Maui Friends of the Library, Puunene

A true hidden gem of Maui, not an overstatement. All books, except marked, even collections are 50 cent. The little shop is run by a wise couple. Wish I could take a suitcase full of books. When you visit please carry cash and donate as these days most used bookstore would charge you $6 -$7 for a used book and here they are charging 50 cent

What a great resource! We wanted books while in Maui, and found just what we needed. Plus we know we are helping the community throughout our spending. Prices were reasonable and the selection was amazing (for general fiction and young adult/middle reader).

Seems like a never-ending labyrinth of books! The friendliest staff and most amazing book availability for such a steal. Definitely one of the best local bookstores we’ve been whilst on vacation. Thank you to the two ladies who helped us out with our book selection!

Stoked to have this charming used book store in Kihei. Friendly and helpful staff. Well organized. Spacious. Clean. Welcoming.

Awesome library and very cheap with a great mission

Phenomenal service and prices. Such a hidden gem. The Pu'unene location is especially charming. And they will gladly check to see if they have a particular book you're looking for.

Ever wondered how to pass the time in a beach in Maui? Follow the path near the old sugar mill station near Puunene school and access rows and rows of 25cent books. A must for any book lover

Awesome little book store and for so cheap!!!! I would recommend to anyone who visits Maui to check one out!

You can find a lot of secondhand books and jigsaw puzzles here, along with other assorted old entertainment media. It's a little hard to find the building itself, just follow the signs behind the old sugar mill. It's hot and dusty but worth the trip. The prices are right, with books for $.50 and quite a good selection too. I thought it would be bigger. It's just a small little building in a forgotten little corner of the island.

It is a very inexpensive place to get books, but it is quite cramped and not for the claustrophobic. The location is a little out of the way, and a map feature on your phone is helpful.

The service was great! Professional, personal and pleasant. The selection was varied and well organized and labeled. The value was Amazing as there were many books for $1-$3 dollars and some were free for children (one each, please). There were puzzles and game's available.

Super nice people great selection very clean and affordable prices I love the sense of community

This is my place to come for paper books. It's well organized By author and genre. You can't beat the prices. I start at the dollar carts and then move on to mystery's. Today we picked up 8 books for 14.00. Screamin bargains. This is a cash only shop. And the staff really know the store inventory. Winner! After I'm done, I ll just take them back and donate. Ultimate recycling of minor Entertainment.

Quiet little bookstore tucked behind the old Puunee school. Friendly service. While I sat and read a book, I could hear the older women giggle and talk about their lives. It was such a cute cozy experience.

What a great find. Lots of books at a great price. They even have a free rack. So organized . Kinda off the beaten path but easy to find. Worth a visit.

Great bookstore. You really can't beat the price! Most books are around a quarter. The volunteers there are the nicest people you will ever meet. The books are covered in a layer of dirt/dust due to the location (it seems pretty arid there) but I don't mind. I could spend hours here. The bookstore is located behind the school and was a little tricky to find but google maps was quite helpful!

This is a hidden gem if you love to read or have books you've read and want to pass on to others. You need to turn on the road in front of the old sugar cane mill and follow the signs that say books to behind the old school house. It is a little off the beaten path but so worth the stop. They have a small garden wagon out front to drop off your used books. On the front porch are a couple racks of free books and cds but inside are shelves and shelves of great books at bargain prices. The people working there are really helpful and will guide you to the section or kind of books you love to read.

This is really all about nostalgia for me. I grew up in Alabama Camp as a little girl and I used to walk with my parents from my house to the original Sam Sato's. Fast forward to today and this area is merely a memory, but as you pass the Puunene School, you'll see signs that will direct you to the little shack that houses books of love, imagination, cook books and more! I like to take the little here so she can choose as much books as she pleases and I can browse through the hundreds of books there. They have EVERYTHING from board games, CDs and books for different genres and topics. Upon entry there's a little stool with hand sanitizer and a note to respect the 6am social distancing. The books are plentiful and if there's no price on them, it is $0.25!!!! WHAT A DEAL!!!! I've scored everything from brand new cookbooks to almost as new Essential Oils books. Be nice to the volunteers!!!! They're simply volunteering their time for the love of books!!!!

I think this little gem needs to be put on the map. Let's be real, books are expensive. This place has new and used books and is conveniently located in the queen Ka'ahumanu shopping center. There is a wide range of books in various topics for every level of reader. They even have a few comfortable chairs to sit in if you decide that you would like to stay there and read. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable. The books are priced very modestly and everything is very organized and clean. The front window holds a themed showcase, if you will, each month showcasing a new topic of books. If you are looking for a certain book, I suggest heading over there, or even giving them a call to ask if they might have it. I've noticed that their selection is very good when it comes to the variety of choices. It seems that in certain topics there's only one or two of the particular book. Seriously though, this place has affordable books, it's conveniently located, and even has chairs out for you to sit and enjoy your new book.

Not difficult to find and the gravel road has now been paved. Lovely old building with corrugated tin roof, verandah groaning with FREE books and interior shelving with books you pay for - but cheap, cheap, cheap! This delightful store is run by friendly volunteers. It is SO worth the drive and I can't recommend it enough!

Looking for some good reads while on Maui? No better (or cheaper) place than Maui Friends of the Library! MFOL is a group that sells used books and you could not ask for a better place. The prices here are ridiculous, running from a quarter (most small paperbacks) on up to a few dollars (recent hardbacks). They have everything from fiction to non-fiction, children to adult, romance to sci-fi/fantasy. This particular location is about a size of the old Waldenbooks or Crown Books back in the day. One thing to note, this place is good to go if you want to peruse. If you have a specific book in mind, understand two things: they don't guarantee having anything (especially recent stuff) and they are not exactly organized on the shelves. The books are put into broad categories (fiction, young adult, Hawai`ian topics, etc.), but beyond that this location doesn't put them into much (not even alphabetical by author). So, this place is best for browsers just looking for something that catches their eye. A warning, especially to those in rental cars, but the Pu'unene location is an adventure in itself to get there. You actually drive ~through~ the sugar cane factory, down dirt and gravel roads past the sugar cane fields, and then through an old school that has been converted to a variety of purposes. It's gonna be dusty, it's gonna be rocky, but it's gonna be worth it! Come on out, drop off some books you no longer want and pick up some new ones!

The volunteers are so knowledgeable and helpful, they have a great selection and it's really cheap! Tucked away behind the puunene school just follow the signs!

This is a really out of the way shop for used books. It's behind the Puunene School Annex behind the HC&S Suagr Mill. The website has a direction guide and shows the signs you follow to get to the place. The store is in a musty old building. Books are stacked everywhere. Even outside; the ones outside are free for the taking, even when the shop is closed. Inside, many of the books are stacked in semi-ordered rows. There is also some DVD's, CD's, VHS tapes, and other media related items. Much of the inventory is abit.....eccentric. The building is exposed and open, so sometimes you find a good layer of dust on items, heavy discoloration/staining of items, etc. When the sun is beating, the store is hot and muggy even with the shade. Some of the inventory is former library books, and will retain the labeling and be stamped with WITHDRAWN marks as well. The staff is all volunteer, so depending on who's on duty that day, it's varied. Some are helpful, others completely ignore you until you pay. Signs posted in the store state that books start at 25 cents unless otherwise marked; this has led to experiences where volunteer staff either will allow me to buy unmarked books for 25 cents, to volunteers who go on power trips and try to gouge me on prices with unmarked books. The latest experience had a volunteer tell me that several books were supposed to be "marked" with a firm price, yet I found no signs of markings otherwise and I did point out to him the sign, but he refused to give them to me at the quarter price per book. I still found some books, but the experience soured me from going back to Puunene for a bit. MFOL has two other locations; one in Lahaina's Wharf Cinema Center, and one in Queen Kaahumanu Center.

Ten books/CDs for $1!!! We went for kids books for my homeschooled five year old. They even have educational workbooks that they sell at Costco for $10 each. We got there early at 7:45 and there was already someone there. And when we left there were so many cars coming. So it's better to go super early.

Full disclosure: I volunteer here several nights a week so I am a little bit biased, but this place is awesome! It's a used bookstore fully staffed by volunteers and stocked with books that have been donated by residents, visitors and businesses of Maui. The front of the store has fiction grouped by genre: Mysteries and Thrillers, Fantasy and Sci-fi, Romance, Westerns and General Fiction. There are also CD's and DVDs. The back of the store holds many Non-fiction categories as well as Children's, Juvenile and Young Adult. There is also a small section of books in foreign languages. The center of the store has a Hawaiiana section which is well stocked with new books which are the only ones sold at retail prices. Most other books are under 10 dollars with fiction books priced at 2-3 dollars. Magazines are free, as are VHS and cassette tapes. There are rare and vintage books near the desk. This place is like a treasure chest, you never know what you'll find here. They don't have a catalog or inventory, but Volunteers do their best to help you find what you are looking for. New books of every kind come in every day so you're sure to find something useful or interesting. Now here's the best part, all the money earned goes to support the Maui County libraries. Last year enough money was raised to buy a new Bookmobile which is now being custom made and will be in service soon. Awesome! You can save money by shopping here while supporting our libraries.

Maui is so cool. I love how people volunteer to encourage reading and help the environment by recycling books. I went during a sale, 10 cents a book. I got 40 books for $4! Thank you! Thank you! A little hard to find but gives a sense of what old Maui must have looked like.

Every time I am on island part of my Aloha experience includes a visit to the MFOL bookstore. Now that there are more locations, I'll get even more Aloha! These days when so much reading is done online, it is a joy to find "real" books...and at such a bargain! It makes me feel good, too, knowing all these staff (totally volunteers!) donate their time and energy to the love of books. The quirkiness of the store and the character of the volunteers is part of the experience. Don't expect a big-box-store experience with shiny new books and fancy name badges....but that's probably not what you're looking for anyway ;-) Mahalo MFOL!

I absolutely love the MFOL book store in Puunene precisely because it is not your cookie cutter bookstore. You never know what treasures you are going to find there. Every visit is a surprise waiting to happen. I have found just-published books as well as really old books that take me down memory lane. The concept of the bookstore is for book lovers to share their books by donating them and then to buy new books to read. This cycle keeps the book supply fresh and ever changing. The money is donated to the libraries and that is a great help to them. I go to this bookstore every time I visit Maui and it is one of the highlights of my vacations. I have taken pictures of the store and posted them on my Facebook page and my friends are charmed by it. I highly recommend the place to vacationers who want to have a non-touristy experience on the island!

I have been to the Puunene MFOL bookstore several times. Both to donate books and to purchase books. This little piece of Hawaiiana in the middle of our cane fields is wonderful. What makes this all the more wonderful is the fact that it is 100% run and staffed by volunteers from across the island. So, for that I would like to say THANK YOU for your effort on our behalf.