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 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.)
Next week marks the end of the third quarter, and we’re finally heading into the spring season! Charlie is getting close to finishing his 5th grade year, and time just seems to be flying by faster than ever.
This quarter, Charlie is working on another Book Buzz project, which includes writing a summary of a book and presenting it to his class. This month’s beTWEEN the Bookends box arrived at the perfect time to help him complete his Book Buzz! Packed with fun books and awesome lifestyle items, it’s a great way to support his reading goals—all while having a great time. 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 look through the included pamphlet. It describes the month’s theme and lists the contents of every beTWEEN the Bookends version. This little booklet gives us a clear overview of what’s inside the box, along with a bookish quote, social media information, and a hint about next month’s theme. This month’s quote reads: "To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk." - Thomas Edison
Flamenco to Mischief by Robert Quackenbush - Retail Value $5.99
While on holiday in sunny Spain to attend a flamenco festival, Miss Mallard, the world-famous ducktective, and her nephew Willard Widgeon of the Swiss police become involved with intrigue. A painting by Miss Mallard’s great friend, El Ducko, Spain’s wealthiest artist, is stolen. Miss Mallard goes undercover as a flamenco dancer to “quack” the case.
Charlie loves quick reads, and this one was just that. With fun illustrations and large font, it didn’t take him long to finish, and he really enjoyed the mystery aspect of the story. He was especially entertained by the duck characters and thought it was silly and fun. He really liked this book, but he enjoyed the next one even more!
The Kids in Mrs. Z's Class: Rohan Murthy has a Plan by Rajani LaRocca- Retail Value $6.99
Rohan Murthy dreams of running a successful business—just like his mom, who’s an artist. When Mrs. Z announces that Curiosity Academy needs to raise money for a school garden, Rohan knows it’s the perfect moment to launch his dreams! He'll start a pet care company to help the people of Peppermint Falls look after their dogs, hamsters, fish, snakes, lizards . . . anything but cats. With hard work, some glittery posters, and the help of his friends from Mrs. Z's class, Rohan knows he can do a lot for the school garden. His parents point out just one small problem: Rohan has never taken care of an animal before. Gulp! To get some experience with pets, Rohan volunteers to spend a weekend watching over Honey, the class guinea pig. But Honey appears surprisingly fearful, which makes Rohan nervous too! When his big dreams meet his secret fears, what will Rohan decide? Both sweetly poignant and laugh-out-loud funny, with black-and-white illustrations by Pura Belpré Honor artist Kat Fajardo, Rohan’s story invites readers into Mrs. Z’s class where friendship and fun rule the school, from Newbery Honor-winning author Rajani LaRocca.
Charlie loves books about school, so this one was a hit! Like the previous book, it featured illustrations and an easy-to-read font, which made it even more enjoyable. He loved the storyline, and the class pets, teachers, and gardening themes were all right up his alley. He enjoyed it so much that he chose it for his school “Book Buzz” project. Writing his own summary and presenting it to his class, this was the perfect book to use—and he really had a great time with it.
Fun Gel Squishie
Charlie was absolutely thrilled to receive the first lifestyle item—a fidget! This gumdrop-shaped squishy has an orange peel texture and is filled with a gel-like substance. It was fun to hold and squeeze, and its bright color made it even more appealing. It quickly became a favorite, and he’s hoping more items like this will be included in future boxes.
Monthly Sticker Pack
Charlie loves stickers and really appreciated the variety this month—especially the book stack. Perfect for his reading class notebook, these add a fun touch to his otherwise plain notebooks and show his teachers that he’s eager to learn!
Bookish Sticky Note Set
Post-it notes are definitely some of my favorites, and while Charlie didn’t love this inclusion since he doesn’t use them much, I absolutely did! This is seriously the cutest set. With multiple paper sizes and adorable designs, they’re perfect for lunch box notes and reminders—which I seem to need more and more these days. It was such a fun and practical addition to the box!
"What's Your Story - Custom Wooden Token Game
I love unique treasures, and so does Charlie, so this “What’s Your Story” rock set was perfect! The cute little bag features vinyl letters and includes eight rocks with hand-painted figures. We had a lot of fun doing story time and creating little plays using the rocks. Charlie is incredibly creative, and we laughed nonstop at the stories he came up with. This was definitely a fantastic inclusion!
DIY Bouncy Ball Kit
The last item we received was a bouncy ball-making set. The container included three bags of bouncy powder to create your very own bouncy balls. Charlie loves craft time, and this kit was a fun project to work on. Now we have balls bouncing all over the house! This month’s box truly had a fantastic mix of items!
Verdict
beTWEEN the Bookends is a fantastic way to keep kids excited and engaged in reading, and this month Charlie really enjoyed both book choices this month. He also enjoyed most of the lifestyle items and has used the squishy and bouncy ball kit. Overall, this month was solid, and we loved almost all of the contents! We’re keeping our fingers crossed for more snacks, bath bombs, and fidgets in the April box!
The beTWEEN the Bookends Gender Neutral Box costs $45.00 per month with a 12-month subscription, including shipping. The books are valued at $12.98, and the box included a nice mix of lifestyle items. This month, the $45.00 price felt a bit high since there were only two paperback books, but it seems to balance out over time. It truly offers a full experience—not just a book subscription.
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
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 April box.
What did you think of the beTWEEN the Bookends gender-neutral box?
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