beTWEEN the Bookends is the first monthly book and lifestyle box created for kids by a teen herself! Boxes follow a monthly theme and contain age-appropriate books and lifestyle items that have been read and hand tested by Jillian, the 14-year-old creator. Full size boxes contain 2-3 books and 6-8 lifestyle items, while mini boxes include 1 book and 3-5 lifestyle items. The new gender-neutral boxes will contain the same 2-3 books in the full boxes but will have only 3-5 gender neutral lifestyle items.
The Cost: $50.00 per month for the full-size box + free US shipping. Save with longer subscriptions.
Note: beTWEEN the Bookends is launching a new website and raising prices for new customers on June 1. Existing customers will continue to get the current rate.
This review is of the beTWEEN the Bookends Early Reader Full Size box.
This box was sent to us at no cost to review. (Check out our editorial guidelines to learn more about how we review boxes.)
When I discovered the beTWEEN the Bookends subscription, I was so very intrigued with the different subscription options. Besides having three different age group boxes, they also have options for full size boxes or gender-neutral options. If that isn't enough of a variety, you can also sign up for just the books, or a mini box. The possibilities are nearly endless! After falling in love with the "Plant Your Story" curation we received last time, we couldn't wait to see what kind of goodies this box contained. Read below to find out what we discovered.
First Impressions
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As the full-size box is curated with girls in mind, this version comes wrapped in bright pink tissue paper featuring a pigtail-donning cartoon sticker. Adorbs!
Here's What's Inside
Welcome Note
This month's welcome note includes the theme title "Stretching into Summer," the included book titles, and all of the extra goodies, designating if they are from small shops or not. Along with this month's contents, also listed is the theme for next month's box, and the beTWEEN the Bookends social media info.
My Country Cousins: Journey to Juniper Junction by Heather N. Quinn - Retail Value $7.99
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Written about a 10-year-old girl named Gemma, this lighthearted book is all about fun, adventure, and trying new things. When Gemma leaves her home in England to spend her summer vacation in Canada with her cousins, she gets a little worried, but the thought of making new friends at an English day camp really makes her shudder. Finding independence in the country, Gemma celebrates the joys of growing up, and learning a few new things along the way. Charlie really enjoyed this book. At 7, he is a pretty good reader, though we read it together. The chapters are short, and at the end of each, you are told exactly how many words you read, which is a fun inclusion! Perfect for summertime, the theme was spot on, and the 3rd book in the series comes out next month!
Just Dance by Patricia MacLachlan - Retail Value $6.99
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Honestly, when my son laid eyes on this book, he declared it was going to be too "mushy" for his liking, but he soon found out you cannot judge a book by its cover. Written about a 4th grade girl and her family, the plot of this book is a farmhouse in Wyoming. With a famous opera singer for a mother, and a cowboy for a father, Sylvie can't understand why her mother gave up fame for a life on the farm. Featuring an annoying little brother named Nate, this book had a bit of a "Spirit" feel, and Charlie ended up really enjoying it. Being easy and fast to read, this novel is worth 2 AR points through the Accelerated Reader program!
Yummy Yoga by Joy Bauer - Retail Value $14.99
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The last book we received this month was Charlie's favorite. Not only was it a hardcover book, but it featured 2 of his favorite things: yoga and corn on the cob. Since preschool, Charlie has loved Cosmic Kids Yoga, and this book made it all the more fun. Coupling the yoga moves with fruit and vegetables models AND recipes, you'll have your child trying new snacks right before your eyes. Charlie is not a picky eater, so he was game to try everything in the book, especially the plank pose berry smoothie.
A Scents of Grace - Fire Bath Bomb
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Like I have mentioned before, my boys are absolutely obsessed with baths, so any bath additives are huge wins for us. This month we received a fire emoji bath bomb from "A Scents of Grace". Not only is this flame beautifully metallic in color, but the peach scent was heavenly. The kids loved watching it foam away in the tub and were thrilled to have red bath water. Thankfully this didn't stain our tub or the kids' skin, but was just plain fun.
Suds Bakery Soaps - S'mores Soap Bar
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Another fun addition to this month's box was a s'mores soap bar. Being adorable and functional, this small bar doesn't have too much of a scent but looks utterly delicious on the side of the sink. At first Charlie thought it was real, so he was a little disappointed when he realized it was soap. No worries though, we happened to have all of the ingredients for the tasty little treats on hand to satisfy the hankering we developed while opening this up.
Bracelet Set
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Not listed on the content card, we also received this set of beaded bracelets linked together with a blue ribbon. Three varying styles, I am a jewelry crafter myself, and these are really cute! Made of stretchy elastic, they fit my kids' wrists, as well as mine. Loving the simplistic daisy design with the sunny colors, I have quite a few outfits these will amp up.
Make Mine Homemade Lavender Lemonade Bath Soak
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This month was heavy on the bath items this month, and we are so here for it! Our last bath item was a small sachet of lavender lemonade bath soak. Smelling exactly like a mix of lemonade, this beautiful salt mix was divine. The kids thought this was so fun, and the bath smelled amazing. I am definitely going to be checking out the "Make Mine Homemade" shop to get my hands on more of this concoction.
Monthly Button
As always, we also received our monthly button - this month debuting the little Between the Bookend readers and a rainbow. Perfect for my jean jacket!
Vinyl Stretching Sticker
Fitting perfectly with the stretching into summer theme, we also received a vinyl sticker that showcases a kid stretching - just like the "Yummy Yoga" book! Whimsical and fun, we added this to our sticker stash until we can figure out where to place it.
Bath Sponge
Because this box is geared more towards girls, we also received a few items that Charlie just wasn't interested in, this heart sponge being one of them. Because I am a 9-year-old girl at heart, I thought it was adorable and exchanged my raggedy loofah for this bright new sponge. Easy to use and functional, I appreciated the new bath item and was happy it was included.
Flamingo Keychain
Like I just mentioned, I am a 9-year-old girl at heart, so when I caught a glimpse of this fluffy little flamingo keychain, my heart swooned. Just look at those scrawny little legs, and that fluffy body! Ahh! Where does a 33-year-old mom of 2 boys put a fluffy flamingo keychain, you ask? On my backpack of course - and you can bet I already have gotten compliments on it.
Narwhal Pen Set
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It's like Jillian knows my kids personally! This narwhal pen set was absolutely perfect for Hank and Charlie. Hank's favorite color is blue, and Charlie's is green, so they each got their very own pen that features narwhals wearing two different expressions. Functional and fun, the boys have added these to their car ride kits to draw on our way to baseball.
Verdict
Heavy on bath items and fun trinkets, along with three awesome books, the full-size beTWEEN the bookends Early Reader box has all of the bases covered! As an educator, I know the summer slide is real, so making sure my boys keep reading and learning throughout the busy months of summer is super important to me. While my oldest loves reading, Charlie isn't into it as much, so encouraging him to try new books through this box has been really helpful. All of the items were high-quality, functional, and fun - both for my kids and myself. I continue to be blown away with the curation and themes, and am already looking forward to next month. What do you think the "Reading Under the Stars" box will include?
The beTWEEN the bookends Early Reader Full-Sized box costs $50.00 per month, including shipping. Because most items were small shop created specifically for this box, I wasn't able to calculate an accurate value estimate, but dividing it by the items we received equals to about $4.54 a piece. Because of the thoughtful curation, fun theme, and enjoyable products, I feel the $50.00 price range is definitely fair for the quality of this box and the number of items.
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Other Things You Should Know
Can I still get this box if I sign up today? beTWEEN the bookends tends to ship the first week of each month. Order now to receive the July box.
What did you think of the beTWEEN the bookends full-sized box?
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