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.)
January is here, and we’re off to a wonderful reset. While my Christmas decorations are still up and plugged in for ambiance, my mindset has shifted to refresh. Hank is now closer to 8th grade than the start of 7th, and he’s doing so well.
While I don’t go overboard with at-home work, I do supplement with a little extra math, reading, and science to help him stay sharp. This month’s beTWEEN the Bookends box arrived right when Hank was looking for a new book to read. With fresh titles and fun lifestyle items designed to keep him engaged, it was the perfect way to make reading more enjoyable—while also strengthening his 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 Edith Lovejoy Pierce: "The book is called opportunity and the first chapter is New Year's Day." There’s also a fun little hint about next month’s theme—love to read, anyone?
The Problem with Prophecies by Scott Reingten - Retail Value $8.99
Most people inherit eye colors or heirlooms, but for Celia Cleary, the gift of prophecy has been passed down in her family for generations. And on the 4,444th day of her life, Celia will have her first vision. But nothing could have prepared her for what she sees—the quiet boy down the street, Jeffrey Johnson, is about to die. Determined to save him despite her grandmother’s warnings against it, Celia alters events to stop her vision from playing out. But for each prophecy she avoids, another one takes its place, putting Jeffrey in constant danger. Fate has made its choice, and it’s not giving up the hunt. Focusing on homework or friends isn’t easy when you’re going head-to-head with death—and keeping Jeffrey Johnson alive is throwing Celia’s seventh grade year into chaos. It doesn’t help that she’s getting to know Jeffrey more and more with each new rescue attempt. It really doesn’t help when she realizes she kind of likes him. Will Celia’s gifts be enough to thwart fate? Or are some things in life inevitable?
Hank read the back of this book and decided he wasn’t quite ready for it. After experiencing a great deal of loss at the end of 2025—including his aunt and a classmate—reading about a character who has a vision of a young boy who is going to die felt like too much for him right now. Honoring his choice, I decided to read the book myself and really enjoyed it. I’ve set it aside for Hank to read later, if and when he feels ready.
The Thieving Collectors of Fine Children's Books by Adam Perry - Retail Value $9.99
Oliver Nelson has a terrible secret-he's a thief. But he only steals books from the Garden Grove Library that are old, musty, brittle, or incomplete, like his favorite book, The Timekeeper's Children. No one reads anymore, and surely no one will miss them, right? Wrong. The Pribbles are famous inventors of the most popular toy in the world, alternate-reality goggles. They are also book collectors who are searching for The Timekeeper's Children, so the Pribbles hatch a plan. They invite Oliver, the last person to have checked it out, to their mansion and use special software from their goggles to steal the last remaining copy of the book--from inside Oliver's mind. Now, Oliver is thrust into the middle of the story and must help the main characters steal pieces scattered around the fictional world of Dulum to build a magical clock that can turn back time before the evil sorcerer Sigil takes over. They'll encounter hideous giants, bloodsucking bats, vicious eels, a Nasty Rodent Eater, a gang of wicked children, and a strange, dark figure that follows them from chapter to chapter, all the while with the Pribbles in pursuit. Can Oliver save Dulum before Sigil destroys everything? And will he finish The Timekeeper's Children before the Pribbles steal it from his mind?
Hank was really intrigued when he read the back of this book, and he’s been hooked ever since. While he hasn’t finished it yet, he’s quite far along and has really enjoyed the mysterious story. I’m only a few chapters in, and I’m already loving it! A great choice for January, this title truly makes reading fun.
Cluedle: The Case of The Dumpleton Diamond by Hartigan Browne - Retail Value $12.99
Dave the dog has been pup-napped, and in a village like Dumpleton, everyone's a suspect! Do you have what it takes to sniff out clues? Or will you end up barking up the wrong tree? The reader, under the watchful eye of Private Investigator Hartigan Browne, must tackle 50 brain-busting puzzles, each holding a clue to solving the larger mystery. Who pup-napped Dave the dog? What is so important about The Flying Goat? How did the Dumpleton Diamond go missing? And where is it now? Packed full of codes to crack, evidence to evaluate, clues to unravel, and maps to navigate, Cluedle is chockfull of mystery puzzling fun for young readers!
This month, we were gifted three books! The third title was unlike anything we’ve received before—a crack-the-case book filled with fun puzzles. Both of my boys loved working through it and thought it was super fun. I loved this inclusion!
Dry Erase Calendar
The first lifestyle item we received this month was a really cute dry-erase planning board. This weekly planner is about 5.5" x 8" and has space to write the week, month, a quote, daily activities, what you’re reading, and extra notes. Charlie really likes to keep things organized, so this was a win for him.
The only part of the planner he didn’t love was the small writing spaces and the fact that it didn’t come with a dry-erase marker. I only had large Expo markers at home, so we’ve added slim markers to our grocery list so he can start using it regularly.
Monthly Sticker Pack
Hank enjoys stickers, and appreciated the variety this month, especially the reading hedgehog and cute penguin stickers. Perfect for envelopes, these add a fun little twist on some of the mail we send out and look cute on notebook covers!
Custom Spiral Notebook
The next item we received was another useful one. Since Hank is in 7th grade, he has been bringing home more math homework lately, and he’s always looking for scratch paper. Between the Bookends to the rescue! We now have a cute notebook stored next to our pencil holder to save precious time—and frustration.
Gel Pens
I personally love pens, so for me, this inclusion was a win. Hank was hoping for a more gender-neutral outside design, but he still enjoyed using them. While they’re listed as gel pens, they have an extremely small nib and don’t flow like typical gel pens.
Featuring 10 different colors, a few of the tips were loose, but 9 out of the 10 pens worked really well. Hank enjoyed the variety of colors and had fun doodling with them; however, because the tips were so tiny, he didn’t use them for coloring anything in.
Pencil/Art Supply Roll Up
The next item we received was a pencil/art supply roll-up. Here you can see how it works: with more than ten elastic loops to hold supplies, you simply slip your brushes, pens, or pencils inside, roll it up, and tie it shut. While I don’t see Hank using this cute cat design, I think I’m going to claim it for my on-the-go watercolor supplies. We’ll see how it works!
Beaded Bracelet Trio
This item is definitely geared toward girls, so Hank was out. While he appreciates “drip,” this wasn’t the kind he likes. This cute set of bracelets is stretchy and comes in three different color designs. They’re quite large, so they would probably work well as anklets for younger girls. Since Hank didn’t want them, I added them to the prize bin in my classroom, and I just know they’ll be scooped up quickly!
Lotion Bar
The last item we received made both of my boys laugh. Featuring “Monkey Farts” on the lid, it has a tropical scent and glides nicely on the skin. The kids have had super dry skin this winter, so this bar came at the perfect time. With such a funny name, they’re a little more inclined to use lotion, making this a great inclusion.
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, Charlie, 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 "Bookish New Beginnings" theme extremely well. Overall we thought this box was curated nicely and loved the useful items, especially notebook, lotion bar, and pens. We already can't wait to see what's in store for February!
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 $31.97, 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 February box.
What did you think of the Full Size BeTWEEN the Bookends Tween box?
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