Thanks to Allan and to the young woman whose name we didn't catch for helping my daughter, a voracious reader who I thought had read everything, find books that are right up her alley. Each staff member asked her some questions about her reading history and tastes and helped her to find several books that she is super excited to read. They also helped us to find a couple of books for a birthday present for a friend. This is a reminder to me that there is so much value in going to our neighborhood book store, talking with folks who are passionate about reading and getting tailored recommendations. My daughter is also exited to meet grownups who are as excited about books as she is. She even said that she wants to work at a book store when she is older. Thanks guys - you made our afternoon! You'll be seeing us again soon! read more

It's strange to me to read so many bad reviews. I have gone in with the little man I nanny for on many occasions. The staff have been gracious, chatty and informative: not just with myself but with other customers there at the same time. The selection is great and for a good age range. I love the feel of the store and will definitely be back to shop again. read more

I am so happy to see this magical bookstore featured in the "Best of Yelp", with mostly five star reviews. It really is a special place that children cannot help but find utterly enchanting, with books and toys and interesting gizmos scattered all over the relatively small and homely shop. Located in the quaint little village of Los Altos, Linden Tree is like a Little Shop of Wonders for kids that introduces them to the world of books in a way that makes literature seem accessible and friendly, and not daunting. After you've explored Linden Tree, take your kids to Baskin Robbins for some ice cream a few feet away, or enjoy some lunch at kid-friendly Rick's Cafe across the road. Stroll up and down State and Main Streets, and enjoy a couple of stress-free and relaxing hours in Los Altos. read more

This children's bookstore should be in every downtown in America. We have been going there for years, ever since it was on the corner of State St. and Third, and the new location is amazing. Kids can linger and have fun and really learn to love perusing and purchasing new books. The store staff is incredibly well-versed in great books for kids of all ages - and the buyer does a great job of getting in other items that kids would enjoy, including great ideas for gifts. The back area has a good selection of young adult and adult books, apparently trying to fill the void from the fact that there is no other bookstore in downtown Los Altos, and they do a good job of selecting titles for the small sections. read more

I was also surprised to read negative reviews about Linden Tree. Even if someone at the store did rub them the wrong way I sure hope they could have had a calm and respectful conversation about it in order to share perspectives. I think that this store is a gem and that working with the public (adults and children) is not always easy and that the staff works hard and does a lot to provide fabulous service, books, toys, etc. to the community. read more

Great place staffed by knowledgeable book lovers who can recommend any book for any age group. Small selection of toys too when you need a last minute birthday gift. I just like this place. My four year old daughter loves coming here too and we just look at the books and absorb the calmness. Ahhhhhhh.... One word of warning, if you have loud kids who love to touch everything (!) then I would not recommend this place. You have to watch your kids like hawks cuz well, they are! read more

Small local bookshop for kids. Good environment. Clean. Outstanding service. Smaller children should really enjoy visiting this bookstore. Note: This is NOT a bookstore for adults. A limited selection of popular teen books are available. read more

this bookstore has it all, and is just aesthetically very pleasing to look at! the first time i passed by this store, i actually thought this was solely a children's bookstore. but i was wrong, very wrong. they not only have books for children (ages 0-18), but they offer: *SAT prep books *brain quest cards *adult paperbacks (in back of the store) *gift items, stationery and stuffed animals *greeting cards *games essentially, there is something for everyone here. i also love their arm chairs, and small chairs for children. the interior is very neat and clean, and well organized. there are bathrooms in the store which is very convenient for customers. there are occasional concerts just outside the storefront, especially during the warmer months. in my opinion, this is the best bookstore in los altos. read more

Pros Well decorated Friendly service Great selection Variety of other products (gifts, stickers, the usual) Well laid out Bright Good location Really beautifully illustrated books Wide-range of ages (preteen books, toddler, parenting, ect) Cons A little expensive I bought: "Toddlers are A**holes and its not your fault" for a mum of twins I know. She loved the book. I found it high up in the parent section, so don't worry about it falling into the wrong hands. I really recommend this book to all parents and relatives of toddlers! Support local book stores, people! read more

I went into this store with my 10 month old in tow and was pleasantly surprised at the size and selection this store offers! The best surprise was the large board book section at the front of the store - my daughter and I were greeted by Nancy, who helped us to look through the books and even read one with us. I was just browsing, but I will definitely come here to find a board book when I'm looking for a new title. It's great to be able to hold the book in your hand and read through it before purchasing, no matter how great an online deal is! The front of the store is packed with lots of fun gift books and Klutz kits, while the back of the store is reserved for more educational and study books. Homey and not stuffy, this is a great little gem. Long live the local bookstore! read more

I don't have very much occasion to buy children's books, but they have so much more! They have a wonderful selection of books for all ages, ranging from babies to young adults. They even have some books for adults, and can order just about any book you want if it's not in the store. They also have a nice selection of toys, music, puppets, stuffed animals and small gifty type things. The owners Dennis and Linda are nice, and the women that work there are just fantastic and extremely knowledgeable. They can help you find anything. This place is a real gem! read more

I recently went to this bookstore to purchase some children's books for a friend's baby shower. I was really impressed by the selection they had....lots of the classics as I was looking for as well as some really fun newer titles that I ended up purchasing as well. The staff was really friendly and helpful...they also did gift wrapping for free. I love, too, that I was able to do this shopping in downtown Los Altos (which is pleasant to shop in since parking is so easy). I look forward to purchasing future children's books from Linden Tree! read more

You dont see too many newer bookstores these days. Was just walking in the neighborhood and stumbled upon it. Looked at some of the classics they had for kids. Lots of stuff i read as a child" Where the Wild Things Are, James and The Giant Peach, etc. there is good variety in many sections if youre a kid but otherwise, youre limited to nostalgia and new trends as an adult. Still it's important to get reading in early and i applaud the owners for putting up a business focused on that read more

I love this bookstore. It has so much personality. Linda and Dennis, the owners, so nice, and the rest of the staff is great too. They are always putting on fun events for kids, and families. Independent bookstores are the way to go. I can always find toys and books here for my niece and nephew that are fun and good for their development. When you walk in it might look a little cluttered, but that adds to the personality, and besides its a kids store. If you have a hard time finding anything ask the staff they know their story completely not like big bookstores where they check the inventory and say, well it should be right over there....they will help you find it. They will also order things for you if they do not have it. Great customer service! Sweet family owned business, that deserves to get noticed! read more

4.5 stars. DOwn 1/2 a star because sometimes I can't afford what I want! They do have a pretty decent clearance section with amazing deals, though! The store is pretty well laid out, but don't worry about finding anything because the employees are so helpful! They LOVE to show you books! I guess that's why they work in a book store. I have gone in looking for children's books on certain topics to use for work & they've always come up with something! They also give discounts to educators, which is nice. They are more than a bookstore, though. They're something of a community center for information on anything related to kids, especially music & concerts. Want something fun to do with your kids? Check out Linden Tree. They even sometimes sell tickets to events! read more

Totally charming bookstore for the little ones. Nice comfy outdoor seating area, huge windows thrown open to let in the summer air, nice green carpet for all the kidlets to sit on when deciding which book to buy. There were a lot of happy kids here today. I was also impressed by how nice the bathrooms were-given that this store caters to kids. Very clean and roomy, nicely designed with white tile and skylights. read more

Gotta say, I like this new, updated version of the classic bookstore my kids have loved for the past decade! Rarely does an update work out so cooly as this one did (one need look no further than the remake of the movie Footloose to see what I mean), but this one definitely does! Love the events, love the store layout, love the cushy chairs for test driving tomes before you take them home! BRAVO!!! read more

I love this bookstore! If you are looking for a specific book, it won't be easy to find it here. But if you have some time and are down to browse a bit.. this is the ideal place to go. They have tons of childrens to young adult books as well as coloring books and fun games like Cat's Cradle and Painting Nail type of books. Its a great place to drop by if you need gifts for little ones or if you have one with you. Totally worth a stop! read more

Tried to return a book and was told the policy is store credit only. When I asked to see where the policy was posted, the high schooler (Michael) in front of me had no clue, called his manager over who (lo and behold) also could not find where it was posted. The manager (Eleanor) then tried to make it my fault by telling me that it was on my receipt. The receipt had been emailed to me. so the policy was not immediate. When I said this, the manager feebly threw up her hands, said it was policy and only the owner had power to do that ( then why is she the manager??) and kept apologizing for how I felt (e.g. "I am sorry you feel that way). I told her to please handle it, and she called the manager and HANDED THE PHONE TO ME (are you serious?) The owner (Diane) kept trying to sell me on what a great bookstore it is (not convinced) and they are such a great independent children's bookstore that supports local schools and why I should keep my money (that she was not giving back) in her store by telling me I could choose another title. Talk about believing your own press!! At this point i want nothing to do with her or her "great" little store. I think she thought she was being professional. She wasn't, just stubborn. When I pressed the issue, she told me that i was being unreasonable (Now I know where the "shift the blame" training came from, and looking at Sid V's review, the "it's not my fault" message is a pattern). I reminded her that this was considered fraud, and told her it was her choice to rectify this or not. She told me to go fly a kite in no uncertain terms. I then said, okay, expect a bad review on Yelp (this is it) and that I would not frequent her store. Too bad. I like independents. but I also like being treated fairly and without avarice. Diane, you are not nice, and Los Altos is small. Run your business better. and Eleanor, the "helpless animal caught in the trap" thing doesn't look good on you. If a customer is already annoyed, try empathy, not obsequious sympathy. read more

I feel like everyone who loves books, loves to read and still wants to think that their children could learn to love books as well as computers needs to go to Linden Tree NOW and buy books. They really know a lot about children's books and I always find something I want to buy there. They do get busy sometimes and the mature saleladies can get a tiny bit snappy, but to their credit, they never snap at kids, only the adults sometimes. Any business that is nice to my wiggly, squirmy 4 year olds is ok by me! read more

There aren't many places like this left on the planet. Enjoy a great day in downtown Los Altos, and enjoy browing through the enormous selection of children's and young adult books. read more

This is one of my very favorite bookstores in the Bay Area! It truly feels like a home away from home. The staff are so knowledgable and helpful, and actually take the time to talk to you and get to know you. They always have the best book recommendations, and I never fail to leave with an armful of wonderful new books! The physical store is now open again for browsing, and I also love to order books online through their website. If you are looking for a sweet local bookstore with a personal touch that goes above and beyond for the literary community, look no further than Linden Tree Books! read more

I like to support the local independent business so my family buys all the birthday gifts here as books for my children's friends. We have an account here to accumulate points. I bought another book last week and it took me a while to find the most suitable one for the child. While I was looking, I heard the staff at check out asked a customer if she had an account but this didn't happen to me when I checked out. I had to bring it up myself and he said he would add the points later to my account. I was surprised and was a bit taken back. But regardless, this is a store I will continue to support. It's nice to see children here reading books each time I walk in. read more

This is a wonderful book store, primarily children's, located in my downtown on State street in Los Altos. They have wide and unique selection of books for all ages. In our time of disappearing independently owned book stores (and vanishing chains, too!), it's refreshing to know that Linden Tree, which has been a Los Altos stapler for quite a bit of the time, is here to stay (at least I hope so). The owner, Diane, is working hard on keeping the layout well organized, employees trained, and customers happy. It's a pleasure to walk in or linger outside when out and about. It's a great source for gifts for my friend's and family kids. A book (or several) is always a good idea at any age. They also have accompanying items you'd expect from a store of this kind and caliber. There's a section with books for adults in the corner, too. It's not huge, but it isn't too small either. The store is bright, clean, well lit, nicely decorated, and very welcoming. read more

Linden Tree Books - Bookstores Near Me - Los Altos, California

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I have to agree with the previous poster on rude comment & possibly racist attitude by the staff. My 5-year old and I went book shopping and were browsing around the store for a few minutes. We bought a few books and were checking out. My daughter had an ice cream cone in her hand and the one of the younger staff told us that ice cream was not allowed in the store. We apologized and I was waiting for the check out staff to give my credit card back so we can leave. The older woman who was checking out "ordered" my 5-year to go and stand by the door while she processed the credit card. First of all, they didn't care when we were browsing the store to come and tell us food was not allowed but sitting and chatting at the counter. Secondly, the older woman had no right to order my 5-year old to go and stand by the order. What if she walks out and gets hit by a car? This kind of behavior is unacceptable considering its a books store for kids. And if she was that particular about my kid leaving the store she didn't have to make the sale. Not returning again! Especially when there is a fabulous and friendly toy store in the next street! read more

After finishing a nice breakfast with friends, just two doors down, we decided to stroll into the bookstore to get the kids something special -6 kids, 4 adults all willing customers. Until we walk into a greeting of dirty looks from a store manager or possibly the owner. Coincidently she was giving a talk to a group of preschoolers about "marketing and advertising" asking them to tell their friends and parents about the store. *sigh* Needless to say we walked in and out empty handed and feeling extremely disappointed... read more

Lovely store, appalling customer service. The people hired to work in this store reflect more on the owners who can build a wonderful book store for children but hire inept/rude people to attend to their customers. read more

I'm writing this review on the recent Harry Potter book release night. We were on the email list to be updated on this special evening to get our copy of the book but never received a reminder. Our schedules are busy like everyone else and therefore paid and reserved our copy ahead of time and was told we would be getting an email reminder of the event. Never got one, missed the evening with the idea of dressing up for this Harry Potter event....got the book several days later. Hopefully everyone else had a better experience but we were hugely disappointed :( read more

This is a nice place to go to they have a big variety of different types of books for little kids and all the way thru to adults. They have a very clean bathroom. They have a cute brown black chair for a little child to sit on and look thru the books. The customer service is good and the employees are helpful and nice. read more

I am addicted to books. I love books. I'm a homeschooling mom, so part of my job description is to provide tons of quality books for my kids. Did I mention I love books? Linden Tree is great if you are just browsing and want to buy something "on the fly." However, if you really need something specific, forget it. On a recent Saturday I stopped in with my children, who also love books. I've really never done anything except browse here, but since I love books soooo much I wanted to know exactly who I was dealing with at Linden Tree. Here's the first test: I was looking for an art book by a particular publisher, but didn't recall the exact title. When employee #1 didn't know what to tell me (although she did try to look it up in her computer), she asked employee #2, who gave me a weird look and said, "We have books by that publisher all over the store, I have no idea where to tell you to look." "Oh, that completely makes sense, thank you. But do you not have a section of art practice books?" This is what I would do -- go to the art section and look for the book. But I had to ask at least twice "Where is your art section?" Finally someone was able to point me to the art shelves. I wouldn't exactly call that a #FAIL but I wouldn't call it a #WIN either. She did tell me to go home, look up the book and find the ISBN and they would happily order the book for me. Uh, if I'm going to go to that much trouble, I'm just going to order it online for cheaper. Sorry. Next up, my little guy wanted a book about fire engines. I was down with that. If I could find a small little book for him, I'd get it. I'm a sucker for books. Did I mention I love books? So, I asked employee #3 where I could find books on Fire Engines, Firefighters, etc. Talk about pulling teeth. She wasn't sure, she dragged me all over the store, and eventually we found one but it was painful. Come on, now! Every little boy's dream is to be 1) a firefighter, 2) a police officer, 3) a train engineer, or 4) an airplane pilot. Get all those books together and have ONE spot for them. And know where they are. Please, please! I really, really want to love and support local business, ESPECIALLY a book store. However, as I was standing in line to pay for my $100 worth of books, employee #2 (see above) comes up to the counter with another customer (one of those quintessential Los Altos diamond-dripping ladies), put her three books down, and I got booted to the back of the line. Seriously?!?!? All I have to do is get a face lift, put on 30 carats of diamonds, and I get good service? Awesome! I'll get right on that. I got a few treasures from the discount shelves out front, in addition to the books I needed for school. #WIN. That's why this place gets two stars. However, after spending about an hour in the store I still couldn't figure out how their subjects were organized, and evidently neither can their staff. #FAIL. Customer service experience? #FAIL. Sorry, Linden Tree, but I won't be back. read more

After hearing so many wonderful things about this book store I made a special effort to go here for some gifts for two upcoming birthdays and Halloween. I had my 13 month old with me and not realizing the time (and that they would be closing in 15 mins) I shopped around. No one greeted me, despite the 3 employees in the store. 5 minutes later someone came to look for a book in my section and instead of a greeting she said we're closing in 10 mins. I did request some help in finding a book which the clerk did assist me with. Then employee # 2 came by to say they were closing in 5 minutes. Really? Is keeping them there a whole 5 mins after closing the end of the world? Clearly their business is not the sole priority, nor did they even think how much effort went into preparing a kid post nap to get out the door, beat traffic, all to purchase a book! I usually shop at Amazon and wanted to try a more traditional approach and support my neighborhood store instead. Last, they have no frequent buyers club, so there really isn't any incentive to become loyal customers. I'm sticking to Mountain View's Books Inc., b/c at least I get some service with a smile. Very disappointed since I was hoping this would become a place to take my child for book events etc. C'est la vie! read more

We're so glad this Los Altos institution was saved by local moms. Los Altos would not be the same without a local, independent bookstore that is dedicated primarily to children's literature (although it has a great adult section too). Whenever we have visitors from out-of-town, especially those with kids, we bring them here to soak up the afternoon sun, read, and buy books. Their kids' selections rival Amazon and other booksellers, for similar prices. While I miss the esoteric quirkiness and cluttered charm (not to mention the audio-book section) of the former Linden Tree, the new Linden Tree is modern and fresh, and still our favorite place for thoughtful gift-giving. read more

Great books and helpful staff. Awesome kid books!

Love this store, the staff is great with suggestions for my toddlers, and are always very friendly when my daughter makes a mess of their books. They also gift wrap for free. Don't have a great collection of kids music, the cd shelf is literally dusty. They are moving down the street so look forward to new location. read more

I love Linden Tree. Not only is the staff superb, they really know what they're talking about. I've been to bookstores where the staff takes one look at me and suggests Twilight. Not so with Linden Tree. I really only started seriously shopping here six months ago, when my sister bought me a book that I didn't like and I came in to return it. After giving me store credit for the price of the book, the man helping me (Tom) offered up many suggestions. I shot down over ten of then since I had already read (and loved) them. I finally bought three books, one of which was the twelfth suggestion Tom had made and started reading the second I got home. The selection of books is incredible. The store specializes in baby, kid, tween, and teen books, with some popular adult books thrown in for good measure. I really only shop in the teen section, so I can't vouch for the picture and easy reader books, but I can assure you that you will find a book at Linden Tree. read more

This is a very excellent and very popular children's book store in downtown Los Altos. I have trouble dragging the kids away every time...

I visited Linden Tree every week as a small child, and it's one of the few bookstores that still manages to hold the attention (and spur the imagination) of kids. I hope it sticks around. read more

Long live the small, local book store! Linden Tree is the most wonderful kids bookstore. They are SO helpful and knowledgable about recommending great books for our son. We always leave happy. read more

Wonderful bookstore. Love to browse, love to watch my kids explore. Love the gift wrap. I love Los Altos.

I just love this place! Their displays are always full of great suggestions. Everyone seems so friendly and helpful. I just love spending time here. I recently took visiting family here and we were able to find great books for ages 3 months - 10 years of age. read more