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.)
Guess what? We are three and a half weeks away from summer vacation, and I couldn't be more excited! While I love my job as an educator, May is the toughest month of the year and I am ready for a little rest and relaxation. While I usually ease up on the alarm clock and extend bedtimes, we do incorporate a summer home school curriculum to keep from seeing the dreaded "summer slide" and you can bet I will be using the "beTWEEN the Bookends" subscription to help keep that at bay! Not only does this subscription contain new books and authors my kids have adored, but they also have received a ton of bookish goodies. Read below to see what we discovered in the May box.
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. Cute!
Here's What's Inside
Welcome Pamphlet
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Ever evolving, this month's pamphlet is organized a bit differently than in the past, and it is definitely easier to understand. Describing all items included in each box, it is color coordinated and laid out very nicely. Featured on the back is a quote by Anne Frank: "You can always, always give something, even if it is only kindness!". I love, love, love this quote and try to instill this into my kids everyday! With the included descriptions, the kids couldn't wait to dive in and see what else was included.
Nancy Clancy Late Breaking News by Jane O'Connor - Retail Value $9.99
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From New York Times bestselling team Jane O’Connor and Robin Preiss Glasser comes the eighth and final installment of the Fancy Nancy chapter book series: Nancy Clancy and the Late-Breaking News! Nancy Clancy is working to be the star reporter of the Third Grade Gazette—that’s a fancy word for newspaper. When the latest issue comes out, Nancy and Bree decide the articles just aren’t interesting enough and set out to find some really exciting news to report on. But when Nancy overhears something she shouldn’t and the news gets out, she learns that a good reporter knows when to keep things confidential and may even get some surprising and unexpected news herself.
Looking at the cover of these books, they are very feminine, but super cute! Charlie isn't bothered by flowers and glitter on books when he's at home, and is a huge fan of Junie B. Jones, so he was happy to give this "Nancy Clancy" book a try. Similar to Junie B., Nancy is a little bit of a stinker, and this book was a fast and interesting read for my second grader. Although we already have a little experience with eaves dropping, it was entertaining to read about it in this book. Filled with life lessons that are introduced in an exciting way, I have one of the other books in the series on hold from the library as an audio book!
Heidi Heckelbeck Lends a Helping Hand by Wanda Coven - Retail Value $5.99
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One day, when Heidi’s teacher, Mrs. Welli, teaches a lesson on the importance of helping and giving back to the community, she and her friends decide that it’s time to volunteer!
Another great fit for the "Be Kind" theme, Heidi is another one of our families favorites. Like I mentioned above, Charlie doesn't mind glitter and "girly" looking books when he's at home, so he was happy to read more about sweet Heidi. With large print and easy to read chapters, he blew through this book and was happy to find Heidi is quite similar to him in his mess making ways! An enjoyable read, it is also worth 1 AR point if you are part of the Accelerated Reading program.
Positive Affirmation Card Deck
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Sometimes a little kindness is all a person needs for their day to go from terrible to wonderful. We have found these positive affirmation cards to help spread a little joy and remind us that we can make it through hard things! Recently a gentlemen from our church had a knee replacement and ended up in the hospital for a lot longer than expected, so the boys asked if they could make him a "Get Well" card and send a couple of these cards to him. We haven't heard what he thought yet, but I'm betting they brightened his day, which is exactly their purpose!
Exclusive "Be Kind" Pin
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Charlie isn't much of a pin kind of dude, so he donated this fun daisy pin to our prize bin for our "Pride Night Bingo" activity. Well made and adorable, this will look great on somebody's backpack or jean jacket!
Shooting Star Pop-It
Charlie is a pop-it fanatic, so he was thrilled to receive this large shooting star version. With tie dye esthetics this really brightens my sensory bin, and has become a favorite to both of my boys and the rest of my students!
Monthly Sticker Pack
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We love stickers, and this month's kindness themed ones are adorable! With fun animals and sweet quotes, these are fantastic additions to notebooks and sticker collections.
Bracelet Trio
Since this bracelet set is geared toward a little girl, Charlie wasn't into it, but was interested in giving it to his friend with the disclaimer that he doesn't really love her, but likes her as a friend! LOL! Suited for a child's size wrist, these colorful beads glitter in the sun and look amazing by themselves or stacked together. A perfect inclusion for this "Be Kind" box!
Unicorn Plush Pen
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How cute is this unicorn pen?! Charlie loved the messy mane, but added it to my pen jar so I could write checks out in style. Somehow this plush guy has made paying bills a bit more brighter, and with inflation, I need all the brightening I can get when working through that task.
Dr. Seuss Pouch and Mini Erasers
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Charlie loves Dr. Seuss, so he was really excited to open up this Thing One and Thing Two tin to find "Cat in the Hat" erasers. Though school is coming to an end, part of our summer curriculum is journaling, so I'm expecting these erasers will be worn down to nubs by the end of summer. Fun!
Shower Steamer
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The last item included in this month's box was a pear scented shower steamer. Charlie has found a fondness of Old Spice lately, so instead of smelling like a little boy, he smells more like a middle aged man. While I would much rather smell that than the 6th grade hallway after gym, I miss the days of Watermelon Wonder! Bringing me back to 7-year-old Charlie, this pear shower steamer is more kid suited and brought back my sweet smelling little boy!
Verdict
Next week is the last week they are accepting AR points for "The End of the Year Reading Party" so you can bet Charlie is reading his little head off! He doesn't even know this yet, but this year instead of an at the school party, they are heading to a local bowling alley for a round of bowling AND a movie! Talk about worth it!! Thanks to beTWEEN the Bookends Early Reader box, Charlie has really been exposed to a variety of genres, and has made HUGE gains in reading. While this box is geared towards girls, he is a pretty go with the flow guy and will give pretty much anything a chance. Loving almost all of this month's bookish goodies, Charlie had a great time going through each item, and found everything included useful. This box is always a surprise, and one that keeps my kids love of reading going strong! Through this subscription we have discovered new authors and brands that we otherwise would have probably missed. If you have a kid that loves reading, or is struggling to find books they enjoy, we highly suggest this box, as it really makes reading fun.
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 June box.
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