Chances are, your students have some type of mobile device.  If they do, they are probably using it as much as they can, and have it with them as much as possible (even at times when they're not supposed to, like in the classroom or at the dinner table).

Paper books are great, but you can't deny that eBooks provide a certain convenience lacking from their old-school, paper versions.

The bottom line is, it's easy to give your students the option of reading their class assignment digitally - especially if you're reading a literature classic.  And giving them access via their mobile device means they have access to it 24/7.

Provide a digital option and you can say goodbye to excuses like...

"I lost my book"

"I forgot it in my locker"

or the old-time favorite (has anyone actually said this for real?) "My dog ate my homework"

So take a look at Project Gutenberg, a database of over 36 thousand free high quality eBooks available to download to your PC, Kindle, Android, iOS, or other portable device.  

Here are a few popular classics available for free on Project Gutenberg:

• The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm
• Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
• A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
• Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
• The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
• Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift

And if you're looking to do a little bit of e-reading yourself, I suggest some free SimpleK12 eBooks:

1. 101 Tech Tools for Teachers
2. 12 Projects for the Core Curriculum
3. 32 Tips for the Techphobic Teacher
4. EdCamp Guide
5. Hidden Webtools: 11 Tools for 2011 (just updated for 2012!)
6. Integrating Podcasts Workbook
7. Interactive Whiteboards Workbook
8. Searching with Google Workbook

Happy reading!