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.)
July is here, and with it, an entire month of summer vacation is gone! While I am sad it's going by so fast, I am happy to say we have experienced so many fun things so far, and are much more relaxed and refreshed. Because I worry about the "summer slide" I was excited to see this month's beTWEEN the Bookends arrive, and couldn't wait to see what kind of books and lifestyle items it would contain. Read below to find out what this month'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 Jeanette Walls - "One benefit of summer was that each day we had more light to read by." Also included is a hint about next month's theme - I'm thinking adventure?!
Al Capone Throws me a Curve by Gennifer Choldenko - Retail Value $7.99
Moose Flanagan lives on a famous island in California: Alcatraz, home to some of the most dangerous prisoners in the United States in the 1930s. It's the summer before he starts high school, and Moose is going to play a lot of baseball and win a spot on the high school team. But he still needs to watch his special older sister, Natalie--and then the warden asks Moose to look after his two-faced, danger-loving daughter, Piper. In the cell house there are rumors that the cons will go on strike, and that Moose's father might step up to a new job. Moose is worried: What will this mean for their family, especially for Natalie, who's had some scary run-ins with prisoners? Then the unthinkable happens: Natalie winds up someplace she should never, ever go. And Moose has to rescue her.
Hank is obsessed with baseball, so when he saw this month's cover, he was thrilled. He generally likes non-fiction books when it come to his favorite sport, but was definitely willing to try this out, and he was so glad that he did. Packed with mystery, this is a fast-paced book that kept Hank interested. While not dealing with as much baseball as he thought, he really enjoyed the danger included in this book, but was bummed to find out this is the 4th book in a series. Does he go back and read the other 3, or no? Decisions, decisions.
Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence by Sonja Thomas - Retail Value $17.99
Twelve-year-old Mira’s summer is looking pretty bleak. Her best friend Thomas just moved a billion and one miles away from Florida to Washington, D.C. Her dad is job searching and he’s been super down lately. Her phone screen cracked after a home science experiment gone wrong. And of all people who could have moved into Thomas’ old house down the street, Mira gets stuck with Tamika Smith, her know-it-all nemesis who’s kept Mira in second place at the school science fair four years running. Mira’s beloved cat, Sir Fig Newton, has been the most stable thing in her life lately, but now he seems off, too. With her phone gone and no internet over the weekend at her strict Gran’s house, Mira must research Fig’s symptoms the old-fashioned way: at the library. She determines that he has “the silent cat killer” diabetes. A visit to the vet confirms her diagnosis, but that one appointment stretched family funds to the limit—they’ll never be able to afford cat insulin shots. When Mira’s parents tell her they may have to give Fig up to people who can afford his treatment, Mira insists she can earn the $2,000 needed within a month. Armed with ingenuity, determination, and one surprising ally, can Mira save her best (four-legged) friend before it’s too late?
We love hardcover books, so this second inclusion was exciting to receive. The title had us guessing, but Hank seemed somewhat intrigued by the summary. I think I was more interested, because it hit pretty close to home with the pet having diabetes. While Hank hasn't finished this title yet, he did mention he liked the science facts that were packed into the first few chapters, along with the everyday troubles all kids seem to go through. So far, it's a good read, and one I'm excited to finish myself.
Cotton Candy Slime
Slime is a staple in our house, but the version we have is quite messy and needs a little bit of clean up afterwards. This cotton candy version is soft and fluffy and doesn't require clean up, so it was a perfect inclusion! A pretty blue, the packaging states this is scented like blueberry, and it sort of does, but not heavily. Stretchy and fun, this is a great fidget and keeps small hands occupied in an easy way. Yay!
Monthly Sticker Pack
Hank always enjoys stickers, and this month's versions were really bright and happy. With fun colors and great design, these were great for adding to our sticker collection! Useful for decorating folders and pencils boxes, you can never have too many stickers!
Fun in the Sun Eraser Wheel
While Hank doesn't enjoy scented items as much as his brother, he did enjoy this scented eraser wheel. With small sized compartments filled with trapezoid shaped erasers, each one has a coordinating smell. While a few of the fruity versions smelled the same, we could really pick out the hot dog one, and thought it was hilarious. Doubling as a keychain, this will be very entertaining to have in his 6th grade pencil box, and I'm sure his buddies will love it as much as he does.
Watermelon Hand Painted Earrings
Because this box is geared towards girls, it does include some girly items. When we signed up to review, Hank was 100% okay with sharing this box with me, and because I am a 12 year old girl at heart, I love the small girly things included. This month we received a pair of hand painted, wooden, watermelon slice earrings, and I 100% love them! Tiny and absolutely adorable, they matched my pink dress perfectly! What a fun treat!
Mermaid Body Mist
Again, Hank passed on the mermaid mist to me, but did have to try it out to see how it smelled. Scented like cotton candy, though in the most understated way, this small shop mist was a great addition to this month's box. Pretty in pink, this is totally something 12 year-old Becca would have taken stock in, and I admittedly spritz it on my arms every now and then for some nostalgia.
Smiley Face Socks
I thought for sure Hank would like these socks, but because they are short ones, it was a hard pass. (Apparently crew socks are where it's at for these Gen Zers) Don't think they went to waste though - Charlie, my 9 year-old, loved these smiley face socks and scooped them right up. He doesn't follow trends, and wears items based on comfort and his likes, so these were perfect. For reference, Charlie wears a size 5 shoe, and they fit him perfectly, while I wear a size 10, and these were snug, so they do run a little small.
Watermelon Drink Innertube
While some of the lifestyle items just weren't designed for Hank, he did love this watermelon inner tube drink floaty. Fitting a pop or bottled water perfectly, this guy floats around the pool while you rest and relax. Because we haven't set up our pool yet because of the cold, rainy weather, we haven't gotten to try it there, but Hank did give it a spin in the tub, and it yielded great results!
Mermaid Tail Bath Bomb
The last item we received was Hank's favorite lifestyle item. Both of my kids love bath bombs, and this mermaid tail version was great. Scented like sun and coconut, this created a frothy tub that was ultra relaxing. Charlie tried bribing Hank to give it to him, but Hank wasn't giving it up. We will take all the bath bombs, please!
Verdict
beTWEEN the Bookends is one of our favorite subscription boxes of all time, and this month Hank really enjoyed both book inclusions. Like I mentioned above, this is the full-sized box which is aimed towards girls, but fit a mother/son duo just fine. The included lifestyle items were a great mix of self care and fun, and all fit the monthly theme well. Overall we thought this box was curated nicely and loved the bath bomb! We already can't wait to see what's in store for August!
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 $25.98, 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 August box.
What did you think of the Full Size BeTWEEN the Bookends Tween box?
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