Where to Find Books Online for Students

  

As our lives become increasingly digitized, it's important to find quality reading material online. I've found this is a great way to encourage reading at home. Even if students don't have books at home--if they have internet access--they can read!

The following sites would be great to use in your classroom or at home. Many are *free* for you and students and some you may have access to and not even know it! Check out my list and let me know if there are any I've missed!

1. Public Domain

There are MANY classic and beloved books in the public domain. This means they are no longer under trademark/copyright and are free to use and download. I love suggesting classics for many reasons--but one reason is that they are so accessible! The following websites host thousands of books and many allow you to download FREE from the site. 

• Project Gutenberg
• Internet Archive (includes the scanned pages of real books)
• Open Library (boast 3 million free ebooks!)
• Library of Congress (many beloved children's classics)
• ManyBooks
• Read Print

2. Public School and Library Databases

Typically, your school or public library will grant you access to online databases. All you may need is a library card or district sign-in. I use these regularly and they are extremely helpful in the classroom. 

Databases through my public library:

• Overdrive: The apps through this system are Libby and Sora (for kids)
• hoopla

Databases through my school system:

• vooks
• Epic!
• NewsELA (great for shorter articles)
• ReadWorks (great for shorter articles)
• Wonderopolis (great for shorter articles)

3. Self-Published Authors

Similar to the public domain sites above, there are sites for self-published authors to make their work available. The following sites have thousands of self-published books. You may be able to find some hidden gems here!

• Smashwords
• Bookrix (has both self-published and public domain books)

4. Paid Services

As you probably know, there are also MANY places to find books online for a fee. These will give you the most recent publications at a higher quality. Many are also subscription based to help you cut the cost. 

• WattPad
• Google Books (also check this one for free, public domain books!)
• Apple
• Amazon (Audible)
• Barnes and Noble
• Walmart

     

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