OwlCrate JR is a monthly book subscription box for kids aged 8-12. They send books as well as interesting and educational book related items.
My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About OwlCrate JR
The Subscription Box: OwlCrate JR
The Cost: $27.99 a month + shipping. Save with longer subscriptions.
ACTIVE DEAL: Save 10% off your first order
CODE: JRMSA2021
The Products: You will receive (1) hardcover middle grade book plus assorted gender neutral book-related items.
Ships to: US for $6.99, Canada for $10.59, and International for $19.99
OwlCrate JR November 2018 Review
We received this info card, which gives some information on the items in the box as well as the theme for November: Intergalactic Adventure.
Sanity & Tallulah by Molly Brooks – Retail Value $12.99 (found here for $9.20)
This is the first time I have received a graphic novel from this subscription and I really think this might only be the third or so graphic novel I have ever read! I am so impressed with how authors are able to tell such a complete story using only dialogue and illustrations and this one was a lot of fun. Sanity and Tallulah are best friends who live on a space station where they regularly perform lab experiments and eat food like protein cubes and pie cubes for lunch. Sanity is a junior lab assistant who decided that since domestic pets aren't allowed, she would create her own. She grows herself a kitten, which is no ordinary kitten as it has three heads and eats bioengineered meat that Sanity grows for her. When Tallulah's mom finds out about it, she makes her keep it in the lab and asks her to monitor it constantly, but things get much more complicated when the kitten escapes and starts chewing on various electrical wires around the station causing several system malfunctions. While Sanity wants to find her kitten and protect her, everyone else is trying to locate the kitten so they can destroy her, the question is, who will find her first? This book is an easy read that didn't take me long and I enjoyed the artwork throughout the novel and I'm sure younger readers will too!
In each box, there is a signed bookplate sticker and a letter from the author. I love that this letter is similar to the graphic novel style of the book!
The most recent addition to our boxes is this little mini-zine. It features an interview with the author, a fun comic creation activity, and even an interview with an artist. This is such a great addition to the box, and I love how they not only highlight the author but also interview an artist! As a kid, I would have enjoyed hearing about both.
Sanity & Tallulah Minitarts
This test tube full of minitarts is such a cute treat that I'd consider a bonus item to go along with our featured book!
Pi in the Sky by Wendy Mass - Retail Value $8.99 (found here for $6.98)
I think it's great that they included a second book this month considering the first book was written in a style that most readers might not be familiar with. This story is about Joss, the seventh son of the Supreme Overlord of the Universe, who lives in a place called the Realms. His daily job is to deliver pies, although it is much more important than it sounds considering these pies have a special purpose in supporting the Universe somehow. When someone from Earth catches a glimpse of the Realms, the Powers that Be decide to erase Earth from the time-space continuum; unfortunately, his best friend Kal's parents happened to be on Earth when this happened, meaning that there is no trace of them and soon, no trace of Kal either. In his place is the girl from Earth who caught a glimpse of their world from her telescope, which is completely forbidden, and is what caused all of this mess in the first place. Now Joss needs to use her to figure out a way to rebuild Earth and all of its solar systems to try and bring his friend back and save the girl from disappearing herself. This book is filled with tons of scientific terms and features quotes from "really cool people who know really cool things" ranging from famous philosophers to authors, which will be fun for young readers. It's a unique adventure that is very different in style from our graphic novel, but still ties into the theme and is a fun read that throws you into a very different world than the one we live in.
Crazy Aaron's Mini Hypercolor Thinking Putty in Sunburst - Retail Value $4.61
This little tin of putty is the perfect addition to the box for our Intergalactic theme! This mini tin is a great size to take with you on the go to keep your hands busy and what's even cooler is that the hypercolor turns from orange to yellow as it warms in your hands!
The Ready For Takeoff Puzzle - Buy a 4 piece set for $20.41 (found here for $15.60)
This puzzle has such a fun, classic vibe to it! It looks simple with only four pieces that you have to get into place, but the alien head goes on the bottom and then you have to get the rocket pieces in place over it, so it definitely poses a bit of a challenge! This was so fun and unique and fit right into our space theme.
Space to Dream Pillowcase by Erin Green - Estimated Value $15? (based on the average cost of pillowcases on Etsy and the fact that this was exclusively designed for the box)
I love when they include such useful and exclusive items in the box such as this cotton pillowcase that we received. The front is black and says 'Space to Dream' and features colorful space-themed images illustrated by artist Erin Green while the other side is just plain white. This is a nice pillowcase and I love that it was designed exclusively for this box and its theme! I think the simple color scheme will go well in any bedroom and it definitely makes me feel ready for bed with its nice dark background.
Rocketship Button - Estimated Value $1.00
Each box includes a button that fits with the monthly theme, and this time we received this fun rocket ship design with a great background. I am estimating this on the lower end of what button pins cost on Etsy since OwlCrate Jr. seems to work with a lot of independent artists.
December SPOILER:
Next month's OwlCrate JR theme will be "Let It Snow!" They included the spoiler information in the back of our mini-zine as well as on this separate card. Sounds like next month we will be getting warm and cozy while experiencing a frozen adventure! I can't wait to see what we get!
Verdict: I thought there were a lot of great big-ticket items in our OwlCrate JR box this month! The two toys were so fun and unique and went right along with our space theme, while the exclusive pillowcase and inclusion of an extra book made it feel just a bit more special to me. This was a unique and different them than I am used to with this subscription and the fact that they featured a graphic novel this time provided a completely new reading experience. It was fun that they switched things up and tried something different and I think it's great that they may have introduced some of their regular audience to a new style of writing. I estimate the total retail value of the box to be around $46 and we paid $34.98 ($27.99 + $6.99 shipping) which I think is a great value when we received such fun and exclusive items. Plus that doesn't include the little bonus minitarts!
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, you will start with the December box.
Coupon - Save 10% on your order with code JRCRATEJOY
Value Breakdown: This box costs $27.99 + $6.99 shipping, which means that each of the 6 items in the box (not including the minitarts) has an average cost of $5.83.
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