In the last year, we’ve all learned the importance of having lots of ways to get books in kids hands. While physical books will always have a place in our hearts (and our classrooms!), you can’t beat e-books for their convenience and ability to serve kids with many different types of learning differences. We’ve put together this list of sites where kids (and their parents) can easily download free e-books so they can keep reading no matter where they are!
(Just a heads up, WeAreTeachers may collect a share of sales from the links on this page. We only recommend items our team loves!)
All You Can Books
Enjoy a free, one-month trial of this e-books service which allows you to download from their library of over 40,000 titles and language courses. The best part? You can keep the downloads even if you cancel your subscription.
Amazon
Have a Kindle or the Kindle app? Access their free e-book offerings that span nearly all categories from fiction, nonfiction, historical and more. Freebooksy offers a way to search for free Kindle e-books by genre and age.
Barnes & Noble
This retail giant offers free e-books for Barnes & Noble account holders with a Nook reader. The generous selection includes classics, comics, children’s books, magazines, and even some top Nook books.
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bookboon
This site is probably best for high schoolers as the selection focuses on e-books about soft skills, business, and personal development. Take advantage of the 30-day free trial before committing to the $5.99 monthly subscription.
Bookbub
Compatible with Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, Android, and Kobo, Bookbub offers a wide variety of free downloadable e-books from over 20 genres.
Bookyards
Offers more than 24,000 e-books in a variety of categories, including Children, Politics & Government, Science & Technology, and more.
Children’s Books Online
Need a great collection of classic kids’ books broken down by reading level? You’ll find books (and a small number of audiobooks) for all ages and even in multiple languages.
Epic!
Parents get free accounts and some teachers qualify as well. Students can access the library from all devices (both iOS and Android apps), including web browsers.
epubBooks
This is the motherload! epubBooks has English language titles that date back 400 years! The collection is free if you sign up and available on any device, including Android, iOS, Kindle, Kobo and more.
Free-eBooks.net
You’ll easily find thousands of books for readers of all ages, including the classics! The free membership gives you access to five free books every month. Upgrade to the paid subscription for unlimited books.
Free Kids Books
This fantastic site is great if you’re looking for e-books for children and teens. The extensive collection can be sorted by category and recommended age. They’ve also got downloadable workbooks and textbooks!
Gateway to the Classics
While this site places an emphasis on natural history, literature, and history, you’ll find a large collection of titles across a wide variety of genres.
getfreeebooks
A site that brings both authors and readers into the world of free legal e-books. Students can also access videos, infographics, lists, and more!
hoopla
By linking to your library membership, you can digitally borrow thousands of free e-books, comics, movies, television programs, music, audiobooks, and more. The platform works through a desktop site, on Apple, Android, or Amazon mobile devices, and on streaming tools such as Roku, AppleTV, Chromecast, AndroidTV, and FireTV.
International Children’s Digital Library
This nonprofit organization carries more than 4,600 titles in 80 languages. With a free account, kids from all over the world can log in and enjoy!
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive offers over 20,000,000 free downloadable books and texts. There is also a collection of 2.3 million modern e-books that may be borrowed by anyone with a free archive.org account.
Libby
This site partners with the membership at your local library to provide free e-books. While many libraries have their own Overdrive site, allowing users to access materials through computers and Kindles, downloading the app brings those e-books to phones and tablets.
ManyBooks
As the name suggests, this resource will bring you many books 50,000 e-books for all ages, in fact! You’ll find children’s books that can be downloaded or read online.
Open Library
Part of the Internet Archive, Open Library is a nonprofit that offers a free account that connects readers with over a million e-books for all ages, including more than 30,000 titles for children.
Overdrive
Enjoy e-books and audiobooks for free through your local public library or school.
Oxford Owl
You’ve probably heard of Oxford University Press but did you know that a free parent account makes more than 150 e-books, educational videos, and games available to children between the ages 3 to 12? It’s a great place to download free e-books!
Planet eBook
A great resource for free classic literature, this mobile-friendly website offers multi-format e-books which are accessible on all devices.
Project Gutenberg
There are over 60,000 free e-books on Project Gutenberg and many are children’s classics that have been made accessible in the public domain.
Rakuten Kobo
Using a Rakuten Kobo? You’ll want to check out their free e-book website, which allows you the opportunity to download a large selection of free titles for kids, young adults, and adults as a thank you for being a Kobo account holder.
RBdigital
Use your existing library membership to connect with this website that offers a large selection of e-entertainment options, including books, comics, magazines, newspapers, and more. The apps are available through the Apple App Store, Google Play, and Kindle Fire platforms.
Scribd.com
You’ll find thousands of the best books, audiobooks, and more on Scribd, which claim to be the world’s largest digital library. While you can sign up for a 30-day free trial, a monthly subscription will cost $9.99 after that introductory period expires. Available on any device.
Sora
Getting e-books and audiobooks from your school is quick and easy with Sora. Just sign in with your school account, then borrow and open books with one tap.
StoryMentors
These free e-books are for beginning readers in pre-K through grade 2. They come with a parent guide filled with activities and a mentor guide in case you aren’t sure how to talk about the text like teachers do. There are 25 books in all!
Vooks
This online streaming library is giving students access to a full month of free reading through its library. Teachers and parents can also check out the catalogue of lesson plans and resources.
World Public Library
Download books with an eLibrary card. Everything from the classics to comics to school books!
What Devices Work With E-books?
While e-readers like the Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, and Rakuten Kobo are popular methods of reading e-books, anyone with a smartphone or even desktop computer can benefit from the free e-book resources listed above. Desktop computers, laptops, smartphones, tablets, and even some smart TVs are compatible with e-books and can be used to quench your reading thirst without having to buy or borrow a physical copy.
What are your favorite e-book resources? Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter so you can get our latest picks.
Plus, Free Online Resources for Teaching Your Students Virtually.
