Category: Book Club Subscriptions

The love of reading continues as we sampled yet another book club, Jambo.  Let me tell you that this book club for kids did NOT disappoint.  We received two high quality books that we thoroughly enjoyed, and we are very excited to add them to our bookshelf!  Read on for more great information on the sampling of book clubs for kids – round 3!

Jambo Book Club ~

Jambo Books offers you the opportunity to add fun multicultural children’s books to your home library.  I believe many of us get stuck in the rut of buying books that match our own personal culture.  This subscription sends you two beautifully illustrated books each month that helps teach children that all people are equal even though we all look different.

Books Included In Our Subscription ~

When Grandma Gives You A Lemon Tree ~

This delightful story teaches kids that sometimes the most unexpected gifts bring the most joy.  A birthday list is made, however, Grandma brings a gift that is NOT on the list!  “What?  Didn’t she know what I wanted?  My list was everything electronic….not a lemon tree!”  We soon realize that this is a gift that keeps on giving in so many ways!

Bob, Not Bob!

When children are sick, they just want their mom (or dad) for comfort more than anything else.  However, when your voice gets congested, calling for mom can sound like so many other things.  This book is fun to read with all the funny antics that arise when your voice doesn’t sound quite like itself!

Both of our stories depicted children of color in everyday situations.  What a great way to help children realize that while they may have physical differences, their every day activities are the same.

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Reading should NOT be a “chore” for kids!  Instead, books should open up a world of adventure.  When reading, your child may sail the ocean and dig treasures with those pesky pirates.  Perhaps they will dress in fancy dresses and dine on french pastries with Fancy Nancy.  Maybe they prefer to dress in scuba gear and do some deep sea diving to discover all of the unusual fish and corals.  How else can children do so many things in one day, one week, one summer?  It’s looking like we need to look into summer bookworm programs for kids!

Summer reading programs not only entice children to keep reading, but they offer different awards for their achievements.  While we may not want to admit it, everyone has discovered that bribery is a great motivator for kids.  Ok, maybe it’s not bribery, but it is a great way of rewarding them for setting goals and reaching them.  I’ve compiled a list of programs…and what’s even better is that they are free!

 Wait a minute….did you say FREE????

Types of Summer Bookworm Programs for Kids ~

Pizza Hut’s Book-It Program ~

It’s super easy to sign up for this fun program.  Set reading goals and once reached head on over to Pizza Hut for some FREE pizza!  Click here for easy access to register for the Pizza Hut Summer Reading Program…..  You will have 3 options to register:

1. Homeschool parent for kids ages 4 to 12
2. Enroll classs from PreK to 6th grade for public, private or charter school
3. Parent of student(s) grades PreK to 6th

Once you are registered, there is a plethora of free resources such as activities, printables and reading trackers.  Seriously, this program is amazing and this Mimi thinks you would be crazy to not take advantage of all the stuff they have to offer.  We are all signed up in our family and just waiting for June 1 to roll around so we can get started!

Public Library Program ~

There are so many wonderful things about this program that has been around for…ever!  Let’s put it this way, I’m a Mimi and I enrolled my kids in this program every year when they were young.  You do the math!  😳

The INDYPL program is open to any resdient of Marion County and once again it is FREE!  (If you live outside of Indiana, be sure to look up fun programs at your local library!)  It runs from June 7, 2021 to July 31, 2021 and they provide 3 easy ways to register and track reading time of kids AND adults.  Yes, I said adults!  They offer special offerings for us big kids too!  How awesome is that?  Here are the options for registering:

1. Create an account on Beanstack through the Apple App or Google Play Store
2. Use the Beanstack website to register.  The link to Beanstack is right here….what are you waiting for?
3. Sign up at your local IndyPL branch

Once you are registered for this summer bookworm program for kids (& adults), start reading and tracking the time of books read.  Older kids and adults who read to younger kids get credit for those minutes to.  The library even provides a colorful tracker that you can pick up at the library or download for free and print yourself.  They are offering a fun Discovery Bag…go check them out to learn more!

Barnes & Noble Program ~

Kids in grades 1 through 6 enroll in this program to earn free books!  A total of eight books need to be read to complete this awesome program.  The books can be borrowed or purchased.  Once they have finished reading each book, they are asked to write about their favorite part in the Reading Journal that Barnes & Noble provides.  Bring the completed journal into Barnes & Noble between July 1 and August 31, 2021 to choose a free book from the list provided.  Here is a convenient link to Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Program!

Scholastic Summer Reading Program ~

Get started with this super exciting program by registering with Home Base.  Here is an easy link to the Home Base page for Scholastic!  I will say that it took me a few minutes to move around the Scholastic website to completely understand their program…but it is going to be so worth it.  I highly suggest you watch the short informative videos.  Once your child has registered with a fun avatar name he/she will be ready to go.

This program has really been updated to coincide with how our children learn today.  They can add to their own personal avatar by reading more books…I truly believe the kids will LOVE this program.  An added incentive is all of the fun games and reading they can do on site and watch their characters come to life.  I seriously think this is going to be an excellent reading source this summer!

Other Summer Programs ~

While researching all of these fun options, I have come across several others that I am still waiting to see if they are going to do a summer program this year.  They may or may not be available in your area, but if you are familiar with them, check them out.  I was surprised to see a bank offers a program for the kids.  This particular bank doesn’t exist in my area, but it helped me to realize I should check out others around me to see if they too have something available.  A list is provided for you so that you can look into them as well:

• Books-A-Million
• Tails & Tales
• TD Bank
• Lifeway
• Half Price Books
• Chuck E Cheese
• H-E-Buddy
• Amazon

I am sure there are many more than what I have shared, so now that you know there are so many options available, I hope you will check out some of the programs I have written about or look into what is available in your community.

What I have also discovered from my research is that summer bookworm programs for kids have gone above and beyond from when my kids were young.  Not only are they offering incentives for reading, but they now also offer so many other amazing resources.  They have done a lot of the legwork to make reading fun for your kids….so take advantage of all the FREE resources they are offering!

Happy reading!

Mimi

If you have been following me, you have read my posts about Owl Post Books.  This has been my first experience in participating in a book club for my grandchildren.  We have thoroughly enjoyed it!  The mystery of discovering what new books and crafts are inside are fun for kids and adults alike.  So a thought hit me…let’s give other subscription boxes a try to see which one we like best.  The idea of sampling book clubs for kids was born and we are ready to embark upon this journey!

As I sample each club, I will update this post to give an honest review…from a Mimi point of view as well as from an Addi & Max point of view.  I hope as we try each one you can all decide which one you may want to try.  As always, if you have tried one or more out, PLEASE let me know in the comments at the bottom of this post.

Book Clubs for Kids ~

Owl Post Books ~

Let’s start with the box ~ even the box is a fun part of this subscription.  Each month is a different theme and the images are very detailed allowing for a fun coloring experience.  Look at this month’s cute animal theme…and it is on front and back of the box.  Of course, this box can also be used as a fun storage device as well!

There are two options to choose from when starting in this fun club.

• Reader’s Imagination Mini ~ This one features one specially selected book and craft each month for $14.99
• Reader’s Imagination Box ~ This one features 3 specially selected books and one craft each month for $32.99

It also breaks down into different age groups.

• Ages 0-3
• Ages 4-7
• Ages 8-11

Click here to check out their website➡➡ Owl Post Books.  Depending on when  you go to their website, you may see an option for Young Adult (YA), however, this option is being discontinued.

Overall, our experience with Owl Post Books has been a very good one.  In fact, Addi just recently realized that we did this month’s craft without her and was NOT happy with Mimi.  The book choices have been loved by both kids and they have lots of fun coloring the box.  We highly recommend this monthly book club.

I have shared some earlier reviews of Owl Post Books here:  Read more about the fun we have had with Owl Post Books by clicking here!

They offer 10% off for teachers and you can cancel at any time.  Please check their FAQ page for details.

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What is not to love about a monthly subscription box?  I remember as a kid my mom would order different monthly magazines for me.  Excitement was high on the days those magazines hit the mailbox.  Memories of running into the house with my coveted treasure still makes me smile.  I would head straight to my bedroom to explore what this month’s book had in store for me.  Fast forward to the 21st century.  NOW, we have BOXES!  Boxes filled with all sorts of treasures and surprises!  Oh, how I have fallen in love with the children’s book club subscription from Owl Post Books!!!

Let’s face it…we love to spoil our children and grandchildren.  Nothing makes me happier than to see the faces of my grandchildren with a smile plastered across their eager faces.  They jump around and ask, “Can we open it now, Mimi?”   I truly love it as much as they do!  Not only do they love the books, but they have already become accustomed to the idea that a craft is included as well.  Th  Everything is all right there in one cute little box without having to prepare a special activity.

October Books ~

This month’s books included:

• I Love You Little Pookie ~ This is a delightful book that teaches love.  It offers many opportunities for kids to hear the words “I love you.”
• The Itsy Bitsy Duckling ~ I love singing this book to the tune of Itsy Bitsy Spider – the kids love this.
• Halloween Peek-A-Boo ~ This was our favorite this month.  Each page has a “spooky” Halloween character.  They challenge the child to mimic their “frightening” look in the provided mirror.  Many belly laughs were shared while each child tried this!

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Reading is magical.  It sweeps you up and whisks you away to far away places, finds you in the middle of an exciting event, engages you with new lifestyles of people all around the world!  I could go on and on about the wondrous places you find yourself when you throw yourself into a good book.  Introducing young children to this magical wonder is critical in helping  them to understand the joy of reading throughout their life.

Add in the excitement of getting to run out to the mailbox monthly and open it up to find a package just for them…priceless!  We have discovered this great monthly book club, Owl Post Books, that caters to the age of your child.  There are different options available:

• Book of the Month Club
• Imagination Box Subscription
• Young Adult Writer’s Subscription

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