Hello,
Here are a couple of options - Open eBooks and the National Emergency Library. If the students are using tablets or phones, I think Open eBooks would be best, because it can continue to be a feature after the emergency. The selection of books is up-to-date
and excellent and each titles can be read simultaneously by the whole class.
The accessibility in the National Emergency Library is phenomenal. But it can be very hard to navigate. I recommend creating an account and then going to one of the links below.
Open eBooks
Open eBooks provides students and teachers with access to up-to-date books, both fiction and non-fiction, from leading publishers such as Simon & Schuster and HarperCollins.
Advantages:
- Books are available simultaneously to multiple users. That means that teachers can assign a class book.
- The check out period is eight weeks.
- Students can borrow up to 10 books, allowing them to read other books of their choosing in addition to the class book.
- Students do not have to re-register every year.
Disadvantages
The free Open eBooks app can only be downloaded on a tablet or smartphone, not a PC.
How to Get
- To download the app, teachers and students need a unique code and pin.
For an overview of the program and a list of the participating publishers, click on the link below.
The National Emergency Library
This is an absolutely enormous collection that apparently has made it titles available for simultaneously use until June 30, or the end of the emergency.
Advantages
- The list of available titles is much bigger than the other resources, so if you wanted your class to read "Tuesdays with Morrie," for instance, it could.
- Signing up is very easy. Go to https://archive.org/account/signup
Disadvantages
- The collection is so large and the organization so unwieldy that unless you have a book already in mind, I would strongly recommend that you use the links below
- The National Library is controversial in publishing circles since the books are simply "donated." Most are not in the public domain and publishers do not get a profit and the authors do not receive royalties and copyright rules ignored.