My kids love books and they love to read. Living in Shanghai, and being English speakers, this can be a costly habit to fuel. We share books with friends whenever possible, we import books from family and friends whenever they visit, and we use the school library a great deal. Additionally, I have discovered the Shanghai Book Traders Used Books Bookstore on Shanxi Nan Lu has a decent collection of English language books and magazines.

My family dropped into the store today and spent about 45 minutes browsing the piles and multiple books deep bookshelves. There are stacks of kids’ books near the front of the store. Additionally, we found young adult books mixed in with the English language fiction books. We spent some time digging and found something for everyone. Digging is necessary. Sometimes the books go two or three deep on a given shelf.

My husband found a copy of The Jungle by Upton Sinclair that he wants to re-read (we are from Chicago). My son bought a few books including Star Wars, by George Lucas and a collection of Sherlock Holmes stories. My daughter initially struggled to find something of interest, but we finally uncovered a couple books in a stack of children’s books. One had fairies on the cover so it has to be good. For about RMB 8-20 a book, the risks were low and the potential rewards high. Oh, and I forgot about my selection. An August 2009 issue of People magazine. RMB 8 versus the RMB 45 sticker price and this copy is in perfect condition. We all have our vices, and one of mine is entertainment “news”.

The bookstore is easy to find. It’s just off Fuzhou Lu on Shanxi Nan Lu. The store itself is quite small and nondescript, but you will know you’ve arrived when you see the stacks and stacks of books through the windows.