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.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (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 $7.99, Canada for $10.59, and International for $19.99
OwlCrate JR April 2019 "Crack the Code" Review
This month, OwlCrate JR rolled out a new look for their boxes. I love the new design, especially how bright the inside is! It definitely feels more youthful and fun.
This month our theme is "Crack the Code" and our box was chock full of riddles, mysteries, and more!
This month our magazine features an interview with our book author as well as an interview with an artist who designed one of our items this month. The last page features information about their photo challenge contest.
Greystone Secrets #1: The Strangers by Margaret Peterson Haddix - Retail Value $17.99 (found here for $14.39)
Our story this month involves a set of siblings who live a normal happy life until one day some strange things start happening. First, they see a news story about three siblings in another state that have been kidnapped and while that might sound ordinary, the three kids all have the same first names AND birthdates as the Greystone kids. At first, this merely seems coincidental, but soon after, their mother claims to be leaving on a work trip where she won't be able to communicate with them. She leaves them in the care of a woman they barely know and her daughter, but what is really strange is that their mom left her cell phone, home computer, and work computer behind. The Greystone kids know that something isn't right and they set about trying to figure out what that is. This book is fun and exciting and definitely one that I would have enjoyed as a young reader. It looks like it is part of a series, too!
In each box, there is a signed bookplate sticker and a letter from the author. This month we even received a set of riddles and word puzzles which I thought was fun and something I remember really enjoying as a kid. The author even encrypted part of her message to us so that we had to figure it out.
OwlCrate Jr. Cipher Wheel
We also received this fun cipher wheel along with a little brad to put it together with.
The instructions to put this together were inside our magazine and we just needed scissors from home to cut out our circles before assembling them. Then we held them together with the brad, and now we are ready to create secret messages using our own code!
100 Logic Puzzles by Usborne Activities - MSRP $5.99 (found here for $5.94)
I really loved logic puzzles when I was younger so I think this book is fantastic. There are 100 different logic puzzles inside, some harder than others, and they will definitely make for a fun challenge!
The pages feature bright colors and a variety of puzzles and games ranging from Sudoku to simple patterns to some tricky logic puzzles.
Kanoodle Game by Educational Insights - Retail Value $12.99 (found here for $9.99)
I love that they included a game in the box! This one is pretty unique and compact which is nice!
The box opens to reveal several miniature balls in different colors that are connected into various shapes.
The included booklet provides many different puzzles to try. There are several different levels of difficulty ranging from Pro (Easy) to Genius (Advanced). Since the pieces only fit together certain ways, it is actually pretty difficult to get them to fit back into their box, which is the goal.
Once you have mastered the 2D puzzles, you can move on to the 3D puzzles which involve building pyramids with the pieces. I feel like this game would be a great one to keep in your purse and break out at a restaurant while you're waiting on a meal! You could work on it as a group and have some fun trying to solve it together.
A Wrinkle in Time Bookmark by Hey Atlas - Estimated Value $5 (Based on similar bookmarks in their shop)
This bookmark is really pretty and features a quote from A Wrinkle in Time. I love the way the bright colors pop against the black background!
OwlCrate Jr. Notebook
The next items we received is this notebook designed by Alex Clauss who is the artist featured in our magazine this month. The pages inside are lined and perfect for keeping track of any secret codes you might come across!
Clue Button - Estimated Value $1?
Each box includes a button that fits with the monthly theme, and I love this one with the mysterious symbols and magnifying glass!
MAY THEME SPOILER:
Next month's OwlCrate JR theme will be "Rebels & Rule Breakers" and it sounds like it will be a great read!
Verdict: I really enjoyed the theme for our OwlCrate JR box this month! It seems like the OwlCrate team had a lot of fun with it too, and I love that they aren't afraid to go above and beyond and include some extras that just make it plain fun like the page of riddles and the cipher wheel. I also thought there was a good mix of both exclusive and great retail items that all went so well with our theme. Since there were several exclusive items this month, the total value is hard to estimate, but the value of just our two books and the Kanoodle game comes to $36.97 which already exceeds the $35.98 ($27.99 + $7.99 shipping) cost of the box. I think it's safe to say this month was a great value and a fantastic curation!
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, you will receive the May box.
Coupon - Save 10% on your order with code JRCRATEJOY
Value Breakdown: This box costs $27.99 + $7.99 shipping and we received 6 items (not including the cipher wheel) which means each item has an average value of about $6.
Check out all of our Owl Crate Reviews and the best subscription boxes for kids!
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