Foster a lifelong love of stories and storytelling in children of all ages with our family-friendly ebookshelf!
The Library has a huge range of free ebooks – 200,000 and counting! – which you can either read online or download for up to seven days.
To get started, browse our latest selection of ebooks suited to children aged 12 and under. You can also scan our monthly curated ebookshelf for some reading of your own, or browse for even more free ebooks !
For tips and advice, read our get started guide or watch our video on using ebooks.
To access ebooks from home, you need to be a State Library member with a Victorian home address. (Terms and conditions of use apply.)
Night of the Living Ted Barry Hutchison and Lee Cosgrove
London, UK: Stripes Publishing Ltd, 2018
Recommended for 8 to 12 years
When Lisa Marie and her stepbrother Vernon pop into town to get their dad a birthday present, they discover the Create-a-Ted shop is offering free Halloween bears! Making two grisly bears for themselves and choosing an Elvis bear named Bearvis for Dad, they head home.
That night the shopkeeper brings the bears to life for nefarious purposes … but Vernon’s bear, Grizz, doesn’t want to be a slave to humans – he wants to rule the world! Converting the shopkeeper’s Stuff-U-Lator into a machine for turning living matter into stuffed bears, he begins to prowl the streets. Can the children and Bearvis save themselves – and the world – from being stuffed?
Origami Dinosaurs: Easy and Fun Paper-Folding Projects Origami Dinosaurs: Easy and Fun Paper-Folding Projects Anna George and Diane Craig
Minneapolis, MN, USA: Super Sand Castle, an imprint of Abdo Publishing, 2017
Recommended for 7+ years
Kids can learn the art of paper folding with Origami Dinosaurs. They will start by practicing basic origami folds. Then they can make a towering T. rex, a brave Brachiosaurus, and more. The crafts in this book are easy and super fun! Each project includes colourful photos and step-by-step instructions.
Horse Crazy: The Complete Adventures of Bonnie and Sam Horse Crazy: The Complete Adventures of Bonnie and Sam Alison Lester
Crows Nest, NSW, Australia: Allen & Unwin, 2009
Recommended for 7 to 10 years
Bonnie and Sam are best friends. No one loves horses the way they do. When Bonnie whispers to them, they understand, and Sam always knows if they need a drink, or a hug, or a race around the paddock. Come along with Bonnie and Sam on four great adventures:
The Shadow Brumby The Circus Pony Racing the Tide Saving Mr Pinto Alison Lester is one of Australia's favourite storytellers. Many of the horses in these stories are her friends.
The Hero of Little Street The Hero of Little Street Gregory Rogers
Sydney, NSW, Australia: Allen & Unwin, 2009
Recommended for 7 to 10 years
Alive with vivid detail and exciting from start to finish, this beautiful graphic novel for younger readers is the perfect book to introduce children to the grand art of storytelling. It's a wonderful companion to The Boy, The Bear, the Baron, the Bard and Midsummer Knight .
Escaping from a gang of bullies, a Boy slips into a grand old gallery – the perfect hiding place, full of mystery and treasures. Enchanted by the magic of painting and befriended by a mischievous dog, the Boy ventures into the world of a famous Vermeer painting – and he and his new friend are transported to Little Street, Delft in 17th-century Holland.
That's Not a Daffodil! Elizabeth Honey
Crows Nest, NSW, Australia: Allen & Unwin, 2011
Recommended for 3 to 6 years
When Tom's neighbour gives him a brown bulb, Tom can't believe it will flower. 'That's not a daffodil!' says Tom. 'Well,' says the old gardener. 'Let's plant it and see.'
Elizabeth Honey has created a playful story that little children will enjoy again and again - about an inventive boy, a kindly gardener, a growing friendship and the promise of a bulb.
A cheeky and satisfying story with playful repetition and build-up of anticipation that will make little children request this story again and again.
A Hot Cold Summer Nova Weetman
Richmond, Victoria, Australia: Hardie Grant Egmont, 2014
Recommended for 11 to 15 years
A pick-a-path series giving the reader the chance to make the decisions and choose how the story goes.
It’s the last day of school and Frankie Jones is looking down the barrel of a long, hot, boring summer with only her guitar for company until...
1. She gets a surprise chance to go to London. She’s dying to go – except that it will mean seeing her heartbreakingly cute British friend Jack again. Will things take up where they left off? Or can Frankie finally prove she’s over him?
OR 2. Her dad invites her on a beach holiday. But when she discovers her dad’s new girlfriend and her daughter Ellie are also coming on their trip, Frankie’s not sure how she feels. Will she get to spend any time with her dad at all? Or will she be expected to hang out with Ellie, her new best frenemy?
My Life as a Hashtag Gabrielle Williams
Crows Nest, NSW, Australia: Allen & Unwin, 2010
Recommended for 12 to 18 years
From the highly acclaimed author of The Guy, the Girl, the Artist and His Ex comes this funny, heartfelt novel about rage, regret and the pitfalls of life in the digital age.
What's a girl to do when her parents have split up; her mum's trawling Tinder; and one of her best friends has decided not to invite her to the biggest party of the year, which she then has to watch unfold on everyone else's social media?
If you're a girl called MC, you get mad as hell, that's what you do. But what begins as one girl's private, no-holds-barred rant soon snowballs in the most public way possible.
It's True! Pirates Ate Rats It's True! Pirates Ate Rats Heather Catchpole and Vanessa Woods
Crows Nest, NSW, Australia: Allen & Unwin, 2007
Recommended for 8 to 12 years
A prey to scurvy, boredom and danger one day, they might strike a ship full of gold dust and emeralds the next. Full of little-known facts and astonishing stories about pirates ancient and modern, male and female, polite and barbaric, this latest addition to the acclaimed It's True! series will keep you on the edge of your seat. Psst! This is the best book you'll ever read on pirates!
Did you know that 19 September is Talk Like a Pirate Day? Avast there, me hearties! Find out why pirates should have eaten cabbage but drank rum instead. Discover which captain stole hats, and which one burgled for bandages. Tremble at the stories of Blackbeard, who boarded enemy ships with his beard on fire and cutlass at the ready. Check the website showing well-known pirate hotspots near you! Arm yourself to the teeth with facts piratical.
