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10 FREE Book Apps for School Age Kids

Cool to be clever free app

Do you kids like reading? Do they prefer print books or digital books? I heard many reluctant readers started liking books when they are offered digital books, like iBooks, Kendle books, book apps. Digital books offer features that you can’t get from print books, such as multimedia materials, interactive actions. Many kids, even adults, enjoy these features. Couple years ago I put together two free book app lists, one for preschool, one for school age kids. Now looking back these book apps are still good. These are free book apps for school age kids. If you have a younger child, you may want to visit 10 Free Book Apps for Pre-school Kids.

10 Free Book Apps for School Age Kids

Ten Free Book Apps for School Age Kids
The books cover a wide range of subjects and genre, hope you can find at least one that your child will like.

Aesop for children: a different one from that in 10 Free Book Apps for Pre-school Kids. This one is from Library of Congress. There are over 140 classic fables, with beautiful illustrations and light interactivities. There is no narration in the app, kids have to read it by themselves. It is a great read aloud book.

WWF together: introduces some amazing animals, such as tiger, elephant, panda, with stunning photographs, accompanied with short paragraphs and animal facts. All animals in the app are endangered. There are some interactive activities in the app. For each animal, there is an cute origami with instruction of how to make it.

Science 360: not a book in traditional sense, but in my opinion, this is what the books in the future should be like. Made by National Science Foundation (NSF), this free app has a wealth of information about science around us. All the contents are updated weekly, so you always get the most recent development of science and technology.

Biography comics who: designed for kids 8 and older, the series has 29 biographies. Two books come with the app for free: Oprah Winfrey and Bill Gates. The rest are available via In-App Purchase. The right level writting plus funny cartoon expressions make it a fun read for the kids.

Cool to be clever: tells the true story of Edson Hendricks, who invented early internet concept. Edson was bullied at school, but found comfort in an imaginary world where he had machine parts, and no biological organs or emotions… A great read about persevere and about bully.

Sound uncovered: a fascinating app takes you explore the many intriguing sound related phenomena, hands on. It is like going through a museum of sound. Do you know what happens when two different notes are played at the same time? The app lets you hear it while you can adjust the two sound sources yourself – fun thing for kids to do.

Journey to the west: adapted from the classic Chinese novel of the same title, it tells the story of the famous Chinese Monk Xuan Zang who traveled to India to find the holy book of Buddhism. The main character of the first 2 apps is Monkey King: how he was born, and how he found the best weapon for himself.

Creature of light: companion app for the popular exhibition Creatures of Light: Nature’s Bioluminescence, Creature of Light offers a close look at some of the extraordinary organisms that produce light. The interactive animations, stunning pictures and videos are integrated together to reveal the beauty of this amazing natural phenomenon.

Weird but True: a great read from National Geographics. There are more than 300 Weird But True kid-friendly facts. Kids will have a good time reading the facts with wacky sound effects. Used to be a paid app, it is been free for a very long time. Make sure check the price when you download the app.

Looking for more apps for school age kids? Try the list of Best Science Apps for Elementary Kids
best math apps for elementary school kids


{ 15 comments… add one }
  • Simran Singh

    I am really going to try Weird but True and Biographic comics for my daughter, looks like fun. She is a big fan of biography and history. She has read some great stories like Alexander, The Ashoka on Getlitt! app. I will definitely like to try some of these also.

  • Jillian

    Great list! I’m always looking for great new (and FREE) apps for my kids that are educational and fun! Thanks for sharing! I’ll glad I saw your post on Pinterest. 🙂

    • Thanks for visiting and for leaving a note. Got to love Pinterest.

  • Tina

    This is a really useful list. I’m not good at keeping up with new apps, so I really appreciate people who do. Thanks for sharing these. I’d love it if you’d come over and share at Booknificent Thursday!

    • Thank you for the note. I am glad you find it helpful. Will try to make it to Booknificent.

  • Reshama Deshmukh

    Wonderful List! I have many of these for DD and so far she is enjoying them. I am going to grab the others as well. I am curious about this particular Aesop Fables.. we have others but i have never seen one that i *really* liked! Thanks for sharing on the hop!

    • We use this Aesop app for read aloud after dinner. I think it is also good for older kids to read by themselves, as there are not many interactive features, so kids can focus on the reading.

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