Where to get free (and cheap) reading:
District Libraries & subscriptions
Destiny BRRSD Libraries: ebooks -- To explore the unique collection of your child's school, choose your school, click Login in upper right-hand corner, and click Google sign-in. Then click on Destiny Discover and scroll down to find ebooks, interactives, and/or digital audio in your school's collection.
MyCapstoneLibrary.com has interactive ebooks, both fiction and nonfiction. Read the titles in each school's collection. For passwords, see your school's librarian's page.
Lightbox -- interactive books on nonfiction topics. If your school has them, they are available through destinydiscover.com. Login with school computer login.
MackinVIA -- login with your school Google account. Titles available at Eisenhower, Hillside, and BRMS.
Raz Plus -- K-4; login with Clever.
Tumblebooks -- K-6. For passwords, see your school librarian's page.
Public Libraries
If you don't have a public library card, apply online for digital access at Bridgewater and in-person at Raritan.
SCLSNJ Bridgewater Library -- ebooks, digital audiobooks, online (digital) magazines and newspapers, plus Comics Plus (comics & graphic novels), Newsbank, Mango languages, etc. Download the free Libby app for easy access to ebooks and audiobooks without even having to step foot in the library! Add SCLS as your library, input your library card/pin, and you're ready to go! Digital Diverse Books for Kids & Teens. Log in with your Bridgewater Library card number/pin to access all resources.
All ages: join the SCLS Summer Reading Challenge. Enjoy free events, in-person and virtual, all summer.
Raritan Public Library-- has Hoopla streaming service for books, shows, movies, and music, and CloudLibrary.
NJState Library -- ELibraryNJ -- ebooks from the State Library of NJ. Use the Libby app with your SCLS account.
NY Public Library -- SimplyE app allows free access to ebooks and audiobooks to anyone in the country, including books in languages other than English. No need to choose a library. Just look for "Books for All" collection. For teens and adults. Includes many classics. "Banned Book Club" includes books for teens.
Other sources
Audible -- Parents can sign up for a free trial. App for audiobooks, celeb-narrated stories, full-cast performances. 180K+ titles: fiction, nonfiction, biography, comedy, foreign language, business, interviews, poetry, language instruction, live events, etc. Monthly fee to subscribe, but they often have freebies. Through Amazon. First story is free. 30-day free trial available.
Bibliomania -- books, poems, plays, articles, short stories, etc.
Bluford series -- free audiobook versions of the popular young adult urban contemporary realistic fiction series.
BookBub -- free and cheap ebooks, book recommendations, author updates. Parents can sign up for free email service.
Brightly Storytime -- picture book readalouds for children.
Epic -- Parents can sign up for free 30-day trial for access to 40,000 ebooks and audiobooks for kids 12 and under, including materials in Spanish. If your child's teacher has an educator account, they can add your child to their class; students added to a class can read during school hours (roughly 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.).
EpicReads -- sneak peaks (excerpts) and inexpensive ebook deals for young adult books from HarperCollins publisher; also lists, blog, quizzes, events, win books.
International Children's Digital Library more than 4600 digital books in 59 languages; picture books through middle grade from various countries and cultures. Search by age level, subject, kinds of characters, length of book, color of cover, award winners, fairy tales, etc.
KidLitTV Read-out-Loud -- picture book readalouds for children.
Librivox -- free public domain audiobooks; children's and general fiction, non-fiction, poetry, plays, etc.; many languages available.
Listen & Learn Audiobooks -- read along w/ text; includes middle grade, young adult, and adult titles.
Lit2Go -- full text of classics, read or listen online, or download audio or PDF passages.
Longform -- links to recommended essays, articles, podcasts with nonfiction authors. Archives, choose a random article, etc. (HS/11th grade).
LoyalBooks -- free public domain ebooks and audiobooks; classics for children and adults.
NYPL Storytime -- Online storytime picture book readalouds from the New York Public Library, including bilingual stories. Also on Vimeo.
Open Culture -- curated links to free public domain audiobooks available from various sources. Classics, short stories, poetry, non-fiction, lectures, speeches, etc. Primarily young adult and adult interest/reading level, some children's classics.
Physics Central -- physics comic books
Project Gutenberg -- 64,000+ public domain (all items are older works for whom copyright has expired) classics, plays, short stories, magazines, law, music, etc. free ebooks to download or read online. Also ebooks in German, French, Italian, and Portuguese.
RivetedLit by SimonTeen -- monthly free reads of young adult literature
Shonen Jump -- free chapters of popular Manga series
Storyline Online -- picture books read by celebrities.
Storynory -- free audio original children's stories, myths, fairy tales, classics, poems & music. Also a podcast.
Storytime from Space -- astronauts read children's books
SyncYA -- free summer audiobook program for teens 13+; 2 free books per week thru August 2, 2023. Uses the free SORA app. Usually starts in April every year.
Tor eBook of the Month Club -- free ebook download from the science fiction and fantasy publisher. Requires sign-up but no purchase required. For ages 13 and up.
UCLA Children's Book Collection
LitHub is still offering Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, 2016 National Book Award winner, available for free (audio). For HS/Adult readers.
Podcasts
Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and other podcast streaming services offer audiobook readings, book reviews and discussions, non-fiction topics, etc. You can listen on the free versions of the apps, and often access them from show websites, as well, without the streaming service. Examples of audiobook podcasts include StoryPirates (stories by kids adapted w/ songs and sketches, including celebrity special guests), and first chapters on Spotify's Audiobooks: Teens & YA. There are also many original fiction or audio drama podcasts, such as The Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd, and tween faves The Two Princes, The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian, The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel, and Eleanor Amplified. For teens, there's Harry Potter and the Sacred Text, The Dark Tome, and Lethal Lit: A Tig Torres Mystery. If you're interested in News Literacy, the News Literacy Project has Is That a Fact?.
Please avoid using illegal downloads of current books, as those sites are violating the rights of the authors, and taking away their ability to make a living from their creative hard work. Recent and new books are rarely available for free legally, although occasionally a publisher will give a copy as a prize, or make an ebook version available at a cheap price.
Anything that is in the public domain (copyright has expired), which includes most classics, should be available for free on your Kindle, Nook, or other book/reader device, as well as from various online sources. Also watch for free or cheap deals from Kindle or Nook on your fave kids/YA authors & books! They are often promoted on social media, Amazon or Barnes & Noble sites, and on GoodReads.