Need More Books? (AKA Help, I have a voracious reader and can’t keep him in books!)

I have a love-hate relationship with the library.  Despite my best attempts at organization, we are pros at losing library books!  Who’s with me?   I’ve recently started offering ebooks to Super D to read, and I think we’re on to something!

My sweet dad gave me a Kindle Fire for Christmas, and it didn’t take Super D long before he claimed it as his own.   I’m happy with this arrangement, because he’s reading more than ever before, and he is ONLY reading books on it.  We don’t have any apps or games installed, so he’s not drawn into doing other things (like Minecraft!).    The Kindle Fire has really come down in price too ($49.99 now), so its functionality as a tablet makes it a great value for the money IMO.  You can also download the free Kindle app to use on your mobile device or tablet.

Sources for Ebooks
We can connect with our local library through an app called OverDrive.   They have a decent selection of ebooks, including titles like Mr. Popper’s Penguins, books from the Magic Tree House series, favorites from Beverly Cleary like the Mouse and the Motorcycle and Henry and Ribsy, and lots more.   No trip to the library needed and, best of all, no fines for late or lost materials!!

For instructions on how to connect with your local library’s ebook checkout, just ask them.  They’ll likely have a handout they can give you, or they can step you through the process.   It’s easy once you get the hang of it.   I can pick out books for Super D, check them out, and they will automatically download onto his Kindle Fire.   Nice!!

Epic!
I’m super excited about a service called Epic!   For $4.99/month (or less), you get unlimited access to high quality books from National Geographic, Chronicles of Narnia, Beverly Cleary, and lots more.   They offer a free month trial, so I HIGHLY recommend trying them out if you’re looking for great kids’ books!  Educators get a free membership.  Epic! also offers special pricing for homeschoolers.  Follow this link if you’re homeschooling –> Epic! Homeschooling.

You pick out books to read within the app, and they open right in the app.   You have the option of downloading them to read offline as well.   It works on a variety of tablets and mobile devices, including the Kindle Fire!

Kindle Unlimited
I recently decided to give Kindle Unlimited a try, and I’m guardedly happy with how that’s turning out.   For $10 a month, you get unlimited ebooks!   Yes, unlimited!!   You’re allowed to check out up to 10 at a time, and you can download them on a mobile device other than a Kindle.   They have a pretty broad selection of both books for grownups and for kids.   You can search by age, genre, etc to narrow things down.    There are a plethora of silly Minecraft stories for Super D’s age range, and he is loving those.   They’re definitely not high quality literature, but they’re clean.  He loves them, and so he’s getting more words read than before.

Do you have another favorite source for ebooks?  Share in the comments!