Book Sharing for
Christian Schools
Families and teachers share trusted books from their own shelves, students borrow from a curated collection, and parents can stay involved with teen accounts.
Book Sharing for Your School
Agathos Books is a Christian platform for sharing physical books within your school or homeschool co-op. Families and teachers add books from home, every book passes a curation standard, and students 13 and older can discover and borrow good books from people they trust.
Pool Your Community's Resources
Most library tools assume the school owns every book on the shelf. Agathos Books lets families and teachers share their personal books from home—classics, literature, history, and the books that shaped their faith. Nothing to donate. Books stay put until someone asks to borrow one.
- Teachers and parents scan and share their books
- A family’s book lends only when its owner says yes
- Works well for co-op resource-sharing structures
- School-owned books on the open shelf can be borrowed right away
How Agathos Books Works
Set up your school library once. After that, students borrow, read, and return on their own—the reminders and tracking run in the background.
Create your school library
For the organizer — a few minutes, just once.
- 1
Create your school library
A quick setup wizard walks you through it. Most libraries are ready in minutes.
- 2
Add your books
Point your phone camera at a barcode—title, author, and cover fill in automatically. Families and teachers add books from home, too.
- 3
Invite families and staff
Share a link or QR code with families and staff. Pick how people join: they ask and you approve, or they join instantly.
Borrow, read, return
For members — what borrowing a book looks like.
- 1
Ask
Tap Borrow on any book to ask for it.
- 2
Approved
Instant for library books on the open shelf. For a member’s book, the owner says yes—their book, their call.
- 3
Pick it up
From the library’s shelf, from the owner in person, or at a pickup spot.
- 4
Read & return
Gentle reminders before the due date, easy renewals, and the book goes back to its owner.
The logistics are handled for you—so your community can spend its time on learning, not paperwork.
Built for Educational Communities
Safe, supervised, and perfect for homeschool co-ops and private schools
Self-Service Checkout
Students check out books themselves—no library cards or checkout desk. School-owned books on the open shelf can be borrowed right away.
Team Admin Seats
Start with one admin. Growth adds up to 3 admin seats, and Plus and Pro are unlimited, so teachers, librarians, and parent volunteers can share the work.
Collections
New school libraries start with collections like Required Reading, Teacher Resources, and Summer Reading. Rename them or add your own, like 'Grade 10 Literature'.
Parental Supervision
Teens can add a parent as a supervisor, who sees their current loans and recent reading activity and manages their privacy settings.
Reading Progress & Plans
Students track their own reading and celebrate finishing. Reading plans help a class or co-op work through a book list together.
Age-Appropriate Platform
For students 13 and older. Teen profiles are private by default, and every book passes a curation standard. A trustworthy place to discover great books.
Reading Is Social
Share what you're reading. Find your next book through trusted voices in your school community.
Find Your Next Read
Discover what classmates, families, and teachers who share their reading are enjoying. Celebrate finished books together.
See Who Recommends This Book
Every book shows who in your school recommends it and who's reading it now—helpful for book reports and peer recommendations.
Start Conversations
"What are you reading?" builds classroom culture, parent engagement, and shared enthusiasm for good books.
Sharing Is Your Choice
A single switch shows or hides a profile and reading activity for the school community. Teen profiles start hidden, and a parent supervisor can manage that setting.
Emma is reading
The Pilgrim's Progress
James finished
Treasures of the Snow
Mrs. Chen recommends
Teaching from Rest
Emma Rodriguez
14 books read this year
The Pilgrim's Progress
John Bunyan
Books You Can Trust
Every book on Agathos Books passes two gates before anyone borrows it.
Gate 1 · Our standard
Good books that point to truth
- Sound
- Faithful to Scripture. Does not promote sin or contradict core biblical doctrine, and is not contrary to God's design and purpose.
- Pure
- Content that is edifying. Does not promote, glorify, or normalize sin. Protects communities from content that would lead readers away from the way of life presented in God's word.
- True
- Reflects reality honestly. A business book teaching integrity reflects God's design. Classic literature exploring the human condition can illuminate our need for redemption.
- Beneficial
- Equips readers with wisdom for godly living. Books that shape minds, change hearts, and build communities—whether through theology, fiction, history, or practical skills.
Gate 2 · Your library
You decide what fits your school
- Choose whether the books members add need a library leader’s approval before they appear in your catalog.
- Trust specific members, authors, or publishers so their books skip the queue (Growth plan and up).
- Good books across many genres: theology, fiction, history, biography, parenting, and practical skills. Not merely the genre, but its alignment with truth.
This is not a general book platform, by design. We hold to the truths in the Bible because we love people as God loves people—pointing them to truth and protecting them from error.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions from teachers, administrators, and homeschool parents
How much does it cost?
Free to start, no credit card required. The free tier works well for small co-ops and pilot programs. Paid plans add more books and members when you outgrow it.
Is this safe for teenagers?
Yes. Accounts are for ages 13 and up — sign-ups under 13 are blocked, as COPPA requires. Parental supervision is available for anyone under 18. Teen profiles are private by default, direct messaging is off by default, a parent can be added as a supervisor, and every book passes a curation standard.
How do family-contributed books work?
Families scan books they own and add them to the school or co-op library. When a student asks to borrow a family-owned book, the owner gets a notification and can approve or decline. School-owned books on the open shelf can be borrowed right away.
What parental supervision is available?
A teen can add a parent or trusted adult as a supervisor. The supervisor sees the teen's current loans and recent reading activity, and controls their profile visibility and direct messaging. Supervision is about visibility, not control over every action. Learn more.
Can students track reading for class requirements?
Students can track their own progress on each book and join reading plans for a class or co-op list. Teen profiles and reading activity are private by default, so progress is shared with the community only when a student (or their supervisor) turns sharing on.
Does this work for homeschool co-ops?
Yes. Each family contributes their books while the co-op maintains a shared catalog. Book owners keep control while the community benefits from shared access.
What about students under 13?
Accounts are for ages 13 and up, and sign-ups under 13 are blocked. Younger students can still enjoy the library through their families: a parent or teacher borrows the book, and the child reads it at home.
Can multiple people manage the library?
Yes. The Free plan has one admin (the library owner). Growth adds up to 3 admin seats, and Plus and Pro have unlimited seats, so teachers and volunteers can share the work.
Which countries is Agathos Books available in?
Agathos Books is available in most countries worldwide. A small number of countries are unavailable due to payment-processing and international sanctions restrictions. See the full list.
Who can see what I'm reading?
Your profile and reading activity have a single on/off switch in Settings → Privacy. When it’s on, members of the libraries you’ve joined can see your profile and reading milestones—like starting or finishing a book—while your email and phone number stay private. When it’s off, your profile and activity are hidden from other members (you can hide past activity too). Library admins can still see reading and lending activity within their own library, and teens 13–17 start hidden by default. Learn more in Privacy and your data.
Is there a mobile app?
Yes. Download Agathos Books free on the App Store (iPhone and iPad) or Google Play (Android). You can also use your browser on any device—the same account works everywhere. Learn more about the mobile app.
Is there advertising?
Agathos Books has no banner ads and no ad networks, and we never sell your data. We're a mission-driven company focused on a clean, distraction-free reading experience.
Ready to Start?
Whether you're a private school or homeschool co-op, pool your books and make great ones easy for students to find and borrow.
Join us in connecting your students to good books that point to truth.
Free to start. No credit card required.