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 in the full boxes but will have only 3-5 gender neutral lifestyle items.
The Cost: The Full-Sized box is $55 per month + free US shipping ($50.00/mo for the 12-month subscription track) while the Gender Neutral box is $45 per month. Save with longer subscriptions.
This review is of the beTWEEN the Bookends Tween Full Size Box.
This box was sent to us at no cost to review. (Check out our editorial guidelines to learn more about how we review boxes.)
December is here and I am ready for Christmas vacation! It has been a long month, and a reprieve will suit me and my family well! Though we've been busy to the max, there is always time to fit some reading in, and this month's beTWEEN the Bookends showed up in time to keep Hank hitting his daily reading goal. Filled with fun lifestyle items AND two books, this curation was a great way to start off the month and add to our daily reading goals. Read below to find out what December's fun theme included.
First Impressions
The contents of this box are packaged neatly in bright pink tissue paper and sealed with a sticker featuring clip art of a pigtail-donning 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
Each month we receive a pamphlet describing all items included in each box. It is color coordinated and laid out very nicely. Featured on the back is a quote by Aristotle - "To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake it is necessary to stand out in the cold." Also included is a hint about next month's theme - I'm thinking winter fairy tales?!
Nadia Skyline and the Cloudship Rescue by Jeff Seymour - Retail Value $8.99
It takes a very special crew to keep the cloudship Orion running, and no one knows that better than Nadya Skylung, who tends the cloud garden that keeps the ship afloat. When the unthinkable happens and pirates attack, Nadya and the other children aboard--all orphans taken in by the kindhearted Captain Nic--narrowly escape, but the rest of the crew is captured. Alone and far from help, only Nadya and her four brave and loyal friends can take back the Orion and rescue the crew. And she'll risk life and limb to save the only family she's ever known. But . . . this attack was no accident. What exactly are the pirates looking for? Could it be Nadya they've been after all along?
Hank has been getting a little more picky with his book choices lately especially when it involves to large novels. This month's first choice was appealing to him from the get-go as it included mystery and pirates. Since these books are on the longer side, it does take him a little while to progress through, but he said he's really been enjoying it!
The Wolf of Cape Fen by Juliana Brandt - Retail Value $14.99
First Frost has touched Cape Fen, and that means Baron Dire has returned. For as long as anyone can remember, Baron Dire has haunted the town come winter, striking magical bargains and demanding unjust payment in return. The Serling sisters know better than to bargain, lest they find themselves hunted by the Baron's companion, the Wolf. And then the Wolf attacks Eliza's sister Winnie. They manage to escape, but they know the Wolf will be back. Because Winnie would never bargain, so that must mean that someone has struck a deal with Winnie as the price. Eliza refuses to lose her sister and embarks on a journey to save her. If Eliza can learn the truth, she might be able to protect her sister, but the truth behind the bargain could put her own life in danger.
The second book we received also piqued Hank's interest. This hardcover book features a wolf on the cover, and includes some topics about magic. Hank typically likes to read one book at a time, but he did get a chapter into this one and found the storyline appealing and is looking forward to check this out after the first pick!
Gingerbread Houses: A Show-How Guide - Retail Value $6.99
A few months ago, we received a book similar to this that had different varieties of handwriting techniques, tips, and tricks. This particular version is a how-to guide on making gingerbread houses. With recipes for the gingerbread dough and frosting, this gives you 6 different versions of houses to try and is really cute. While I typically buy a kit to put together, maybe one day I will try a real version and see if it sticks together better than the boxed versions.
Monthly Sticker Pack
Hank enjoys stickers, and appreciated the variety this month and loved the Christmas themed decorations. We decided these would be suited well on a few of our Christmas cards so our family can have a bit of extra cheer too. How thoughtful!
Santa Pen
Hank loves fun writing utensils, and this one takes the cake! Featuring a Santa head on the top, this glittery handled pen adds some festive flare to Christmas list writing and is just plain fun to use! A really cool inclusion, Hank has been using this to write stories and doodle at home.
Scarf Bookmark
Bookmarks are utilized a lot in our house and we appreciate ones that just aren't made of paper. This cloth version is designed to look like a scarf and even has pom-poms on the ends! Perfect for any sized book, this marks your page well, but also fits our elf "Sven" perfectly. Versatile and cute, I like that this is such a multi-purpose item.
Snowglobe Bath Bomb
Bath bombs are one of my kiddo's favorite items in whole entire world, so he was thrilled to receive this snow globe shaped one. Creating luxurious, fizzy water, this creates a very relaxing soak before bedtime. Pretty in design, the addition of the blue coloring really adds to this bath fizzy, and Hank loved utilizing this inclusion after a long day of school and basketball practice.
Grow Snow Packets
Like you've seen above, this month's theme is winter wonderland, so packets of snow are extremely fitting for this box. We actually just received 3 inches of snow on top of the few inches we already had, so we wanted to save these for summer. To make this instant snow, all you have to do is add water, and you have snow! Fun in concept, this isn't needed right now, but when June/July rolls around, we will be ready for a snow day!
Wall Climbing Sticky Snowman
The last item we received was this wall climbing sticky snowman. This guy has some extremely sticky hands and feet and really doesn't climb the wall as he's so sticky. My kids both used to have some little blue guys like this and they all ended up getting lost, so he was happy to have another version.
Holiday Sweet Treat
Hank love, love, loves freeze dried candies, and this version was a big hit in our house! While this packet is not very big, there was plenty for Hank to nibble on while he was reading his book. Crunchy but not too hard, this type of candy is crazy good. If you haven't tried freeze dried candy, we highly, highly suggest it!
2025 Calendar
The last item we received was a 2025 desktop calendar. This cardboard calendar features some really cute cartoon characters and shows each day starting with 2024. Hank wasn't into this item as he deemed it a little too "babyish," but my son Charlie loved it! It has now found a permanent home on my son's nightstand and he has been crossing off everyday until Christmas. Cute!!
Verdict
beTWEEN the Bookends is one of our favorite subscription boxes of all time. This month's box theme featured some cute holiday items that Hank really enjoyed. Like I mentioned above, this is the full-sized box which is aimed towards girls, but fits a mother/son duo just fine. The included lifestyle items were a great mix of fun and functional all fitting the "Reading in a Winter Wonderland" theme well. Overall we thought this box was curated nicely and loved the useful items, especially the holiday pen, bath bomb, sticky snowman, and the freeze dried snacks! We already can't wait to see what's in store for January.
The beTWEEN the Bookends Full Size box costs $50.00 per month (on a 12-month subscription track), including shipping. Because the books alone are valued at over $30.97, I find the $50.00/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 January box.
What did you think of the Full Size BeTWEEN the Bookends Tween box?
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