Epic!, a digital book subscription for children, has raised $8 million in Series C funding, led by Reach Capital. This latest funding round brings the total raised to date to $21.4 million in venture capital. Other investors who contributed to the funding round include TransLink Capital, Rakuten Ventures, Menlo Ventures, WI Harper, Brighteye Ventures and Innovation Endeavors. According to the announcement, the company will use the new funding to boost its growth, expand its team and build out its platform for school and home use.

For $4.99 a month, parents and kids can get unlimited access to the Epic digital library, and families can create up to four reader profiles per account. Librarians and elementary school teachers can sign up for free to share Epic’s books with their students. As an added bonus, Epic does not include ads or in-app purchases, simplifying the offering for parents. [Note: Right now Epic is running a Summer of Reading promo, 3 months for $1 with the promo code SUMMER17.]

“By providing kids with a fun and expansive platform based on interest-based reading and learning, Epic! has become a leading digital brand in homes and schools nationwide,” says Suren Markosian, Epic CEO, in a statement. “We’re excited to have Reach Capital lead this round because their deep knowledge and passion for education will be very valuable to us as we grow.”

Epic launched in 2014 as an e-book subscription for children’s books, differentiating itself from other e-book services like Scribd and the now-defunct Oyster, which closed up shop after only two years in business. At launch, Epic offered 5,000 titles. The company has grown to more than 25,000 titles which include books, audiobooks, videos and quizzes and are grouped into categories for easy discovery (popular, ages 5 & under, ages 6 to 8, ages 9 to 12, audio, award winners, nonfiction and Spanish).

To date, more than 160 million books have been read on Epic, including 24 million books read last month alone. The company says it is used in 87 percent of U.S. elementary schools, and it has more than 250 publishing partners, including HarperCollins, Macmillan, Sesame Workshop, National Geographic Kids and Smithsonian Enterprises, and its content – available on the web, iOS, Android and Kindle – is curated by children’s publishing experts. In addition, Epic uses an algorithm to recommend content to each child’s reading level and preferences.

“We invested in Epic! because of the excitement from teachers and children who were delighted by the platform,” says Jennifer Carolan, General Partner at Reach Capital and lead investor in Epic!’s most recent financing round. “In classrooms all over, we saw Epic! spark children’s love for reading and inspire them to share their learning with others. We were impressed with Epic!’s ability to capture the hearts of educators, children and parents and create a seamless connection between school and home learning.”

Insider Take:

Epic got its start about the same time as other e-book services. While it seems to have found its way in a niche market, other e-book services like Oyster were not so lucky. Scribd, though now profitable, struggled until last year, changing up its model several times to add and subtract content and removing the unlimited reading option to find its sweet spot. Epic has some competition from similar services like Curious World, but none seem to have quite the same mix or focus as Epic.

Perhaps that’s why investors want to see it succeed. We are pleased to see this company grow, and we particularly love that they make the service free to teachers, a win-win for all. Teachers get to share a love of reading with their students, who are then exposed to a product their parents might be willing to subscribe to, especially if up to four kids in a family can share a subscription. With Epic’s new funding, possibilities abound.