Most “reading apps” for kids are phonics drills with a cute character. Useful, but if your child is past the phonics stage and you actually want them to start reading for pleasure, you need different tools. Here are seven free or near-free apps that build a real love of reading, not just decoding, plus the boring honest thing that beats every app combined.
Why Phonics-Only Stops Working
Phonics is the on-ramp. Once a child can decode, the goal is no longer accuracy, it is fluency and enjoyment. A child who can read but does not want to is in a worse long-term position than a child who can decode slowly but loves stories. The apps below assume your child can read a sentence and want to give them stories worth reading.
This applies particularly to reluctant readers, dyslexic readers and children with attention differences. For these kids, audiobooks are not “cheating”; they are how they access literature. The research is clear: a story enters the brain regardless of whether it comes through eyes or ears.
The Seven Apps
1. Libby (or BorrowBox)
The single best free reading resource any UK family has, and the one most parents do not know about. Free with a public library card. Borrow ebooks and audiobooks straight to a phone or tablet. The audiobook range alone is enormous. Set up takes ten minutes at your local library.
Libby works with most UK library services; BorrowBox works with the others. Your library will tell you which. Many libraries have both. Tags to know: “kids”, “junior”, “young adult” depending on age.
2. BBC Sounds (Kids Podcasts and Audio Drama)
Not strictly an app for reading, but for kids who do not yet love reading but do love stories, BBC Sounds opens the door. The Magic Tree House dramatisations, Story Hour, Imagine If. Free, no ads, no creepy algorithms. The “kids” section is buried in the menu but worth finding.
3. Sora
If your child is at a UK school that has subscribed (many do), Sora gives them free access to a huge library of ebooks through their school login. Worth asking the school office; many parents do not realise it is available.
4. Reading.com (Free Starter Tier)
The early-reader tier is free. Genuinely well-paced for kids who are between the very first sounds and reading whole books. The free content is enough to bridge the gap; you do not need to upgrade for most children.
5. Vooks (Free Trial Worth Using)
Animated picture books with the words highlighted as they are read aloud. The free trial is enough for a holiday week. Quietly excellent for a struggling reader who needs the bridge between being read to and reading alone.
6. Project Gutenberg
Every book published before 1929 (roughly) is free, legal and downloadable as an epub. The Wind in the Willows, The Secret Garden, Black Beauty, Treasure Island, Anne of Green Gables, Five Children and It. Put them on a Kindle or in Libby and they cost you nothing.
7. Storynory
Free audio fairy tales, classic stories and original tales read aloud by professional narrators. Brilliant for car journeys and bedtime when you cannot face another chapter.
The Kindle Kids Edition Is Worth the Money
If your child is a strong-enough reader to want their own library and you have already maxed out the free options, the Kindle Kids Edition is genuinely worth it. No ads, no notifications, no internet beyond books, a year of Amazon Kids+ included with hundreds of books pre-loaded. The screen is e-ink so it does not strain their eyes.
Pair it with a pair of wired kids headphones for audiobooks and you have a self-contained reading device.
How to Choose a Book for a Reluctant Reader
The biggest mistake is choosing books at the level of your child’s reading ability rather than their interest. A 10-year-old who reads at 12-year level but loves football should be reading football books, not classics. Engagement first, level second.
Three categories that work for almost every reluctant reader:
- Funny. David Walliams, Liz Pichon (Tom Gates), Jeff Kinney (Wimpy Kid). Sometimes you have to give them what they want.
- Series. The momentum of “I want to know what happens in book 2” is real. Once they are hooked on one, the next four are easier.
- Graphic novels. Real reading, regardless of what your mother-in-law thinks. Raina Telgemeier, Dav Pilkey (Dog Man), the Asterix and Tintin classics.
What Screen-Time Guidance Says About Audiobooks
The NHS and the World Health Organisation guidance on screen time excludes audio-only listening. Audiobooks, podcasts and music are not “screens” for the purposes of children’s development concerns. An hour of audiobook a day is genuinely just an hour of reading. It is in fact actively recommended for late readers.
The Library Card Setup, Step by Step
The single most-overlooked free resource in the country. To set up:
- Walk to your library with proof of address (a utility bill, council tax letter or even a school letter).
- Ask for a library card for each child. They are free.
- Ask the librarian to set you up on Libby and BorrowBox. They will literally do it for you, on your phone, at the desk.
- You are now a family with free unlimited ebooks and audiobooks, forever. Total cost: zero.
The Boring Thing That Beats Any App
Reading aloud to your child for fifteen minutes a day, regardless of their age, is the single most evidence-backed thing you can do for their reading. Even at ten or eleven. Especially at ten or eleven. The apps are useful. The fifteen minutes are non-negotiable.
If you cannot face reading aloud (you are tired, you have a sore throat, the youngest is still in your lap), audiobooks while you sit together count. The shared listening, the quiet co-presence, the conversation afterwards. All of it matters.
For more reading-related picks I genuinely recommend, see my Home Education picks.
Some of the product links in this post are Amazon affiliate links. If you buy through them I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. See my full disclosure.
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