How to get your required reading books for free
Most books on a school reading list can be found for free if you know where to look and start early. Here are nine places to check, roughly in the order we'd try them.
Before you start: look at the reading list for a specific edition or translation. Teachers sometimes point to page numbers in class, and translated books like The Odyssey can read very differently from one version to the next. If the list doesn't say, ask your teacher whether any edition is fine.
1Your school library and your teacher
Start at school. Many schools keep class sets of books they assign every year, and the school library often has extra copies. Search your school library's catalog or ask the librarian, who can also tell you if more copies are coming. It's worth asking your teacher too, since some keep spare copies in the classroom.
2Your public library
A public library card is free. Search your library's online catalog and place a hold as soon as you get the list, because popular summer reading titles build up waiting lists by June. When the book comes in, the library will let you know it's ready to pick up.
One catch: you can't write in a library book. If your teacher wants you to annotate, use sticky notes or keep notes on a separate page with page numbers.
3Interlibrary loan
If your library doesn't have the book, ask about interlibrary loan. Your library requests a copy from another library and lets you know when it arrives. It's usually free, but it can take a week or two, so ask early.
4Ebooks and audiobooks with your library card
The free Libby app lets you check out ebooks and audiobooks from your public library on a phone, tablet or Chromebook. Popular titles have waiting lists here too, so place a hold right away. Some libraries also offer Hoopla, which often has no wait.
Not sure if an audiobook counts? Ask your teacher. Many are happy with it, and listening while you follow along in the text helps a lot of students.
5Free classics online
In the United States, books published in 1930 or earlier are now in the public domain, which means anyone can read them free, legally. That covers a lot of classic reading list titles, including The Great Gatsby, Frankenstein, Pride and Prejudice, The Scarlet Letter, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass and Shakespeare's plays.
- Project Gutenberg has tens of thousands of free ebooks.
- Standard Ebooks has carefully formatted free editions that are easier to read.
- LibriVox has free audiobooks of public domain books, read by volunteers.
Two cautions. Free online versions of translated books are usually older translations, which may not be the one your class is using. And skip sites offering free downloads of newer books, like To Kill a Mockingbird or The Hunger Games. Those are usually pirated and can carry viruses.
6Someone who already read it
Schools assign many of the same books year after year, so someone a grade or two ahead of you probably has your book on a shelf. Ask older siblings, cousins, neighbors and family friends. A quick message to the family group chat works surprisingly often.
7BookBaton.com at your school
This is exactly why we built BookBaton
8Little Free Libraries and Buy Nothing groups
Little Free Library book boxes are in neighborhoods all over the country, and anyone can take a book. Local Buy Nothing groups are give-away groups for neighbors. A parent or guardian can post the title you need, and someone nearby may have it.
9Ask your school counselor
If buying a book would be hard for your family, tell your teacher or school counselor privately. Many schools have a way to help, and they would much rather hear from you than have you fall behind on the reading.
A simple plan
- The day you get the list, check which edition or translation is needed.
- The same day, ask the school library and place holds at your public library, for the print book and in Libby.
- If the book was published in 1930 or earlier, grab a free copy online while you wait.
- Ask around: older students, family and friends, and BookBaton
.com if your school is on it. - Still empty-handed two weeks before you need it? Talk to your teacher or school counselor.
When you're done, pass it on
Finished with a book you own? Give it to the next student who needs it. One book can help several students over a few years, and it saves another family from buying the same book again.
Get the books your teachers assign, free
Students give away the books they're done with and get the ones they need from students at their own school, with a Book Drop at the school library.
Last updated October 19, 2026.