Bookroo is a monthly book subscription for children that sends quality books sure to engage kids in reading. They offer three subscription options:
- The Board Book Club, which includes 3 books for ages 0-3 for $19.95 + $4.99 shipping/month,
- The Picture Book Club, which includes 2 hardcover books for ages 2-6 for $19.95 + $4.99 shipping/month, and
- The Chapter Book Club, which includes 2 books for ages 7-10 for $24.95 + $4.99 shipping/month.
This review is of the Chapter Book box for ages 7-10.
For more ways to keep your kiddos educationally engaged during these times, check out our Returning to Learning back-to-school guide to see how subscriptions can help make your life easier as you navigate this unique school year.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About Bookroo
The Subscription Box: Bookroo Chapter Book Club
The Cost: $24.95 a month + shipping (save with longer subscriptions)
The Products: 2 books for kids ages 7-10 selected to inspire a lifelong love of reading
Ships to: The US for $4.99, Canada for $16, and worldwide for an additional shipping charge
Bookroo Chapter Book August 2020 Review
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Bookroo sends the books individually wrapped each month which is such a nice treat.
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Bookroo always includes an insert that gives a brief description of the books you receive and on the reverse, there is a parent guide. The parent guide provides some great talking points so that you can get a discussion going with your child about what they read. They also include a link to a quiz that kids can take to test their reading comprehension afterward!
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The Royal Rabbits of London by Santa Montefiore and Simon Sebag Montefiore – Retail Value $7.99
From Amazon:
Shylo has always been the runt of the litter, the weakest and quietest of all of his family. His siblings spend their days making fun of him for not being like the rest of them. But when Shylo stumbles across a band of ratzis and overhears their evil plan to take a photo of the Queen in her nightie, it’s up to this unlikely hero to travel to London and inform the Royal Rabbits of London about the diabolical plot! The Royal Rabbits of London have a proud history of protecting the royal family and now the secret society need to leap into action to stop the ratzis…
But can a rabbit as feeble and shy as Shylo convince them that Queen is in danger?
This book is much more serious than it sounds and while it involves rabbits, they are a bit more intense than those you might find eating your garden! The story opens up with Shylo coming to see the outcast rabbit, Horatio, who carries a blade because he has a past of being hunted by his enemies and those who want to kill him. It's a much more dangerous world than I could have imagined and this was a darker tale than I expected. It's an easy read that involves adventure and an unlikely hero. This book is also part of a series so there are more adventures to be had!
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The Collectors by Jacqueline West - Retail Value $16.99 (found here for $13.29)
From Amazon:
Van has always been an outsider. He’s hard of hearing, collects trinkets, and lives with his single mother—an opera singer with a huge personality. Then one day, Van notices a girl stealing pennies from a fountain, and everything changes. He follows the girl, Pebble, and uncovers an underground society full of wishes and the people who collect them. Not all wishes are good and even good wishes often have unintended consequences, and the Collectors have made it their duty to protect us. But they aren't the only ones who have their eyes on the world’s wishes—and they may not be the good guys, after all.
Jacqueline West spins a story about friendship, magic, and the gray area between good and evil. The Collectors is for fans of Cassie Beasley’s Circus Mirandus and Jonathan Auxier’s The Night Gardener. Booklist calls it, “A brilliant fantasy adventure exploring the consequences of getting what you wish for.”
Van is a young boy who collects trinkets that others leave behind. He goes through life unnoticed and he has a hearing impairment which means that sometimes what he thinks he hears can sometimes be quite humorous. He doesn't have any friends, but when his paths cross with a mysterious girl for the second time, he decides to follow her and finds that she does some collecting of her own. He finds himself thrown into a strange world where animal companions can talk and where wishes can be captured. This book is suspenseful and captivating, and of course, you have to root for an underdog like Van!
Verdict: This month's Bookroo selections were fun and adventurous and while there were some thematic similarities, they were very different books. I love the idea of teaching about unintended consequences through The Collectors. The total retail value of our books was $24.98 which is a bit low considering this box costs $29.94 ($24.95 a month + $4.99 shipping). If you take into account the sale price of The Collectors, our total is even lower at $21.28 and while I do think there is some additional value in the wrapping, the parent guide, and the fact that these books are vetted and picked for you, I'm not quite sure the value is there this month.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, you will receive the September box.
From Bookroo:
If you order between the 5th and the 15th of the month, your box will ship in our monthly batch the business day following the 15th. If you order between the 1st and the 4th, or the 16th and the 31st, your box will ship the weekend following your purchase. All subsequent boxes will ship with our monthly batch the business day.
Value Breakdown: At $29.94 ($24.95 + $4.99 shipping) for this box and a total retail value of $24.98, this is what you are paying approximately for each book:
- The Royal Rabbits of London: $9.58
- The Collectors: $20.36
Read all of our Bookroo reviews and check out our Kids Subscription Box Directory for other fun boxes your child might enjoy!
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