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 June 2019 "Time Travel" Review
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This month's theme is "Time Travel" and our box is full of items from different times! This card details some of the items we received in our box.
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Each month they send a little magazine that features an interview with the author. This month they also have a crossword puzzle as well as an interview with one of the vendors for one of our exclusive items. The last page offers information about their photo challenge contest.
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Time Sight by Lynne Jonell - Retail Value $16.99 (found here for $11.72)
Our story begins as Will and his younger brother, Jamie, are being put on a plane to go stay with their aunt in Scotland after their father learns that their mother, who has been away on her own trip, is in danger. Will has to assume the role of the protective big brother as they travel to a place they've never been before to stay with relatives they've never met. Will and his cousin Nan get along just fine and start to bond when Will discovers he has a talent for "time sight" that allows him to see into the past. While he and Nan are just starting to explore what this means, Jamie suddenly shows up and goes through Will's vision traveling to a different time period. In order to bring him home, Will and Nan have to go after him and they find themselves thrust into an unfamiliar world in a time that is very different from their own. Worse yet, they discover that a full year has passed here since Jamie entered this world. This book is filled with fun bits of history and Scottish culture and I found myself enjoying this story as I kept wondering what would happen next. This is definitely a fun read so far and I'm looking forward to seeing how this adventure ties into the mystery around the boys' parents!
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In each box, there is a signed bookplate sticker and a letter from the author. This is such a unique and personal inclusion that I always appreciate!
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Castle Menzies Refrigerator Magnet
As a little extra with our book, we received this fun Castle Menzies refrigerator magnet.
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OwlCrate Jr Time Traveler Merit Badge
This embroidered patch has a fun design with this steaming time traveling machine! This serves as our Time Traveler Merit Badge!
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OwlCrate Jr Exclusive Time-Turner Magnetic Brooch by Juniper and Ivy Designs
This Harry Potter-inspired Time Turner brooch is magnetic and a very unique item! It is made from a nice thick wood piece and features an intricate design with a fairly strong magnetic bar on the back that connects to the magnets on the black bar. It is designed by Juniper and Ivy Designs which is the company featured in our vendor interview this month!
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OwlCrate Jr Exclusive Dinosaur Zipper Pouch
This is my favorite item in the box this month! Although I am pretty sure my 3-year-old son is going to fight me for it since he came in asking "is this for me? or for you?" I love the black background with the bright colors and various dinosaurs in all shapes and sizes, and even directions! It has a soft fabric liner and a nice gold zipper to keep everything inside. I might use this for organization inside my diaper bag - most likely to store the miniature dinos that my son likes to travel with. That way we can both enjoy it! For size reference, it is about the same size as our book this month.
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Professor Noggin's Medieval Times Card Game - Retail Value $9.99 (found here for $7.95)
Medieval times is already a fun topic to explore, but this game also fits in very well with our box theme and our story that takes place near a castle! Subscribers could have received one of three different themes of Professor Noggin's games. This set contains one die and 30 colorful cards each depicting a different theme ranging from knights to crusades to castles.
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The object of this game is to simply draw a card, roll the three-numbered die and then answer the coordinating question on the card. Each card contains a set of easy questions and a set of hard questions. If you answer the question correctly you get to keep the card and if you get it wrong it goes back to the bottom of the stack and you'll get another chance to get that card if only you can remember the answer! The player with the most cards at the end is the winner.
You can play this with 2-8 players and there are a variety of question types including true or false and short answers. This is a great way to learn and have some fun! While my kids are a little young, I think they would probably enjoy watching my husband and I play and "helping" with some answers!
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Time Travel Button
Each box includes a button that fits with the monthly theme, and I love the colors in this month's design!
JULY THEME SPOILER:
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Next month's OwlCrate Jr theme will be "Zodiac Adventure" and it sounds like it might feature some interesting animals!
Verdict: This month's OwlCrate Jr theme of time travel was a fun one! I really enjoyed the book this month and I thought that the items they included were great for supporting our theme. The Professor Noggin game is a fun one and that dinosaur bag is fantastic! I love how many exclusive items they always include and that they work with artists to create such unique designs for each item. As usual, there are a lot of exclusive items, which makes it difficult to get an estimated value, but for just the book and our game, the retail value came to $26.98. With a box cost of $35.98 ($27.99 + $7.99 shipping) that leaves $9 for the rest of the items (magnet, button, badge, brooch, and dinosaur bag) so I feel like the value is definitely there!
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, you will receive the July box.
ACTIVE DEAL: Save 10% off your first order
CODE: JRMSA2021
Value Breakdown: This box costs $27.99 + $7.99 shipping. We received 7 items, meaning each item has an average value of about $5.14.
Check out all of our Owl Crate Reviews and the best subscription boxes for kids!
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