We’re leaving for the US in 2 days, so I loaded the kids’ Kindles with books last night. We’ve subscribed to Kindle Unlimited for years, which costs $9.99/month and allows you to borrow 10 books at a time. For the most part Charlie uses it to read Minecraft fan fiction, and it has the entire Harry Potter series which he rereads regularly. While they don’t have a huge selection of bestselling titles, we’ve been able to borrow some great books like Andrea Beaty’s Rosie Revere, Engineer series, and just yesterday I downloaded Fancy Nancy Oodles of Kittens, Nancy Clancy Super Sleuth which is a chapter book series based on Fancy Nancy, and Big Nate, a funny graphic novel series.
When Epic, another digital library, first launched a couple years ago we subscribed, but they didn’t have many of the awesome books featured in their ads, specifically Mo Willems’ books, which are not even available on the Kindle! I canceled my subscription, but have recently heard positive things about it so I checked out the site again. It looks like their book selection has greatly expanded (35,000 books), and they also offer audiobooks as well. But I’ve read on Common Sense Media that it is impossible to cancel their service, so I don’t think I’ll be giving it another try, especially since my kids have Kindle paperwhites so they don’t get “screentime” when reading.
Did you know that you can borrow e-books and audiobooks for free from US public libraries using an app? One of my to dos when I’m in the US is to get a library card for just this purpose! An Audible subscription is $14.95/month for 1 book and $22.95 for 2 books, which is a little pricey, so I am on the hunt for free audiobook alternatives.
I also regularly search for free e-books on Amazon. These are completely free e-books that you get to keep forever! Many classics are free, but authors often offer the first book in a series for free to get you to purchase subsequent books. Just go the Amazon Kindle page, and type in “free children’s ebook.” These are the free e-books I downloaded for my kids last night. They’re heavy on sci-fi and fantasy, which are genres Charlie loves!
The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus Book 1) by Rick Riordan; Age Level 10-14
I was so happy to get this, although it looks like it’s no longer free!
The Mage and the Magpie: Magemother Book 1; Age Level 8+
Chicken Soup for the Soul: Humane Heroes Volume 1 and 2; Age Level 12+
Dotty and the Calendar House Key; Age Level 8+
Del Ryder and the Crystal Seed; Age Level 8+
The Lost Princess of Oz (Illustrated)
Sleep Writer; Age Level 9+
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The Dragon’s Mountain Book One: Attacked by the Griefers (An Unofficial Minecraft Book for Kids Age 9-12)
Blast of the Dragon’s Fury; Age Level 7+
Diary of a Private School Kid; Age Level 8+
Do you have any creative resources for books or e-books? We can never have too many!
pomegranate / 3973 posts
LOVE the free online library! You just need a library card from a participating library, can check out 3 books at a time with 10 on ‘hold’. You can download each book for 2 weeks – but if you just shut off your wi-fi, they can’t take it back :).
pear / 1565 posts
Can’t you start using your parents’ library cards?
Our library just launched Kanopy for Kids too with shows/ebooks!
admin / watermelon / 14210 posts
@graceandjoy: my parents are immigrants with no library cards. I cant find my ny library card as I thought I would have no use for it in the Philippines!
kiwi / 617 posts
You should check out BookBub.com.
I don’t know how it works for childrens books, but it searches for cheap and free ebooks, and then emails you options everyday!
guest
Los Angeles Public library has a really extensive e-library and if you get a card it is valid for a few years. You should def do it!
GOLD / wonderful coffee bean / 18478 posts
Thanks for the tip on getting free Kindle books! That’s even better than library ones lol.
guest
DOTTY and the Calendar House Key is a great character and easy to relate to. The author does a wonderful job of helping build a connection at the beginning and keeps the storyline relateable and on the edge of your seat. Great read for adults or kids.