You’ve decided that building a classroom library is a priority. Inexpensive book finds are a must! Cheap books for classroom library can be found.
Honestly, for years building a classroom library was never on my radar. I’ve been fortunate to always teach with a school library and thought it was sufficient. With my older grade levels, I didn’t think of building a high school classroom library.
A few years ago, Twitter and Instagram expanded my understanding of why high school teachers should cultivate literacy skills with independent reading. Schools asked students to read for pleasure— no matter the age group. Research showed the power of students choosing their own books. The combination of these forces made me question my hypothetically empty shelves.
Luckily, there is no wrong way to fill your book bins!
How can I find books inexpensively?
I know that some teachers have always had classroom libraries, but from my experience, secondary teachers building classroom libraries was a new experience. The process of building a classroom library was trial and error for me.
Overall, I searched for books and found success! For three years, I’ve built my classroom library, and I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished.
Below, I’ve written about eight places I found books for my class library.
Dollar stores.
Someone told me she bought a book of poetry at her local dollar store, and I was in disbelief. So, I went. Yep! My local dollar stores have an awesome book selection including lots of classics.
I asked a worker about the source of their books, and she remained mum. I asked a different employee at a different branch of that same dollar store, and she revealed that two popular book suppliers drop a new book supply off monthly. . for which I paid $1 each.
Used book stores.
I have made myself familiar at local used bookstores where books are relatively inexpensive. At each one, I’ve introduced myself, asked questions about pricing and stock, and shown my teacher ID. I’ve been rewarded with teacher discounts, free books, and insights to massive sales.
One used bookstore infrequently will have $1 sales. Sure, I must arrive early, but these sales built my John Green and Sarah Dessen collections. Used bookstores also have books they can’t sell: torn, ripped, and broken spines. These books work well for black-out poetry and bulletin board decor.
Goodwill.
I find the most books at Goodwill. All deals differ, but my local store runs specials. Plus, with a donation, I get a coupon for 20% off an item. Soft-back books are .99, and hard-back books are 1.99. Some weeks, the store has a sale on colors of tags. . . meaning that books are .50 each.
Don’t overlook picture books, either. Children’s books are typically a quarter, and they can be endless tools for teaching literary devices or grammar.
Random thrift stores.
I recently moved and needed to furnish a new home. Hunting for bookshelves and knickknacks, I noticed that stores such as Habitat Restores have shelves of books. Inspired, I stopped by other thrift stores. Most of these stores did not have price tags on their books! That allowed me to explain that I was a teacher finding books for students, and many stores charged me .25 per book.
Every little bit helps, and you can take time to build your book collection.
Public library sales.
Libraries clean out their young adult literature sections and hold used book sales. Many of these books do not have flashy covers, but the material is interesting! The books are perfect for First Chapter Fridays. Again, many of these books were .25.
A few times, I’ve been in a new town and searched for the town’s library. I won’t completely go out of my way, but I will swing by a library to check on sales. My neighboring town’s public library has an ongoing sale whereas my hometown’s hosts sales twice a year.
Garage sales.
I have not found tremendous luck with garage sales, but since some proved plentiful, they deserved a mention.
In my experience, yard sales are hit or miss, but I did find several sales from retired teachers or new empty-nesters. If someone advertises a sale, ask about their books before driving there. Once, a kind neighbor set aside a bin of graphic novels for me.
Facebook Marketplace.
(Please be careful and trust your gut when going places. No book is worth compromising your safety!)
I will flip through the marketplace and Facebook groups irregularly, but I should probably utilize it more. So far, I have only done “porch pick up” where I leave cash in an envelope. I am very picky about traveling due to safety concerns.
I don’t live in a heavily populated area, and online used books have not been the most successful place for me. Items for sale are often chapter books for younger students or a beginning book series that won’t work for older learners. Still, teachers tell me they find classroom library books at online marketplaces, so you might have better luck.
Scholastic.
I check Scholastic monthly. They have $1 deals and sales. Last month, I bought a few copies of The Hunger Games for a dollar each. Last year, I Am Malala: Young Readers Edition was $2. Plus, if you ever use children’s books for activities in class, you can snag a few.
Scholastic does have a teen section, but those books are a bit pricey. However, you can find some books for $4 or $5, and their sales change every month.
About two years ago, I decided that building a classroom library would become a professional goal. Stocking my classroom could not cost me hundreds of dollars. With a bit of research and building relationships, I managed to average about $1 per book. My high school classroom library was built quite inexpensively, but it has great books.
Organizing the library: Bins? Amazon? Booksource? Seating?
You finally have your new classroom library—congratulations! Now what?
You want to keep fresh titles and the love of reading part of your library. How?
Keep reading for my discoveries into freshening my library—what has worked, and what has not.
Organization for young adult books.
My shelves have been beautiful—curated, intentional, and artful.
And no one read the books.
Why would anyone want to mess up such prettiness?
Book baskets did not display book spines well, so students would not pull them out to sort.
Eventually, I sorted the books by a combination of genre and popular authors with labels added. This process honored the way students searched for book. Some students wanted John Green books, and others wanted romance. This hybrid system honored their needs.
At the end of the school year, know this: The best classroom library organization is one that invites in young readers.
A checkout system.
Checkout systems did not work for me. At the end of the school day, I would have sticky notes with kids’ names and their chosen books. A former student would come during a passing period to snag a book, and my current class would be asking me questions. My checkout system became inconsistent and too many times, I’d ask students to return a book, and they already had.
The honor system works for me. Since most of my reads cost less than a dollar and since my readers typically return books, I left the checkout system out of my daily routine.
Fresh books.
Now that you have a classroom library, you’ll want to replenish. Personally, walking through a thrift store is fun for me, so adding new books comes naturally. Other teachers have wishlists on Amazon or Scholastic.
Final advice for building a classroom library.
My best advice? Make friends with librarians, book store owners, and employees. Children and teens quickly grow out of books. Not every book will fit every reader, so some books will be in perfect condition. Books for your library are available. Building a classroom library inexpensively is possible. Don’t be afraid to show your teacher ID and make friends. Leave meaningful and kind feedback on local store’s Facebook pages; be sure the owners know your name and face! Finally, lots of books will work for some students even if they won’t work for every student so don’t fear experimenting if you have a deal.
Examples of great luck: Once, an employee brought out boxes of books for me to explore and charged me nothing. I’ve been allowed to fill a huge bag for $5. I’ve had books handed to me on my out the door “just because.” People are overwhelmingly compassionate to a teacher who is trying to put books in the hands of young readers. If you are building a classroom library, these tricks should get you started.
Organize your classroom library! The secondary classroom library bundle has 40+ pages of organizational tools.
