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.
This review is of the beTWEEN the Bookends Early Reader Full Size box.
These boxes were sent to us at no cost to review. (Check out our editorial guidelines to learn more about how we review boxes.)
With Thanksgiving right around the corner, our family has been doing a lot of reflecting on what exactly we are thankful for. In a world filled with so much negativity, it can sometimes seem as if there is no positive left, when it is truly everywhere, so long as you seek it out. Our thankful list of course contains major items such as family, our health, and friends, but it also contains smaller things such as books, experiences, mail, and "The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers" series. "beTWEEN the Bookends" definitely made the list, as my kids love the book inclusions and lifestyle items, helping make reading extra fun. Read below to see what we were most thankful for in the November box.
First Impressions
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.
Here's What's Inside
Welcome Note
Each box arrives with a welcome note that includes the theme title and all of the included contents. This month's theme is "Thankful for Books" and includes two books. Also included are eight lifestyle items, two from small shops, and four made exclusively for this box. Along with the month's contents, also listed is the theme for the following month, and the beTWEEN the Bookends social media info.
Mr. Tiger, Betsy, and the Blue Moon by Sally Gardner - Retail Value $16.99
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From a magical world of well-dressed animals, talking toads, and bossy princesses comes a timeless story about Mr. Tiger and his troupe of acrobats, and Betsy K. Glory, the daughter of a mermaid and an ice cream maker. Together they must figure out how to turn the moon blue, appease a grumpy giant, and make the best-tasting and rarest ice cream in the world--Gongalong Berry Ice Cream. Told with beautiful one-color illustrations throughout, this modern fairy tale teaches us that happiness is sometimes big enough to solve even the toughest problems.
What an interesting read! Charlie and I were charmed from the start, and loved this quirky, magical fairy tale. Charlie really appreciated the fun blue font, and the inclusion of illustrations. A little different from his typical genre of choice, this was a great inclusion.
Sasha and Puck and the Cure for Courage by Daniel Nayeri - Retail Value $7.99
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Sasha's father sells magic potions, but the potions don't work. Can Sasha find a way to make the magic happen? The dashing knight Latouche wants to compete in a tournament, but he’s afraid to lose. What he needs is a potion that will make him brave enough to enter! Can Sasha and Puck help Latouche find his courage?
At first, Charlie was a little concerned this book was going to be a little too "girly" for his liking, but as soon as they described the mysterious wild boy from the woods, he was hooked. This is the 3rd book in the particular series, and while I would have liked to have started with book 1, it was really good. A great work of imagination, we happily read this book in a few short segments, but were disappointed it doesn't yet have an AR test associated with it.
Washi Tape Trio
Washi tape is a great item to use for decorating, so as a book-loving mom, I was all over this inclusion. My 7-year old son however, wasn't quite as excited. He ultimately decided to add one roll to his hunting vest to "repair stuff in the woods", another roll for taping things on his wall in his room, and the last roll he gave to me.
Pencil Pouch
We love pencil pouches, and this adorably decorated one is perfect for keeping all of our writing utensils in order without losing them in our "junk drawer". It's amazing what a little organization can do for our morning routine!
Water Bottle Holder
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One of the larger items included this month was a neoprene water bottle holder with strap. Charlie uses a Gatorade water bottle which doesn't fit, so he wasn't quite sure what to do with this. With the cute quote "Reading is a Little Adventure" it may not get used by my child for a water bottle holder, but it does hold other glass bottles quite nicely...
Playing Cards
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Cards are always a fun and useful item, and these ones depict the writing process through cute clipart. Multiplication war anyone?
Lip Balm- Cosmetics for College
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Winter is almost here folks, and with that is terribly dry and cracked lips. I am constantly hounding my boys to put lip balm on, and it always seems that their sticks are growing legs and running off. Smelling like pumpkin pie, I had Charlie put this tube in his backpack for at school as his current "cherry" flavored stick leaves him looking more like Robin from Batman, than my 7-year-old son. Made from coconut oil, shea butter, beeswax, and pumpkin pie flavor, this version does a great job at hydrating lips and keeping them soft and healthy.
Hot Air Balloon Bookmark
Charlie loves bookmarks, and when he opened this month's hot air balloon ruler, stencil, and bookmark trio, his eyes lit right up. Using it to mark our spot in "The Elixir Fixers" he was sure to put his initials on the back so it didn't get misplaced.
Owl Eraser Trio
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As a second grader, you can truly never have enough erasers. These little owl erasers actually work quite well and are a really fun addition to Charlie's pencil box. A perfect inclusion for a November box, these were really useful and a hoot!
Scratch and Sniff Notebook
The last item on this month's content card was for a scratch and sniff notebook. After digging through the box, I noticed this item was not included, so I reached out to customer service. They responded within minutes stating that this item was supposed to be included in the box, but was missed. They have already crafted apology notes for December's box, and will be including them with the missing notebook.
Verdict
After sorting through this month's beTWEEN the Bookends Early Reader box with Charlie, he was most thankful for the two book titles, pencil pouch, book mark, and owl eraser set. As a mom, I was also thankful for the books, the washi tape, and the lip balm, because they were such useful items. While a couple of the other items weren't a great fit for my son, they will make for great school gifts and will definitely not go to waste. I also want to applaud the customer service this box delivers. When I reached out about the missing notebook, they literally responded within five minutes and were already in the process of getting it taken care of. This subscription is always so much fun to dive into, we just can't wait to see what December has in store. What do you think the "Snow Many Books" theme 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 $5.00 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 December box.
What did you think of the beTWEEN the Bookends full-sized box?
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