Each month we feature free and fun book contests and giveaways. We hope you will enjoy the following opportunities as well as the author and book resources available via TeachingBooks.net.
Win a Free Copy of Things That Surprise You! (Middle Grade)
Emily Murphy is about to enter middle school and she’s excited . . . sort of. Things seem to be constantly changing, both with her best friend and at home. This bighearted, poignant novel about the shifting bonds of family and friendship will resonate with readers.
Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins is giving away five copies of Things That Surprise You. To enter to win, please fill out this form.
Deadline: September 15, 2017 (open to U.S. addresses)
Find creative activities for exploring the themes in Things That Surprise You in the Discussion Guide!
Win a free set of all four Animal Planet Adventures books! (Elementary)
The four books in the Animal Planet Adventures series combine fun animal mysteries with nonfiction sidebars that relate directly to each story. Full-color illustrations and photographs and the compelling mystery narrative keep young readers turning the pages in these highly accessible books.
Time Inc Books is giving away five complete sets of all four books in the Animal Planet Adventures series. To enter to win, please fill out this form.
Deadline: September 18, 2017 (open to U.S. addresses)
Explore the great STEAM activities in the Animal Planet Adventures series Curriculum Guide!
Win a free copy of The Nantucket Sea Monster: A Fake News Story! (Elementary)
In August 1937, newspapers reported a sea monster off Nantucket Island. Read the true story of a fake news story. Excellent to read and discuss with elementary students. Junior Library Guild selection for December, 2017.
Mims House is giving away three copies of The Nantucket Sea Monster: A Fake News Story. To enter to win, please fill out this form.
Deadline: September 23, 2017 (open to U.S. and Canadian addresses)
Hear the beginning of The Nantucket Sea Monster with the Audio Book Clip!
Share your plans to win a free copy of Conejito: A Folktale from Panama! (Elementary)
To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, August House is giving away five free copies of Conejito: A Folktale from Panama by the award-winning creative team of Margaret Read MacDonald and Geraldo Valerio.
Enter to win a free copy by sending an email to steve@augusthouse.com and write two sentences about how you plan to use this picture book in your school. Be sure to place “Conejito” in the Subject line of your email.
Deadline: September 25, 2017 (open to U.S. and Canadian addresses)
Find age-appropriate activities for grades K-3 in these Conejito Lesson Plans!
Win a free copy of When Planet Earth Was New! (Elementary)
When Planet Earth Was New tells the story of planet Earth’s evolution, from 4.5 billion years ago to today. From hot lava, to the formation of oceans, to living things in water and on land, the book uses a poetic approach grounded in scientific fact to give an overview of how the planet has changed over time.
Owlkids Books is giving away five copies of When Planet Earth Was New! To enter to win, send an email to allison.maclachlan@owlkids.com with the subject line “Planet Earth giveaway” and include your mailing address.
Deadline: September 29, 2017 (open to U.S. and Canadian addresses)
Explore the history of the planet with the Teacher Guide for When Planet Earth Was New!
Win free copies of First Grade Dropout and Second Grade Holdout! (Elementary)
In First Grade Dropout, all readers will find the narrator’s feelings familiar, and discover that even though embarrassing things happen, they’re usually not as bad as they seem. And sometimes they’re even funny! And in Second Grade Holdout, our narrator must learn that growing up and moving on aren’t so bad either!
Clarion Books is giving away five copies of First Grade Dropout and Second Grade Holdout. To enter, please email amanda.acevedo@hmhco.com with the subject line “Audrey Vernick Giveaway.”
Deadline: September 29, 2017 (open to U.S. addresses)
Hear Audrey Vernick and Matthew Cordell talk about their names!
Enter to win an ARC of #ownvoices middle-grade novel Auma’s Long Run! (Middle Grade)
Auma’s Long Run tells the story of Auma, a thirteen-year-old girl who must decide between pursuing a track scholarship for high school or staying home to help her struggling family as a strange new sickness called AIDS ravages her village. Based loosely on the author’s own childhood in Kenya, Eucabeth Odhiambo’s powerful debut novel has received three starred reviews and was named a BEA Editors’ Buzz Pick.
Lerner Publishing Group is giving away five copies of Auma’s Long Run. To enter to win, please fill out this form.
Deadline: September 30, 2017 (open to U.S. addresses)
Find great discussion topics for Auma’s Long Run with the Discussion Guide!
Win a free copy of Race to the End of the World! (Middle Grade)
Farm boy Quinn’s amazement to be chosen by the king to train as a mapmaker turns to shock when he’s selected as one of three headed to sea in a competition to create the first map of the world and claim the big prize. So begins his reluctant journey deep into the unknown, with only his photographic memory and skills learned on the farm to help him. He’s on a ship captained by a slave, with a stowaway girl on board – and a mysterious sea monster that seems to be following them. Hot on their trail are the other competitors who will stop at nothing to win. Brimming with adventure and suspense and featuring strong, feisty characters, The Mapmaker Chronicles are one-part fantasy, one-part quest, one-part high-seas action.
Kane Miller Books is giving away ten paperback copies of A. L. Tait’s Race to the End of the World. To enter, please send an email to lynn@kanemiller.com with the subject line “Race giveaway.” Please include your mailing address.
Deadline: September 30, 2017 (open to U.S. addresses)
Explore themes and concepts from The Mapmaker Chronicles with these Teacher Tips!
Win a free copy of Elsie Mae Has Something to Say! (Elementary/Middle Grade)
Elsie Mae is determined to save her beloved Okefenokee Swamp in this new historical fiction novel from Nancy J. Cavanaugh, award-winning author of This Journal Belongs to Ratchet and Always, Abigail. Elsie Mae Has Something to Say was hailed as “an engrossing story” (Booklist) and “swamp magic” (Kirkus Reviews).
Sourcebooks is giving away 15 copies of Elsie Mae Has Something to Say. To enter to win, please fill out this form.
Deadline: September 30, 2017 (open to U.S. and Canadian addresses)
Find interdisciplinary activities to pair with Elsie Mae Has Something to Say in the Educator Guide!
Win a free copy of Explore Shapes and Angles!: with 25 Great Projects! (Elementary)
This book is in the shape of a square. Or is it a rectangle? The pages are 2-dimensional. Or are the pages 3-dimensional? Geometry is all around us! In Explore Shapes and Angles! With 25 Great Projects, readers ages 7 to 10 will have fun identifying and learning about the properties of the shapes and angles in their world.
Nomad Press is giving away 25 copies of Explore Shapes and Angles with 25 Great Projects. Please email rachel@nomadpress.net and include your physical address, the grade level or age group of the students you work with as well as the school where you work.
Deadline: September 30, 2017 (open to U.S. addresses)
Explore geometry with an Activity that goes with Explore Shapes and Angles!
Brightly’s Back to School Sweepstakes (Elementary, Middle Grade, and High School)
Brightly is giving away a library of 50 new books handpicked for your grade and a $500 gift card to help spruce up your classroom. Explore Brightly’s Back to School Essentials for age-specific book recommendations, printables, insights for parents and teachers, and much more to help you prep for the year ahead.
Enter for a chance to win great new reads for your school! To enter, fill out the entry form at Brightly.
Deadline: September 30, 2017 (open to U.S. addresses)
Try out some of the creative activities that go well with Short using the Brightly Book Club Discussion Guide!
Win a free copy of The Great Shelby Holmes! (Middle Grade)
Meet spunky sleuth Shelby and her sports loving sidekick Watson, as they take on a dog-napper in this fresh twist on Sherlock Holmes.
Bloomsbury Children’s Books is giving away five copies of The Great Shelby Holmes. To enter to win, please fill out this form.
Deadline: September 30, 2017 (open to U.S. and Canadian addresses)
Hear about author Elizabeth Eulberg’s inspiration and research for The Great Shelby Holmes in the Meet-the-Author Book Reading!
Win a free copy of Chibi Samurai Wants a Pet! (Elementary)
Inspired by Little Kunoichi’s relationship with her pet ninja bunny, Chibi Samurai sets off to find a companion for himself. He explores many possibilities from Japanese culture–both real and mythical–thinking about how each creature might be as a pet. The book includes a page on Japanese culture referenced throughout the story.
Little Bigfoot Books is giving away five copies of Chibi Samurai Wants a Pet. Email your name & address to nbanholzer@sasquatchbooks.com with the subject line “Chibi Samurai Giveaway!”
Deadline: October 1, 2017 (open to U.S. addresses)
Explore the Japanese themes from Chibi Samurai Wants a Pet in the Activity Kit!
Win a free copy of Revolutionary Rogues: John André and Benedict Arnold! (Elementary/Middle Grade)
Young fans of the Broadway smash Hamilton will enjoy this Revolutionary War-era nonfiction picture book that unfolds like a play, which tells the riveting story of Major General Benedict Arnold and Major John André. Author Selene Castrovilla and illustrator John O’Brien brilliantly capture the tensions and high drama of these two revolutionary rogues by highlighting their similarities and differences and demonstrating how they brought about their own tragic ends. This title also includes an afterword, timelines of the lives of both men, an extensive bibliography, and a list of key places to visit.
Boyds Mills Press is giving away ten copies of Revolutionary Rogues. To enter to win, email marketing@boydsmillspress.com!
Deadline: October 1, 2017 (open to U.S. addresses)
Discover creative ways to use Revolutionary Rogues in your classroom with the Educator Guide!
I am so impressed with the content in Teachingbooks. In the first few weeks of school I have already accessed great lesson plans and videos to enhance my lessons on the themes of back to school and September 11, 2001. I’ll be researching sources for Constitution Day next.
The free book give-aways are marvelous, but even more so are the lesson ideas you offer. Even if I don’t win a book, I’m still a winner with all the valuable resources you provide.
Thank you!
My copy of Explore Shapes and Angles arrived and I am excited to share it with the other teachers in my building. Thank you so much for hosting the giveaway!