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 16-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.)
We are almost a full week into October, and yesterday we had our first killing frost. While my zinnias and dahlias lasted a lot longer than usual, this change of season is hard for me. Gone are the days of t-shirts and sandals, and here are the days of jackets and shoes. One thing I do love about the cooler temps, is cuddling up by our fireplace with a good book, and the kids do too! This month's beTWEEN the Bookends box arrived just in time to help Charlie hit his October reading minute goals. Filled with awesome new books and fun lifestyle items, this box was perfect for hitting those minutes and becoming a more fluent reader. Read below 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 go through the included pamphlet. Describing the month's theme and the contents of every Between the Bookends version, this little book lets us know exactly what the box contains, along with a bookish quote, social media info, and a hint about next month's theme. "A Mask Tells Us More Than A Face." - Oscar Wilde
Sam the Man and the Secret Detective Club Plan by Frances O' Roark Dowell - Retail Value $16.99
Sam Graham loves solving mysteries. After successfully solving the mystery of Annabelle’s lost sock, Sam decides to make mystery-solving his main hobby (after tending the chickens, of course). He recruits his best friend Gavin and a couple of their classmates for a detective club, and together they’re ready for any mystery that comes their way. There’s a problem though…there are are no cases to solve! So, Sam comes up with a plan: They’ll take the most interesting things in the lost and found and try to find out who lost what. But who could a locked box, a very long stuffed snake, and a red jacket belong to? And how will Sam and his friends find them? And…why does that jacket smell so bad?!?
Charlie is nine and loves to read, but it didn't start out that way. We really had to work with him to get to a place where he would enjoy sitting down with a book on his own. Now the kid has one of the highest reading minute goals of the class, and is a fabulous reader! This month's first book choice was a hardcover book, which is always appreciated, and about a second grade boy, which Charlie also appreciated. Though Sam is a couple years younger than him, he still enjoyed this quick read mystery and has been inspired to create his own Detective Club. Yay for reading!
Monster and Boy "The Sister Surprise" by Hannah Barnaby - Retail Value $7.99
Ever since Monster (who sleeps under the bed) and Boy (who sleeps in the bed) met and became best friends, they've learned a lot about each other. So when Monster notices that Boy seems grumpy (Boy's mom has told him he's getting another baby sister), Monster decides to cheer his friend up. Together, they set out on a surprise adventure! But surprise: Boy's sister has tagged along. Together, they learn about how monster babies are born and get their names, before Boy and his sister find yet another surprise waiting for them back home. Told with a warm, cozy voice, Hannah Barnaby's story is brought to life with adorable two-color illustrations by Anoosha Syed. Filled with adventure and humor, Monster and Boy: The Sister Surprise is a perfect chapter book for sharing with kids just aging out of picture books and for newly independent readers.
This book was really cute! Though Charlie can read advanced books, he likes to change it up and will really read just about anything, and always enjoys pictures. This book was a little easy for him reading-wise, but he really liked the storyline and illustrations. This book, like the first inclusion, is part of a series, which is neat, but now Charlie wants a baby sister. 🤣
Skull Pen
To start off the lifestyle picks for this month's "spooky" box, we received this "Nightmare before Christmas" themed pen. This tiny nib pen writes in black ink and has a removable skull on the top. Not only is it cool looking, but it also glows in the dark!!! How cool!!
Monthly Sticker Pack
Charlie loves stickers, and appreciated the cute ghost versions that were included this month. Because Charlie's folders are about decorated to the max, he decided to give me the "latte" version for my laptop and stored the two ghost versions in our sticker folder for future use.
Custom Tapestry
The next item we received is almost 2' X 3' in size! This custom tapestry was designed especially for "Between the Bookends" and features a cartoon character holding a large stack of books in a library. With a really cute design, this has two metal grommets at the top to hang, and has stitching around the entire outside. While Charlie liked this tapestry okay, he doesn't really have room to hang it in his room, so he asked if we can give it to his reading teacher at school to brighten up her walls.
Monster Plush Keychain
This guy totally looks like something out of Monsters Inc. and Charlie was so here for it! Soft and fuzzy with the cutest embroidered face, this little plush does have a fabric fold on the top for keychain hardware, but doesn't actually come with it. Charlie was fine with that, and has been using it more as a fidget, which helps him concentrate in the car when we're listening to audio books. One can never read too much you know!
Ute Halloween Themed Snacks
You can't have a Halloween themed box and not include snacks!! Instead of candy or sugar, we received two packages of Utz snacks, including pretzels and cheese balls. Charlie loves his snacks, so he was excited for these two pouches, and brought them to school the very next day. A great inclusion, for a great box!
Moon Bath Bomb
If you have ever read my reviews, you probably know that Charlie is obsessed with bath bombs. This month he was soooo excited to receive the moon version. Sweet-smelling and pretty, the bath bomb is really detailed and turns the water blue. Creating a white froth, Charlie couldn't wait to try this out, and used it about an hour after opening the box! Definitely a win for this household!
Verdict
beTWEEN the Bookends is a fantastic way to keep kids engaged in reading, and this month Charlie was ecstatic. Not only did he enjoy both book inclusions, but he LOVED the bath bomb, skull pen, and monster plush. While the tapestry wasn't that exciting for him, he did find it a good home, and he also really enjoyed the snacks. This curation and theme was super fun, and helped us get over our fall blues and excited for Halloween. We already can't wait to see what's in store for November!
The beTWEEN the Bookends Gender Neutral box costs $45.00 per month (on a 12-month subscription track), including shipping. Because the books alone are valued at over $30.99, I find the $45.00/month cost extremely 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 November box.
What did you think of the beTWEEN the Bookends gender-neutral box?
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