Book Donation Guidelines

Thank you for your interest in donating your books to Brooklyn Book Bodega! We accept new and gently-used books for ages 0-18. Books should be in giftable condition. These include foreign language, dual language and nonfiction books for babies, kids, adolescents, and teens. Book drop site information is below.

We are unable to provide tax receipts for books donated via one of our book drop locations. Receipts are only provided for appointments when requested.

Do Not Donate:

  • religious books, textbooks, activity books, encyclopedias

  • books that you would not want in your own home

  • books that are for adults

  • well-loved books and trash e.g. torn books, books with scribbles, broken books, books with missing pages

  • books that do not meet our criteria of new, gently-used, or in giftable condition

Brooklyn Book Bodega reserves the right to refuse any donation.

Sometimes we are not the right fit for the donation. A few book donation alternatives are: Donate NYC,  Little Free Libraries near you, New York Public Library Jail and Prison Services.

If you have more than 50 books:

  • Please contact us to arrange an appointment at Brooklyn Book Bodega Book Hub (141 Flushing Avenue, Suite 606, Brooklyn, NY 11205).

  • Please review this detailed guide about packing your books.

When sorting your books: 

  1. Organize them by general age level, type, or category. For example, typical categories are: picture books, board books, early chapter books, chapter books, preschool, elementary books, young adult, high school, etc. 

  2. Sort all books into banker’s boxes or Fresh Direct bags so that they are easy to lift. Books are heavy!

  3. Label each banker’s box/bag with the book type/category.

Current Book Drop Locations

  • Brooklyn Navy Yard
    141 Flushing Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11205
    Any time during open lobby hours
    (bin located next to the security desk in Building 77)

  • Old Stone House
    336 3rd St, Brooklyn, NY 11215
    Friday - Sunday, 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

  • Brooklyn Board of Realtors
    28 Village Road N (3rd floor), Brooklyn, NY 11223
    Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

  • Corridor
    165 Dekalb Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217
    Monday - Friday, 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
    Saturday - Sunday, 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Buy New Books For Us

If you are interested in donating new books, purchase directly from our book partners or from our popular book request list on Bookshop.org. Bookshop and our Book Partners will deliver the books directly to us. Note: Book Partners do not accept used books at their locations.

Donation Disclaimer

Brooklyn Book Bodega reserves the right to refuse any donation. This includes any item that has not been officially approved or any items that fail to meet our quality standards even if previously approved. We will not handle/accept dirty, broken, damaged, dangerous, oversized, or overweight items. We may be unable to take everything due to space limitations, equipment, or logistical issues. This includes donations brought to our Book Hub and/or items brought to our Book Drop sites.

Please note that all donations must be in gently-used or giftable condition. We aim for books that a kid in 2025 WANTS to read. Thank you.

We are unable to provide tax receipts for books donated via one of our book drop locations. Receipts are only provided for appointments when requested.