Both my boys love to read, but my 11 year old positively devours books. In fact, his nickname in our house is The Shredder. During the quarantine there are a multitude of expenses we are cutting back on, but books is not one of them. That being said, feeding our boys’ reading habits is becoming insanely expensive. There’s also the reality of deliveries taking longer normal (completely understandably). Seeing as the library shows no signs of reopening in time to meet my kids’ insatiable need for novels, we began the search for some more online options. Here are some great reading options for your little bookworm at home!
Vancouver Public Library
Of course, the library has always had terrific e-resources and we’ve never appreciated them so much as now! No library card? No problem. Simply sign up online.
American Girl
We’ve heard that American Girl is opening their online library and offering a few books each week for free. Check it out for both a fiction and a non-fiction option each week.
Internet Archive
We’ve never tried using Internet Archive, but they say they work to archive web history and pay special attention to books, with a goal of providing universal access to digital versions of books.
Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg offers books that are free of copyright in the US, making them an option for some classics. Sometimes this means that the book may not be free of copyright in other countries, so your success at obtaining these free books may vary.
Open Library
This site has over a million books, and though it seems that not all of them are available, they have lots of variety.
Scholastic Canada
Prefer physical books? (Me, too.) Now that the schools are closed, Scholastic Canada has changed their options and you can have books shipped directly to your house (shipping and handling is 10% of your pre-tax order, with a minimum payment of $6.).
Free Audio Stories with Audible
Maybe your kids would prefer an audiobook. Audible is offering a number of titles for free right now and there are even some that the parents might enjoy.
Just Books Read Aloud
Little ones who need to be read to might enjoy the Just Books Read Aloud, as they can see pictures in a book while they are read to.
Storytime Online
Little ones who need to be read to might enjoy the Just Books Read Aloud, as they can see pictures in a book while they are read to.
Epic
We’ve heard about Epic for a long time, and now our youngest is using it as part of his assigned school-from-home activities. It has over 40,000 children’s books, including many popular series. While this is a paid service, they offer a very interactive reading experience for a variety of ages (all 3 of my school aged kids love it). They also have a free 30 day trial for you to try it out first.
Looking for more tips on how to keep your kids occupied during the COVID-19 crisis? Find our best ideas, activities and inspiration here!
