Learn about an amazing free eBook website for schools, teachers, and students. Think you can’t get anything good for free anymore? Then you must not be familiar with Epic eBooks. Want to learn how to take advantage of this free educational resource? Read on!
My Epic Backstory
As a school librarian, I often write blog posts about books. I am always on the lookout for great deals, and this is definitely one of them. I could hardly believe it when I learned that Epic! eBooks were free for teachers and elementary librarians for in-school use. That was nearly three years ago, and since that time, the website has undergone improvements to allow easier student access. Now I feel much more comfortable recommending it for all grade levels, kindergarten through 5th. It’s definitely the best eBook deal for teachers there is!
***Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.***
The Best eBook Deal: Free Access to Over 25,000 eBook and Audiobook Titles
The site is constantly adding new titles, and now boasts over 25,000 eBook and audiobook titles totally free for classroom use. Incredible! If you are an elementary school librarian wondering how to set up the system for your library classes to use, I’d love to help with that. If you’re a classroom teacher and would like to know an easy way to set up your classroom account without having to change student names each year, I’d be happy to help with that as well.
Reasonably Priced for Home Access
Epic! eBooks offers the same titles to home subscribers. Sign up for a free 7-day trial, then the cost is just $6.67 each month, billed annually. I can see the eBooks being a great resource for homeschoolers, especially those living in rural areas, where access to the public library may be somewhat limited. Many of the eBooks include quizzes, and most have a Lexile reading level listed, for those who prefer to know the reading level of each book. Beginning readers will enjoy the “Read to Me” eBooks that include audio. As each word is read, the text is emphasized to coordinate with the audio so that beginning readers may follow along. Parents and students have the ability to set preferences based upon age and interests, which is another great feature.
Great for Road Trips
I can remember packing bags of books and audiobooks along on family travels. Most were from the public library, and I always worried about them getting damaged. Epic is available as an app, and accessible on any device with network access. It’s ideal for traveling!
New Titles Being Added Constantly
You might think that since the eBooks are free, that the titles are not well known nor popular. That is seriously not the case. Well-known, award-winning authors such as Kate DiCamillo, in-demand titles such as Guinness World Records, and widely-read series books are included. Just tonight, as I was doing research for this post, I noticed some new additions which are constantly being checked out of the school library: Inspector Flytrap, The Terrible Two, and The Secret of the Fortune Wookiee. There is an excellent mix of fiction and current nonfiction. This is especially important if students are using nonfiction books for research projects.
Prepare to be Amazed
I strongly encourage you to take a look at the website if you haven’t already. I promise I am not getting paid for this post. This is truly the best eBook deal I’ve found. Are there great free resources out there that you are a big fan of? I would really like to know about them.
Free Bookmarks
If you are into all things book-related, print out some free butterfly bookmarks. Customize with colors of their own choosing to create one-of-a-kind masterpieces.
Other Book and eBook Recommendations
If you are interested in other online educational resources, consider checking out the following posts: Best Coding Books for Kids, Digital Storytelling Made Easy, Best Summer Reading Programs, Best Technology Tools for Teachers, and How to Level Books Quickly with Timesaving Teacher Librarian Tips. There are so many engaging educational resources available. Many of them are free!
Request a Book List
Not seeing titles that fit with your needs? Request a free, customized book list tailored to your specifications. Just click here to get the process started. I’m all about matching people with books.
Have a wonderful week, and enjoy reading ebooks!
Lisa Mitchell is a school librarian who likes to use her job as an excuse to stay up far too late reading books and noodling around with tech tools. To learn more about what this website has to offer, click on over to the About page.
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