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 16-year-old creator. Full-sized 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 as the full-sized boxes but will have only 3-5 gender neutral lifestyle items.
The Cost: $55.00 per month for the full-sized box + free US shipping (on a 12-month subscription). Save with longer subscriptions.
This review is of the beTWEEN the Bookends Early Reader full-sized 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.)
It is officially spring, and the temps are starting to warm up! With baseball season on the horizon, we are busier than ever, but always in the mood for a good book. With about eight weeks left of school, Charlie is on a mission to beat his brother's AR score, so this month's beTWEEN the Bookends box arrived at the perfect time! Filled with awesome new books and fun lifestyle items, this box was perfect for reaching those goals, and becoming a more fluent reader. Read below to see what we discovered.
First Impressions
As the full-sized 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
To start off the box, we go through the included pamphlet. Describing the month's theme and the contents of every Between the Bookends version, this little book lets us know exactly what the box contains, along with a bookish quote, social media info, and a hint about next month's theme. "The world is but a canvas to the imagination." - Henry David Thoreau
The Investigators: Heist and Seek by John Patrick Green - Retail Value $10.99
When rare paintings go missing, the InvestiGators are called on the scene...the ART SCENE! Mango and Brash go undercover and under canvas as internationally renowned painters to expose a crook who has truly mastered the art of CRIME! Can they recover the missing masterpieces and save the city art museum’s fundraising gala before it's too late...and they run out of appetizers? Find out in this latest pièce de résistance of action-packed illustrated fun.
Charlie was really excited to see this book included in this month's box. I had hardly even finished taking the photos when he took off with it to read. While he loves a variety of books, graphic novels are some of his favorite, and because he has finished off a few of his most beloved series, is on the hunt for the next best thing, and here it is! With action, fun illustrations, and a great story line, he gobbled up this book in no time, and earned 1 AR point to top it off.
Wish Library "Together Forever" by Christine Evans - Retail Value $5.99
Luca is still Raven's best friend. But after he made a wish from the Wish Library without her, she is definitely not going to team up with him for the upcoming talent show. Despite her grudge, something keeps bringing them together―something almost…magical. Luca is the only other person who knows about the Wish Library, and he promises he didn’t make another wish without her. But if he didn’t, who did?
This is another new series Charlie hasn't had experience with. The third book in the series, this features two best friends, and a little magic. While Charlie hasn't finished this book yet, it has so far been a great short novel with an intriguing story line. He's been going through it pretty fast, and was hoping for an AR quiz, but no such luck with this one. Overall, he has rated it "decent" (which in Charlie's terms means good) and should be finishing it up within the next day or two.
Custom Book Sleeve
Book sleeves are so much fun, and are such a useful item. If you read a lot like my kids do, they tend to throw their books in their backpacks, or bring them in the car, which tatters the pages. To help protect your materials while looking extra professional, these book sleeves fit a variety of sizes of books and keep them extra safe. This version was deemed "too girly" for Charlie, so I scooped it up for my current book. Measuring 11" X 8," it features extra padding and does a great job at keeping books in tip top shape.
Monthly Sticker Pack
Charlie loves stickers, and this month's pack fit the "Story Telling" bill perfectly. While he doesn't generally enjoy the stickers with quotes on them, he loves the clip art ones, and added the book tree sticker to his lap top. You can never go wrong with stickers!
Mini Wall Hanging
This month's mini wall hanging was probably my favorite. Featuring the quote: "Count your rainbows, not your thunder storms," this quote is incredibly true and a great reminder for the blessings we are bestowed each day. Charlie hung this on his dresser knob, and it is a great quote for a positive mindset.
DIY "Bookworm Bracelet"
While the book sleeve was deemed "too girly" for Charlie, he love, love, loved this "Bookworm" bracelet. Even with the pink and pearl beads, he whipped this up and wore it to school. Taking only about 10 minutes to create, this was a fun little project that was customizable and cute, all while enforcing the "coolness" of reading!
Mini Notebook Duo
Charlie loves jotting down notes and ideas, so mini notebooks are a must have in our house. This month we received a set of two that feature characters with animals and flowers. Housing lined paper, these notebooks are small enough to haul in a backpack or purse, and are great for creating lists and notes. While Charlie took one, I tossed one in my purse, as I always seem to be in the need of scratch paper. A great inclusion for a "story telling" theme, this is a place where one could start their own stories!
TonyMoly Aloe Face Mask
Charlie thinks face masks are creepy, so he happily gave me this TonyMoly sheet mask, and I was 100% thankful! Created with aloe, this mask is extremely moisturizing and a great way to elicit a little self-care into my daily grind.
Push Stick Eraser
Charlie has really become a good little story writer, but with that is an unending need for erasers. This month we received a push stick eraser, and it works great to edit those first drafts. Featuring a clicker on the top, and an extra eraser, we should be able to go the rest of the school year without buying anymore. Yay!
Mystery Click Pen
The last item we received was a mystery click pen. The version we received features fluffy cloud rabbits and is light blue. With fluid ink, this pen writes really nicely, and may or may not have been swiped for my new checkbook pen!
Verdict
At our school, April is the month for "Poetry and Punch." This event has kids K-6 choose poems to practice and perform in front of the entire community. Charlie read through dozens of poems before finally settling on the perfect one to perform, and he ended up placing 3rd out of about 50 students in his grade! Because of his love for reading, the beTWEEN the Bookends Early Reader box has really helped expose him to genres he might not otherwise choose on his own, and the lifestyle items help make everything more fun. This month both book choices were spot on, and while he didn't love the book sleeve, it made for a great gift for me! If you have a kid that loves reading, or is struggling to find books they enjoy, we highly suggest this box, as it makes reading enjoyable and fun.
The beTWEEN the Bookends Early Reader full-sized box costs $55.00 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 $5.50 a piece. Because of the thoughtful curation, fun theme, and enjoyable products, I feel the $55.00 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 May box.
What did you think of the beTWEEN the Bookends full-sized box?
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