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: $45.00 per month for the gender-neutral box + free US shipping (on a 12-month subscription). Save with longer subscriptions.
This review is of the beTWEEN the Bookends Early Reader gender-neutral 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.)
May is here, and we’re counting down the days to summer vacation! Honestly, it feels like we just kicked off the 2024–2025 school year, and now we’re already nearing the end. That said, the kids are beyond excited for some well-deserved rest, relaxation, and a little extra sleep! While summer is amazing for so many reasons, the “summer slide” is a real concern. Thankfully, this month’s beTWEEN the Bookends box arrived just in time to help Charlie stay sharp with his reading skills—all while keeping things fun and engaging! Packed with exciting books and cool lifestyle items, this box was exactly what he needed to log some reading minutes and continue building his fluency. Keep reading to see what we discovered!
First Impressions
The contents of this box are packaged neatly in turquoise tissue paper and sealed with a sticker featuring clip art of a boy and girl. The anticipation of seeing what's underneath this tissue paper always has us on the edge of our seats. We just can't wait to check it out!
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. "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." - Lao Tzu
Tim Possible & All That Buzz by Axel Maisy - Retail Value $13.99
Tim and Tito and the time-traveling T-Rex named Oskar find themselves in the middle of an insect invasion, with bugs wanting to finally turn the tables—and use super-size fly swatters on humans! With their hometown in total chaos, it is up to Tim and Tito to stand up to the brainiac insects and tell them to bug off!
Charlie is a big fan of the Dog Man books, and this book has a similar style. This silly hardcover was a great fit for a 10-year-old and kept Charlie wanting more. Even though we're heading into summer, daily reading is still part of my boys' chore charts—and my son didn’t even see this book as a chore. It was just plain fun!
Henry Heckelbeck Builds a Robot by Wanda Coven - Retail Value $5.99
In this eighth Henry Heckelbeck adventure, Henry builds a robot that goes haywire! Henry Heckelbeck has to build something for class: a robot! But when Henry uses magic to put the gears together, his robot is a little more than he can handle. With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, the Henry Heckelbeck chapter books are perfect for beginning readers.
Henry Heckelbeck books are a favorite in our house. Even though they’re pretty easy for my son to read, they’re just plain fun! With large font and illustrations, this one only took a little while for him to finish, and he really enjoyed the easy-to-follow format. I’m always happy to get series books that don’t necessarily need to be read in order, so this was a great inclusion for us!
U-Fidget
Charlie absolutely loves fidgets, and this one was fabulous! After a mishap with a liquid-filled fidget landed us at the emergency eye doctor, I was especially happy to receive a safer option. With multiple colors and various ways to manipulate and fold the triangles, you can create tons of fun designs and shapes. It fits easily in a backpack, and it even kept my husband entertained! A definite winner!
Monthly Sticker Pack
Charlie loves stickers, and appreciated the variety this month, especially the cute reading robot inclusion! Perfect for envelopes, these add a fun little twist on some of the mail we send out and look cute one notebook covers!
Custom Moon Enamel Pin
Check out this cute pin! Featuring the moon, stars, and cloud design, this enamel pin is adorable. Made exclusively for beTWEEN the Bookends, this sturdy guy gives me all the 90s vibes. I personally will still rock a pin on my jean jacket occasionally, but Charlie wasn't sold on that idea, so he decided to pin it to his bedroom curtain.
Custom Pin Banner
The next item we received this month is this cute pin banner created by "The Works Custom Gifts." Featuring the quote, "A Book is a Dream That You Hold in Your Hand," and the beTWEEN the Bookend characters, this banner is about 8" wide and hangs from a wooden dowel. Because Charlie has knee walls in his room, there isn't a lot of wall space to hand items such as these, so I nabbed this up to hang up in my classroom. The saying is excellent and will be the perfect addition to my wall near my bookshelf!
Magic Magnets
The next item we received was another perfect fit for Charlie. With his busy little hands, this magnet kit was a fun way for him to play, experiment, and explore. Using different shapes and sizes, Charlie has learned a lot about polarity and what will (or won’t) stick. This month’s curation has been a total hit so far!
Spaceman Light
The last item we received was definitely Charlie's favorite. While he loves fidgets, he enjoys light-up objects even more. This time, we received a small moon light with a sitting astronaut on top. It gives off a warm yellow glow and was the perfect addition to his bedroom nightstand, creating just the right ambiance. So much cooler than a traditional plug-in night light, it provides a gentle glow to keep all the scary shadows away!
Verdict
beTWEEN the Bookends is a fantastic way to keep kids engaged in reading, and this month Charlie was ABSOLUTELY obsessed! Charlie LOVED both book choices this month, and was happy with the variety. The lifestyle items this month were fun and he really has become obsessed with the night light, magnets, and fidget. Overall, this month was great and we are hoping for more fidgets in June!
The beTWEEN the Bookends Gender Neutral box costs $45.00 per month (on a 12-month subscription track), including shipping. The books are valued at $19.98, and there was a great variety of lifestyle items. I find the $45.00/month cost extremely reasonable, as the lifestyle items help shape this box into an entire experience.
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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.
What did you think of the beTWEEN the Bookends gender-neutral box?
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