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 17-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 in the full boxes but will have only 3-5 gender neutral lifestyle items.
The Cost: The Full-Sized box is $55 per month + free US shipping ($50.00/mo for the 12-month subscription track) while the Gender Neutral box is $45 per month. Save with longer subscriptions.
This review is of the beTWEEN the Bookends Tween 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.)
November is here, and Hank has officially finished the first quarter of his 7th-grade year. That hard-working boy ended up with a 4.0 GPA, and this mama is proud! This quarter, his Language Arts teacher is emphasizing reading minutes, so this month’s beTWEEN the Bookends box arrived just in time, offering fresh titles to help him reach his goals. Packed with captivating books and fun lifestyle goodies, it was the perfect way to make those reading minutes more enjoyable—while also helping him strengthen his reading skills. Keep reading to see what we discovered!
First Impressions
The contents of this box are packaged neatly in bright pink tissue paper and sealed with a sticker featuring clip art of a pigtail-donning 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
Each month, we receive a beautifully laid-out, color-coordinated pamphlet that describes all the items included in the box. On the back, there’s a featured quote from Les Brown: “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” There’s also a fun little hint about next month’s theme—cozy winter, anyone?!
Ellis Johnson Might be Famous by Shawn Amos - Retail Value $16.99
After the overnight mega success of his dad's cookie store, twelve-year-old Ellis Johnson is on top of the world. He’s met celebrities, strangers stop “the Cookie Kid” on the street, and he’s even headed to NYC to be in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with his dad. Ellis is ready for his star turn, playing harmonica on national television—until his big break turns into the most embarrassing moment of his life. Ellis is sure everyone at home is judging him, and he can barely stand to show his face in school. To make matters worse, his dad is going gaga for a new girlfriend, and DJ Wishbone goes from being pushed out of his radio station ... to taking over Ellis's place in the store. Ellis's only bright spot is the loyal friends who have stayed by his side—and who, along with some new faces, might just be able to help Ellis with a daring plan to get his groove back. This charming, semi-autobiographical novel proves that anything is possible with good music, good friends, loving family, and great cookies.
The beginning of this book really resonated with Hank. The first paragraph talks about how being in 6th grade is already halfway to high school, which is halfway to college, which is halfway to a job. I sometimes have to remind him to slow down and live in the now. This book is a great coming-of-age story, filled with all sorts of relatable situations. Hank enjoyed that it was a hardcover and really liked the main character. While he hasn’t finished it yet, he’s well into the story and has been enjoying its authenticity. A great read so far—he’s thoroughly impressed!
I Represent Sean Rosen by Jeff Baron - Retail Value $6.99
Sean Rosen makes funny videos you can watch online. He also has ideas for movies, TV shows, and games that he knows are good enough to be produced by the biggest studios in Hollywood. The only problem is, he's a kid. And he's busy with school. And he lives far from Los Angeles or New York City. But Sean does have a laptop and a phone, and he's smart. He's about to have the ride of a lifetime as he discovers the ins and outs—and dos and don'ts—of becoming one of the youngest movie moguls the world's ever known. An inventive, original, and hilarious novel that will leave fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Carl Hiaasen, and Louis Sachar eager for Sean's next adventure.
This next book was another good read. A little shorter than the first, this paperback follows a storyline similar to Diary of a Wimpy Kid, which Hank really appreciated. While there weren’t any illustrations, he was able to finish it fairly quickly and mentioned he would read more if it became a series—a pretty darn good sign!
Galaxy Rocks Bubble Gum
The first item we received this month was definitely a favorite! This little pop can–style gum container features a slide-top opening and is filled with small, blue, rock-shaped gum pieces. Bright blue in color, they have a fun blue raspberry flavor and are so enjoyable to chew. While the flavor doesn’t last very long, Hank thought these were great and carried them in his backpack for an after-school treat. We love snacky inclusions like this!
Glowing Space Themed Sphere
The next item we received was a cute little Saturn light-up sphere. It comes with a wooden base and a glass ball. When plugged into a USB port, the light shines through the sphere, making Saturn appear to float inside the glass. Hank loves little light-up items like this, so he was excited to place it in his bedroom as a charming night light.
Exclusive Dreamer Book Sleeve
Hank loves toting his books around, but ends up bending the cover, spilling on the pages, or losing it in his backpack. That all stops with this thick, durable, book sleeve. With a brightly colored pirate and reading illustrations, this sleeve can fit books or tablets, which makes it fit into this digital book theme very well. We don't own a tablet, so books it is! While protecting our current book, this sleeve also looks super cool and is easy to lug around. A great inclusion!
Monthly Sticker Pack
Hank enjoys stickers, and appreciated the variety this month, especially the "Never Stop Reading" sticker. Perfect for envelopes, these add a fun little twist on some of the mail we send out and look cute on notebook covers!
Eye Mask
The next item we received was a fuzzy eye mask. This beautiful little accessory featured a soft, fluffy fabric in pretty blue and purple tones, with a satin pink back. Cozy to wear, it wasn’t something my son wanted—or that I needed—so it became a prize for my school box. I just know the 7th-grade girls will go crazy for this at our next lunch group! These little inclusions are so much fun, even if I don’t use them myself.
Piñata Light Clips
As a teen, I loved everything inflatable and bright, so these little light clips really resonated with my inner teen! Hank thought the llamas were very Fortnite-like but didn’t feel they were necessary for his room. That meant I could bring them to my classroom and use them to display some of my students’ artwork. They require three AA batteries, which was a little frustrating to install, but the lights are super cute and easy to turn on and off. A great inclusion for pre-teens and teens—I absolutely loved these lights!
Bath Bomb
Hank loves bath bombs, so he was thrilled to receive this small version designed for sleep. Made with baking soda, citric acid, corn starch, clay, fragrance oil, polysorbate 80, and glitter, it has a fruity pear scent that creates a relaxing bath experience Hank really enjoyed.
Glowing Stars in Organza Pouch
The last item Hank received was a pouch of glow-in-the-dark stars with sticky tape. These were super popular when I was a teen, and Hank loves them just as much. For now, he has them sitting on his dresser glowing, since I’m a little hesitant to stick the tape to his ceiling due to past experiences. Overall, though, this was a great inclusion that fit the theme perfectly!
Verdict
beTWEEN the Bookends is one of our favorite subscription boxes of all time. This month's box theme featured some useful items that Hank and I really enjoyed. Like I mentioned above, this is the full-sized box which is aimed towards girls, but fits an educator-son duo just fine. The included lifestyle items were a great mix of fun and functional all fitting the "Dream Big with Books" theme extremely well. Overall we thought this box was curated nicely and loved the useful items, especially the bubble gum, night light, light clips, and glowing stars. We already can't wait to see what's in store for December!
The beTWEEN the Bookends Full Size box costs $50.00 per month (on a 12-month subscription track), including shipping. Because the books alone are valued at over $23.98, I find the $50.00/month cost 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 December box.
What did you think of the Full Size BeTWEEN the Bookends Tween box?
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