with free ebooks and e-comic books as well as games and videos. You can browse through the website by grade so younger readers can access titles like “Captain Buckleswash and the Pirate Villain” while older kids can read “Diary of a Wimpy Kid.”
Oxford Owl is another great educational website that offers free ebooks for kids. After you create an account, your children ages 3-11 can access their digital library of nonfiction and fiction books.
Along with ebooks, Oxford Owl offers math and English help and ideas for kids’ activities like cooking and creative writing.
The Free Kids Books selection offers titles for kindergarten through eighth grade. Each free kids’ book is available to read online or download as a PDF. Some books also link to options for buying physical copies.
Do you have a reluctant reader? Free Kids Books has dozens of categories to tempt your child, from dinosaurs and insects to fantasy and poetry. Books in fonts for dyslexic readers are also available.
If your child doesn’t mind using a web browser to read, you can find a selection of classic children’s literature through the Library of Congress. Physical copies of books in the Library are scanned and put online. You can access titles like “The Secret Garden” or “Treasure Island” for free.
Free Children’s Stories is a website with original stories by Daniel Errico, a best-selling kids’ author, all for free. Books for kids aged 3-10 are narrated via Youtube videos, while middle-grade students can read two novels on the site. Errico’s books are available in several languages.
ManyBooks is a free online library that offers classic books in 46 languages. You can download the files to your child’s e-reader or tablet, or read online using ManyBooks’ web browser.
ManyBooks also has adult selections, so feel free to browse for yourself after you’ve downloaded “Heidi” for your young reader.
If you don’t mind waiting for deals, you can sign up for BookBub, a free service that sends email alerts when ebooks go on sale. You can also browse their website at any time for current deals.
The service finds free and discounted books on Kindle, Nook, Kobo, Google Play and Apple Books, so there’s something for every reader.
Bookbub tracks dozens of genres, so you can find something for any age or interest. Just pick what categories you want to track. You can even follow specific authors to get notifications when their books go on sale.
Kristen Pope is a freelance writer and editor in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Penny Hoarder contributor Jenna Limbach is based in Nevada.
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Like many parents, you might be looking (aka desperate) for ideas to keep your kids busy during school breaks that don’t include expensive new toys or time in front of the TV. If you’ve got kids that love to read, first of all, congratulations. And second, we want to help you stretch your book budget with a list of where to find cheap kids’ books.
Each of the stores on our list has cheap books for kids at budget prices (we stuck to $10 or less, but more often less). And if you’re on an even tighter budget, here’s where you can find FREE kids’ books.
For more activities in between books, work your way through our list of 77 free things to do with kids. And be sure to text HACKS to 57299 and download the Krazy Coupon Lady app for more smart shopping tips and savings hacks.
1.
Get free shipping on new and used cheap kids’ books at Better World Books.
Better World Books offers deeply discounted new and used hardcover and paperback books. Their mission is to give everyone access to knowledge through reading, by offering affordable used books, proceeds to literacy programs, and donating books to people in need.
BWB has more than 8 million new and used titles in stock. Plus, you can search kids’ books by grade and genre. Usually, books under $10 are used but are in “good” to “very good” condition. They often have coupon codes to get additional discounts like 20% off when you buy three or more books. Shipping is free with any order of $15 or more and is just $1.49 for orders under $15.
2. Pay as little as $1 per used children’s book at The Book Bundler.
The Book Bundler does what their name says — they sell cheap kids’ books in bundles of 10 – 60 books. Their bundles are categorized by age groups, genres, and book type (large illustrated, non-fiction paperback, etc), and prices start at $1 per book! They even have “Beater Books,” which are books in less than wonderful condition, but they work out to less than $1 each (about $0.75 – $0.80 per book). If you don’t mind a pre-loved book with a little wear, that’s where to find the deals.
They also sell book bundles for teens, adults, and bulk books by color if you’re wanting to do some aesthetic decorating a la HGTV.
3. Book Outlet offers new, best-selling kids’ books for as little as $1.99 per book.
Prefer new books? Book Outlet has a huge, constantly changing selection of new books that are 50 – 90% off retail price. We found the popular Little Blue Truck Makes A Friend for $7.11 on Book Outlet, while the same title is selling for $13.70 on Amazon.
Shop their Frugal Finds section for books under $5 and sort by age, genre, and even format (in case your little one likes to tear paper pages). Shipping is free with $35 orders or is a flat $6.95 for orders under $35. Plus, if you sign up for their email list, you’ll get $5 off your first order of $25 or more.
RELATED: Where to Find Free Books Online
Alibris has a $0.99 section where you can browse by title, author, or the family section. Books start at $0.99 for used and in good condition, but are also available for a few bucks more brand new.
You’ll also find a coupon page with the current promo offers and discount codes (like $3 off $25 or $10 off $75) and thousands of books that ship free. Otherwise, shipping is free with $39 orders.
KidsBooks.com, along with Book Outlet, are both owned by The Book Depot, Inc. and offer discounts on new books. While Book Outlet offers books for everyone, KidsBooks.com narrows the inventory to books only for children. You can sort by age and also shop their under $5 section to find some great deals on popular kids’ books. Plus, if you sign up for their email list, you’ll get $5 off your first order.
Shipping is free with $35 orders or is a flat $6.95 for orders under $35. As mentioned, Book Outlet is almost the same website but offers cheap books for adults, too. So if you’re struggling to hit the $35 shipping threshold, check Book Outlet and add some titles to your cart for yourself.
Thriftbooks sells new and used books for everyone but has a robust children’s selection. Join their free ReadingRewards program to earn points on purchases. Every $1 you spend earns you 9 points. And for every 500 points you earn, you’ll receive a free book. They also have a Thriftbooks Deals section where you can get 5% off any single title and up to 20% off when you buy eight or more books. Shipping is free with any $15 order.
You can also score first and limited editions of some classic books which make great gifts for the book lovers on your gift lists.
Half Price Books has a huge selection of kids’ books under $10 and even some under $2.
Half Price Books has survived as one of the last remaining brick-and-mortar stores by capitalizing on selling cheap and deeply discounted new and used books. By going to their Books Under $10 section you’ll easily find cheap books for kids, like the classic Everyone Poops for as little as $3.49 in used condition. You’ll score much better deals by shopping for used condition. New condition prices are often higher than Amazon.
Half Price Books even has a Books Under $2 section, though it’s pretty limited. Although there usually aren’t a lot of kids’ books in this department, you’ll want to check back often, just in case.
You’ll have to pay shipping and handling, which varies depending on the book and which Half Price Books location you’re purchasing from. However, expect to pay around $3.99 per book you order online.
If you’ve got a Half Price Books location near you, we recommend checking there first as often their in-store inventory doesn’t match that location’s online inventory.
8. Get access to thousands of cheap kids’ eBooks for $9.99 per month via Amazon Kindle Unlimited.
Buying kids’ books quickly takes up space on your bookshelf — so why not try ebooks? Amazon has pretty much every book imaginable available in their Kindle library — over 1 million titles.
You can buy classics like Dr. Seuss books and even Harry Potter for less than $10 each. But, if you sign up for Kindle Unlimited, you can have access to more than 1 million eBooks for $9.99 per month. Try Kindle Unlimited for 30 days free.
Sometimes they even offer your first two months for 50% off ($4.99/month). All you need to download these kids’ books is a Kindle-reading device — which includes some eReaders, smartphones, and computers — and the Kindle app. Though they’ve got a lot of titles, be sure to check out the library first because not all of Amazon’s Kindle books are available through Kindle Unlimited.
9. Bookbub tells you when best-selling ebooks get discounted.
Want more ebooks, but don’t want to be limited to just Kindle’s library? BookBub is a great, free, online service that connects book lovers with free and deeply discounted ebooks.
When you subscribe, BookBub sends out daily emails to let you know about free and discounted eBooks sold by Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, Google, and more. Or browse their site and find books you can download and read absolutely free (or at deeply discounted rates).
Bookbub keeps you in the know by sharing discounts on acclaimed ebooks that you actually want to read. They send daily, targeted emails based on the types of books you choose to get notified about. With categories ranging from mysteries to cookbooks, and stores from Amazon to Apple iBooks, when publishers offer deals, you’re in for one happy ending.
10. Barnes & Noble has an entire section of cheap kids’ books under $5.
Barnes & Noble actually has some surprisingly good deals on books if you know where to look.
One of the best spots is their kids’ books under $5 section. Some of the selection is only available online, but a lot of books are available in-store. You can even buy online and pick up in-store the same day so you don’t have to go searching in the children’s section.
After you’ve looked through there, go to Barnes & Noble’s BOGO 50% section. There you’ll find cheap books for kids, teens, and adults. Sometimes you’ll find a book that’s already on sale for under $5 that also qualifies for the BOGO 50% off sale — score!
11. Dollar Tree sells cheap books for kids — only $1.25 each.
You can buy children’s books from Dollar Tree for only $1.25 each (although if you buy at DollarTree.com, there is a four-book minimum).
Selection can be massively different between stores and online, but it’s common to find books with popular Disney and Sesame Street characters, workbooks, educational books, and activity books.
If you’re not wanting to sort through shelves of books at various Dollar Tree locations, check the website’s inventory first.
Visit your local T.J. Maxx store to save on popular kids’ books. The selection is very limited online, but in-store I’ve found books like The Pout Pout Fish (our family’s favorite) for $4, which was half the price of Amazon and Target when I bought it. Look near the toys and also up front at the checkout area to find the kids’ books.
I shop T.J. Maxx most often for baby shower gifts as I prefer new books to give as gifts. If you’re shopping for yourself, you can still find better deals on used books.
This one’s for your book-loving older children. Biblio specializes in hard-to-find books, rare editions, and out-of-print titles. While you can find used books for as little as $1, you’ll also find books well into the hundreds of dollars for collectors.
Sort by books that ship for free, books on sale, or join their email newsletter to receive special discounts and promos.
Publishers have donated countless kids’ books to the First Book Marketplace. All the books in the Book Bank are free for First Book members; just pay shipping and handling — anywhere from $1.62 to $22.00. Sometimes the books are single, sometimes they’re in bulk, so be sure to read the description.
All you need to do is register as a First Book Member (for free!), then go to the Book Bank and start browsing! The prices shown are for shipping and handling.
If you see something you like, get it. Donated books are only available while supplies last.
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