20 Best Free Reading Websites for Kids

Looking for the best free reading websites for kids can feel like a huge task with so many options out there. If you want to expand your classroom library without spending a dime, you’re in the right place! Ebooks and digital reading tools are perfect for engaging reluctant readers and building a more dynamic library without taking up extra space. To help you out, I’ve put together a list of the best free reading websites for kids, so you can start using them in your classroom right away!

Reading Websites for Free Kids Books Online – Stories & Digital Texts

Looking for free kids’ books online? You’re in the right place! I’ve handpicked these websites for their wide selection of stories and features catering to young readers. Whether you’re after visually appealing platforms or classic tales, there’s something here for every reader.

These sites offer top-notch children’s fiction at no cost. While their designs may vary, they all share the same goal: to inspire young minds through engaging stories.

Let’s dive into the best websites for free ebooks and audiobooks, giving you great options for your classroom or homeschool.

1. Epic Books

Epic is a digital treasure trove for K-5 educators and students, offering a vast library of free books online. With titles spanning fiction, nonfiction, audiobooks, and video books, there’s something for every young reader.

Beyond reading, Epic enhances learning with built-in quizzes that help teachers track comprehension and student progress. It’s an interactive, educational tool designed to engage students and make teaching easier. Best of all, Epic is free for teachers! You can create personalized student profiles to match different reading levels and interests, ensuring a tailored experience for every learner.

2. International Children’s Library

Don’t let its simple design fool you! The International Children’s Library offers a treasure trove of diverse books for kids of all ages. With easy-to-use categories by age, length, and topic, it’s simple to find the perfect book for your students.

This site shines with its rich collection of global stories, making it a great resource for traditional literature units. Best of all, it’s free, offering a fun, educational way to explore the world through literature.

3. Magic Keys

Magic Keys offers a wealth of free stories and books for young children, older kids, and teens, all neatly categorized by age group. Despite its classic look, the site is full of engaging, diverse reading material.

One standout feature is the audio option for many books, providing great reading models for students. Plus, don’t miss the collection of riddles and fun resources, adding even more value for both learning and entertainment.

4. Smithsonian Tween Tribune

The Smithsonian Tween Tribune offers nonfiction texts for grades K-12, with articles searchable by Lexile level and theme. Teachers can create accounts to access a dashboard, assign articles and quizzes, and track student progress. Plus, you can easily assign articles directly to Google Classroom for seamless integration.

5. Project Gutenberg

Project Gutenberg is a fantastic resource for free classic children’s books, like The Bobbsey Twins and Peter Rabbit. With thousands of timeless favorites available at no cost, it’s perfect for general reading. Though you won’t find modern bestsellers, Project Gutenberg shines with beloved classics. While the site can be tricky for young readers to navigate, the treasure trove of stories is worth the effort. This expansive online library is always open, offering endless reading adventures anytime, anywhere.

6. Planet EBook

Planet Ebook is another great site with the classics. This one is pretty easy to navigate, but it is not exactly visually pleasing. This site includes classic books like Alice in Wonderland and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. This site would be ideal for advanced or older readers.

7. Fable Cottage

Fable Cottage may have a smaller selection of stories, but they are both engaging and educational. Each story comes with beautiful illustrations and the option to be read aloud by a fluent speaker in either. You can even watch the stories come to life with animations, which is a great way to keep students engaged.

What’s really nice is that these classic fairy tales have been updated with modern language and extra vocabulary to help expose learners to new words and phrases. And for those teaching languages, the stories are also available in French, Italian, Spanish, and German—perfect for multilingual classrooms or language learners.

8. Reading IQ

Reading IQ has several thousand leveled books, including favorites like Curious George and the nonfiction National Geographic Kids titles. Teachers can sign up for free access, and each student has their own profile to help them set goals and ensure they are accessing reading materials at their personal reading level. This site is great because it has a lot of updated and new books. Plus, the site interface is geared toward students.

9. Free-Ebooks.net

Free-Ebooks.net has a wide variety of great children’s books. It includes both classics and titles that are not available in print, and all titles are downloadable in multiple formats (including PDF). One warning – you probably don’t want to direct students to the homepage of this free reading website. It contains ebooks for adults and kids, and some romance novels appear on the home screen.

10. Unite for Literacy

Unite for Literacy is a fantastic resource for elementary and early readers, with a great selection of digital books. Many are nonfiction, covering a wide range of topics perfect for curious young learners, and there’s even an option for Spanish books. You’ll also find some fiction titles sprinkled in here and there.

What I love about this site is that the books are designed to feel like real ones—kids have to “turn” each page, and every page includes a picture to keep them engaged and help with comprehension. Plus, there’s an option to have the books read aloud by a fluent speaker, which is a nice bonus for auditory learners.

Although the website design might feel a little dated, it’s incredibly easy to navigate. The menu is simple and visual, making it quick to find just the right book for your students.

11. Naratopia

Naratopia brings a fresh, fun twist to storytelling with a variety of unique, personalized stories. You can choose tales based on age, characters, emotions, genre, or topics, making it easy to find something that resonates with every reader.

Though you might consider it a “bedtime story” site, Naratopia offers plenty to engage readers of all ages, and its beautiful illustrations make each story even more captivating. Unlike traditional book formats, Naratopia presents stories on web pages, offering a new, interactive reading experience that’s both unique and engaging.

12. CommonLit

CommonLit offers free reading passages for grades 3-12, searchable by grade, genre, literary device, and theme. Teachers can create an account to assign content directly to students, with easy integration into Google Classroom and Clever, making it simple to incorporate into your lessons.

13. ReadWorks

If you’re looking for a great resource to boost reading comprehension in your classroom, check out ReadWorks.org. It offers free, high-quality reading passages and lessons for grades K-12, covering a range of topics and reading skills. You can easily search by grade level, topic, or skill to find exactly what you need. Plus, with ReadWorks’ integration into Google Classroom, assigning articles and tracking student progress is a breeze. It’s a fantastic way to support your students’ reading growth without adding extra prep to your plate!

14. DC Kids

DC Kids offers a small collection of free comics, primarily featuring Batman, along with a few titles from Teen Titans and Tiny Titans. To access the comics, simply click on the “COMICS” tab once you’re on the site. While it may not be as extensive or polished as other platforms, it’s a great spot for any young readers who are big Batman fans.

Free Audiobooks and Digital Read Alouds

Free audiobooks and digital read-alouds are fantastic resources for students who face challenges with reading or benefit from hearing fluent examples. This selection offers a plethora of options where students can access a variety of audiobooks at no cost.

Discover a world of stories with our collection of sites featuring free digital read-alouds that provide engaging models of expressive reading. Each site offers a vast selection of free audiobooks for students.

15. Storyline Online

Storyline Online brings stories to life with its enchanting collection of “favorite stories read by celebrities” that children adore. Picture the delight on your students’ faces as they listen to the iconic voices of Betty White, James Earl Jones, and an array of other stars, lending their talent to animate tales with warmth and excitement.

This resource, backed by the Screen Actors Guild Foundation, not only adds new books regularly but also provides an excellent solution when you can’t grab a copy of a book for your lesson plans. Whether you need an engaging read-aloud for a substitute teacher or want to offer a unique literary experience, Storyline Online is an ideal option.

Its commitment to educational storytelling ensures that your students have access to a diverse library of books, with the added thrill of celebrity narration to spark a lifelong love of reading.

16. Storynory

Dive into the enchanting world of Storynory, your go-to resource for free children’s audiobooks. This website offers many options, from timeless fairy tales to original stories, all narrated by professional voice actors.

With a constant stream of new additions, Storynory ensures that there’s always a fresh narrative waiting to be discovered. An outstanding feature for ESL classrooms is the ability to translate the text into different languages, making it a powerful tool for language learners to practice listening and reading in English and their home language.

17. Oxford Owl

Oxford Owl’s library of 250+ free children’s audiobooks is a fantastic resource for classroom storytelling. They’re perfect for days when you have a substitute or when you want to enhance your students’ listening experience. These audiobooks are a great way to spark imagination, especially for auditory learners or students who connect with narrated stories.

Though the audiobooks don’t come with accompanying text, they offer a rich auditory experience that helps build listening skills and comprehension. Encouraging students to visualize the stories as they listen can strengthen both creativity and retention, fostering a lifelong love for storytelling.

18. Starfall

For primary grade teaching, Starfall is a top-notch resource designed for K-2 readers. It offers four learning levels, catering to individual student needs and promoting interactive reading with colorful visuals. Unlike other platforms, it requires students to click to turn pages, ensuring active engagement and a dynamic learning experience. Starfall makes reading fun and captivating for young learners.

19. Just Books Read Aloud

Just Books Read Aloud – The title says it all really. These are kids’ books read aloud. This site isn’t the most modern, but it has quite a few newer titles. Students can read the words and follow along, and the site includes some great favorites like The Giving Tree

20. Vooks

Elevate your Listen to Reading station with VOOKs, where you can sign up for free and instantly access a library of read-along storybooks. VOOKs’ semi-animated books capture students’ attention, making each digital read-aloud session an adventure in learning and literacy.

These engaging free digital read-alouds are a teacher’s ally in promoting reading enjoyment and fluency. With stories that come to life through animation and narration, VOOKs provides the perfect mix of entertainment and education, ensuring your students are always eager to engage with their next book.

Great free reading websites for kids – options for every learner

I hope you find these great resources useful in your classroom, and if you know any other great resources, send them my way!! I’m always looking for more great ideas to add to the list.

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