The Art of the Book Deal
Do you love a bargain on books?
So many new readers have joined recently. Welcome! If you’re new to The Hundred Acre Bookshelf, you might want to check out my introductory page here. Every few weeks, I dive into literary trivia, which is what we’re on today, along with a quick exploration of Amazon Prime Day sales on books. If you’re looking for booklists, here are a few top recent lists.
Books that Celebrate Fathers
I sat down this week to think of some of the children’s books that show fatherhood at its best.
Books That Love America
Like many families, we’ve been reading extra Americana to celebrate the Semiquincentennial.
Books that Love Books
I assume you love books. Therefore, you may be as excited as I am at finding a good book that celebrates good books.
Book deals, book deals. Every time I open Substack, I see that someone else has signed a book deal. So many new books are entering the world!
I haven’t written a book, but a different type of book deal is on my mind today. Bargains.
I shop for books ALL over the place. (Just ask the mailman who delivers the packages.) I also have a favorite used bookstore nearby that I frequent, plus Goodwill, which usually has a decent selection, though it takes some time to sort through. Hand-me-downs and book swaps are also among my favorite ways to acquire (and share!) books. Today, though, is Amazon Prime Day, and I’m keeping my eyes open for book discounts online. I’ll round up a few at the bottom of this post.
But first, trivia. This week each book features some question of bargain, thrift, or value. How many can you identify?
Literary Trivia
Easy
These shopkeepers offer unlimited credit, so of course the customers never pay. Such bargains one can get at this store! There is no money in the till, “but the sales were enormous, ten times as large as Tabitha Twitchit’s.”
Medium
Thelma (for ulterior motives) insists that plastic teacups are the best value, and by the end, everyone learns that “being careful isn’t nice; being friends is better.”
It’s an excellent beginner book for an early reader with a story quality that holds up as a read-aloud, too.
Hard
A girl gets a new bookcase for her birthday, and it turns out to be the most expensive present ever. By comparison, the rest of the room looks shabby, so she sets off to redo everything else—and learn a lot about contentment.
By the way, if you aren’t familiar with this series, it’s among the most underrated, lesser-known series out there—a real gem.
Bonus Question
What’s the real value in going to church? Maybe to get some snacks and raid the offering plate? So these kids think, but once they become regular attendees, both they and the regular church-goers understand a bit better the value in why Jesus came.
(This may be the book that has provoked the most family laughter.)
Prime Day Deals
If you’re looking for deals on books, I’ll be tracking some of the best discounts on Amazon Prime Day (June 23-26).
As always, everything I list is a book I have read and truly recommend.
For the next three days, I’ll update this post once per day, typically around 3:00 PM Arizona time, so check back to see new sales.
If you’re really tracking deals and are worried you’ll miss some, you can also sign up for me to send you a list of Prime Day Deals once each afternoon, starting today and continuing over the next three days: June 23, 24, 25, and 26. This is separate from my regular posts at The Hundred Acre Bookshelf—it’s just for those deal-hawks who are eager for Prime Day bargains. I’ll email once each afternoon. Sign up here.
6/26/26 Prime Day Book Deals
It’s the last day of Amazon Prime Day deals. I hope you found some new great books to take home. Here are the last of the new deals I spotted.
Enjoy!
Chapter Books
Billy and Blaze - complete boxed set – 45% off
The Boxcar Children – boxed set of #1-12 – 50% off
Anne of Green Gables – complete boxed set of all 8 books – 50% off
Black Ships Before Troy by Rosemary Sutcliff – 40% off
Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry – boxed set 40% off
The Burgess Seashore Book for Children – 40% off
Picture Books
The Complete Brambly Hedge 40% off
Natural History (DK Definitive Visual Encyclopedias) – 50% off (I have not read every page of this)
Paddle-to-the-Sea by Holling Clancy Holling – 30% off
Seabird by Holling Clancy Holling – 40% off
6/25/26 Prime Day Book Deals
Some of the deals from the past few days have sold out, but some are still going, so you may want to scroll down and check. Here are the best new deals I spotted today.
Chapter Books
Little Women clothbound 50% off
The Borrowers – complete boxed set – 60% off
The Tale of Desperaux – 30% off
Lord of the Flies – 60% off (for older children)
The Complete My Father’s Dragon trilogy – 40% off
Picture Books
Saint George and the Dragon by Margaret Hodges – 45% off (jump on this one!)
Roxaboxen – 40% off – one of my favorite picture books! (for my fellow Arizonans, it’s also set in Arizona)
The complete Book of the Flower Fairies by Cicely Mary Barker – 40% off
Mummies Made in Egypt – 35% off
William Shakespeare and the Globe – 20% off
The Bard of Avon by Diane Stanley – 40% off
Cleopatra by Diane Stanley – 35% off
Leonardo da Vinci by Diane Stanley – 20% off
Michelangelo by Diane Stanley – 20% off
Complete Collection of Mother Goose – leather edition – 50% off
Fletcher and the Falling Leaves – 50% off
6/24/26 Prime Day Book Deals
A number of the deal I shared yesterday are still live, so you’ll want to scroll back and check those as well. Here are some new deals I spotted today.
Chapter Books
Little Britches: Father and I Were Ranchers – 50% off
Charlotte’s Web deluxe edition – 40% off
Picture Books
Jan Brett’s Winter Collection Boxed Set – 40% off
The Mitten by Jan Brett – 55% off
Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Jan Brett – 45% off
Thundercake by Patricia Polacco – 40% off
The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco – 30% off
George Washington’s Breakfast by Jean Fritz and Tomie dePaola – 30% off
Richard Scarry’s What Do People Do All Day? - 45% off
Richard Scarry’s Busy Busy World – 35% off
Richard Scarry’s Best Word Book Ever – 40% off
Richard Scarry’s Busy Busy Boxed Set – 40% off
Board Books
Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett – 40% off
Tree: A Peek-Through Board Book by Britta Teckentrup - 45% off
6/23/26 Afternoon Update on Prime Day Deals
Chapter Books
Beatrix Potter’s Complete Tales – 50% off
The Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh - hardcover 55% off
The Wingfeather Saga boxed set – 60% off (bending my rule here—I haven’t read it yet, but my husband has, and we have the same standards for children’s books)
Charlotte’s Web – hardcover and paperback both 50% off
A Bear Called Paddington – 40% off
The Mouse and the Motorcycle – complete set – 60% off
Aesop’s Fables hardcover – 60% off
Little House in the Big Woods – hardcover 40% off, paperback 50% off
The Family Under the Bridge – 40% off
The Giver – hardcover 50% off (for older children)
My Side of the Mountain – hardcover 40% off, paperback 50% off
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever – hardcover 40% off
Mary Poppins complete boxed set – 40% off
Picture Books
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? – 40% off
The Velveteen Rabbit – hardcover 60% off
Dr. Seuss’s Beginning Reader boxed set – 50% off
Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel – boxed set, complete collection 50% off
Mouse Soup by Arnold Lobel – 40% off
Owl at Home by Arnold Lobel – 35% off
Miss Rumphius – hardcover and paperback both 40% off – one of my all-time favorite picture books!
The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton – 60% off
6/23/26 Prime Day Deals
Chapter Books
The House at Pooh Corner 35% off
The Boxcar Children #1-4 60% off
Chronicles of Narnia boxed set 50% off (original Pauline Baynes illustrations inside)
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, 75th anniversary edition with Tolkien’s own art inside and out 50% off
The Lord of the Rings with Tolkien’s own art 55% off
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings illustrated by Alan Lee 50% off
The Biggest Story Bible Storybook (by Kevin DeYoung) 57% off
The Biggest Story: How the Snake-Crusher Brings Us Back to the Garden (by Kevin DeYoung) 40% off
Picture Books
Pyramid by David Macaulay 40% off
City by David Macaulay 40% off
Cathedral by David Macaulay 40% off
The Way Things Work by David Macaulay 50% off
Where the Wild Things Are 60% off
Richard Scarry’s What Do People Do All Day? 40% off
Dr. Seuss boxed collection 50% off
Board Books
Poke-A-Dot Old MacDonald (extra fun for littles) 45% off
The Biggest Story ABC (by Kevin DeYoung) 50% off
Sandra Boynton yellow boxed set 30% off
Sandra Boynton blue boxed set 50% off
Brown Bear, Brown Bear and friends boxed set 50% off
50% off Amazon Prime for young adults age 18-24
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I love your literary trivia