Half Price Books

Voted best bookstore in Dallas/Fort Worth by viewers of WFAA-TV Channel 8, and voted best bookstore in Dallas by Nickelodeon Parent’s Pick, Half Price Books has always been a must stop every time we journey to Dallas. I remember our first experience there many years ago when my oldest was struggling to find reading material that would hold his interest so he could pass middle school Accelerated Reading. His teacher offered to give him credit based on the nonfiction books he read, after she looked them over. Upon the advice of my cousin, I turned him loose in Half Price Books. He discovered the nonfiction military and U.S. history section and made it to Jr. High.

Half Price Books – Flagship- Dallas, Texas

A converted Laundromat was the location of the first Half Price Books in 1972. Stocked with over 2,000 titles from the personal collections of co-founders Ken Gjemre and Pat Anderson, it has grown to stores in 16 states offering used books, music, movies and games. The simple philosophy of offering “a great product at a great price” continues under Pat’s daughter, Sharon Anderson Wright.

A recent trip to the Dallas area to visit family included a stop at the Half Price Book main store. I love digging through stacks of old, dusty books, but this isn’t your typical used book store. It’s clean, modern, and very well organized by genre with clearly marked sections by topic and alphabetized by author. “Preserving and recycling resources and entertainment of every form is our business“, and everything is half the publisher’s price or less.

As a children’s author, I particularly appreciate the Newberry Award section where I can find treasures for a few bucks. Featuring both medaled and honor awarded stories, these classics provide invaluable material for the study of story craft.

Perhaps you classify yourself as a book hoarder. Bring a few books with you and leave with cash. The Coffee Shop and fresh backed pastry was a treat as well.

www.hpb.com for more information about Half Price Books.