Compiled for Children’s Day School Community by
CDS Library Team, Tech Department, and Academic Leadership Team
Reading and Listening*
* List inspired by resources compiled by Mei Yang, Librarian, St. Francis High School in Mountain View, CA
Libby – This is a platform from OverDrive where you can access thousands of popular eBooks and eAudiobooks for kids, teens, and adults for free using your SFPL Scholar Card.
(Division: MS)
Sora – The kid-friendly version of Libby for Overdrive. Please review these Sora instructions to get started. We highly encourage your students to use Sora instead of Libby because they get instant access to age-appropriate eBooks and eAudiobooks without having to wade through what’s available on Libby.
(Division: ECP, LS, MS)
TumbleBooks – K-6 children’s ebook database available for free through August 31, 2020. Just click the link above to instantly access a selection of titles for young readers.
(Division: ECP, LS, MS)
Audible – A selection of popular audio books. Free while schools are closed for teens and younger ages.
(Division: ECP, LS, MS)
RivetedLit Free Reads – Featured popular books, including new releases, from Simon Teen (Simon & Schuster Publishing) that are available for free for a limited time. Check regularly for updates.
(Division: MS)
SwoonReads – A crowdsourced YA fiction imprint of Macmillan Publishing where aspiring writers post their novels for free reading. You may discover the next big hit! Or, be discovered yourself if you’re a writer.
(Division: MS)
Hoopla – You can use your SFPL Scholar Card to access this free digital service for movies, television shows, music, eAudiobooks, comics, and eBooks.
(Division: ECP, LS, MS)
Young Adult Audiobooks on Spotify – This article recommends 10 YA audiobooks available on Spotify, and includes directions on how to find more yourself.
(Division: MS)
TeenBookCloud – A selection of free fiction & nonfiction ebooks, as well as graphic novels, drama, and poetry offered by Tumble Book Library while schools are closed. Also get audiobooks for teens, adults, and children at AudioBookCloud – includes Spanish language audiobooks.
(Divison: MS)
Apple Books app (for Apple laptops and iPads/iPhones) –
Bookstore > Browse sections > Young Adult > Free Bookstore > Search > type in “Free Classics”
Bookstore > Kids > Top Free
(Division: ECP, LS, MS)
For Amazon Prime members. From the Kindle app > Discover > Menu icon (next to Search box) > Prime Reading
(Division: ECP, LS, MS)
AudioFile SYNC is a free summer audiobook program for teens 13+ that will run April 30 – July 29, 2020. Two titles are released each week. Download them before the week is up and listen on your own time. Sign up for email alerts or text syncYA to 25827 to receive Title Alerts.
(Division: MS)
READ.GOV – Read classics in the public domain like Little Women as a service provided by the Library of Congress. Explore books for kids, teens, adults, parents & educators on the left side navigation menu on the homepage.
(Division: LS, MS)
Knowbuddy Resources – providing free unlimited access to hundreds of eBooks through online virtual portal. Available until the end of May.
User: Password: KNOWBUDDY
Read Alouds
The Big List of Children’s Authors Doing Online Read Alouds & Activities – Some of our favorite children’s authors are sharing read alouds and activities.
(Division: ECP, LS, MS)
Storytime from Space – Listen to astronauts on the International Space Station read aloud from popular children’s books.
(Division: ECP, LS)
Little Brown Library – A list of free resources like Podcasts and Author Essays from the publisher, Little, Brown and Company. (Division: LS, MS)
Virtual Storytime with SFPL – Available on Instagram at @sfpubliclibrary Tuesdays & Thursdays at 2 p.m. and Saturdays at 10 a.m. Select stories will also be shared on the Library’s YouTube channel. SFPL also offers storytimes in Spanish!
Curated Lists Created by Librarians
The following are a list of additional learning resources vetted by K-12 school librarians and youth service public librarians. We share these resources as additional online tools for families, outside of the classroom curriculum and online platforms teachers are already using (i.e. Seesaw, Google Classroom, IXL, Epic, etc.)
- Internet Resources During School Closures — A super-comprehensive list of online learning resources for middle schoolers compiled Alexandre Petrakis, SFUSD Teacher Librarian and Youth Librarian for San Francisco Public Library (Division: MS)
- Just for fun links: free resources for kids — A list of free, virtual activities to do with kids, compiled by Tana Perotin, Director of Library and Research Services, Bellarmine College Preparatory (Division: ECP, LS, MS)
- Recreational Reading Links — This list of reading and e-books/e-audiobooks is tailored to grade K-5, compiled by Keira Pride, Manager of Library Services, Stratford School (Division: ECP, LS)
- How to Keep Kids Happy, Safe and Connected During the Pandemic — Suggested activities and a list of online resources from the blog of Connected Camps, a not-for-profit organization providing connected learning experiences that foster creativity, problem solving, collaboration and interest-driven learning. (Division: LS, MS)