With packed backpacks, large amounts of paperwork, and books for personal use, reading becomes increasingly troublesome.
Students who enjoy reading may come to a crossroad when entering high school.
That crossroad being if they want to read more, they’d have to fill an already full backpack, carry a book separately, or not carry one at all.
That’s where an Amazon Kindle offers a simple middle ground.
When it comes to using an Amazon Kindle or a traditional book, outlining the pros and cons of each can help a student make an educated choice on which to choose for their school year.
With physical books you get to feel the turning of the pages and the texture of the paper, something one cannot experience with e-books found on Kindle.
Additionally, physical books are often more accessible, options like the Springfield Library Center and our school library. While selection may be limited, the convenience of being able to pick and choose any book is a rather large upside, especially if you do not want to purchase the books.
However, while borrowing books may be more convenient, transporting them is not. As some hardback books are heavier and harder to store in small spaces compared to a Kindle device.
Amazon Kindle is the largest e-book retailer, and for a good reason. The compact Kindle tablets are good substitutes for traditional books, but come with drawbacks.
The first being a Kindle e-reader is a device, and needs to be charged for its use. Kindle e-readers are also more expensive, ranging from 100 to 170 dollars.
However, Kindle e-readers may require a subscription to Kindle unlimited, which is an online streaming and downloading system for books. Otherwise you will have to buy each book you want to read rather than being lended one.
One Upside of Kindle e-readers is the books themselves are cheaper. Project Hail Mary, a novel that is 22 dollars in hardback and paperback, but only 13.99 for a digital version.
Kindle e-readers have additional upsides as well. The biggest is that you don’t need an Amazon Kindle to read books on the Kindle service There’s a mobile and browser based app that is available on other devices.
The next pro to the Kindle service is that the selection is nearly endless. Unlike libraries, there is a limit to how many books you can find and look at. This means finding a specific e-book is easier and often cheaper than traditional books, due to it not being a physical item.
The last way a Kindle and their services beat books is the total amount of books that can be carried at a time, which can help fix space issues in a crammed backpack. While one could shove one to three extra books in their backpack, it’s still no match to the hundreds that can be downloaded to a device like a Kindle reader.
It’s up to personal preference whether a Kindle device, or a traditional book is right for you. Because all that matters is that people are reading and are happy while doing it.
