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A summer without camp is a scary thing for any parent. When our children were younger, my wife and I made a table listing day camps and babysitters for each week of summer vacation to ensure we have enough childcare to help us get to work day and the start of another school year we can both remain employed.
Our kids are now older and a bit more independent, so spreadsheets are no longer necessary, but the prospect of a sleepaway camp this summer is a big problem for all family members. We encourage our children to do so read as a way to deal with times when a friend is not there or a screen is not allowed. And of course for all advantages read offers a young mind – stimulates the brain and imagination, builds empathy, expands vocabulary, yada yada. (As someone who works from home, sometimes the house just has to be quiet, without the guilt involved Grant an extended screen time.)
With our local library Currently closed and chances are good to send our children to the summer camp, we will need books. Many books. In addition to Amazon orders and roadside pickup at our local bookstore, a book subscription could help our kids turn the pages if they’re stuck at home this summer. If you’re facing a similar situation this summer, you’ll find seven book subscriptions for kids here, from board books to novels for young adults.
To be clear, this is all about preservation real paper books to your home. You should opt for contactless delivery and always wash your hands for at least 20 seconds after handling packages (see CDC guidelines here), the risk of infection from such deliveries is considered low. However, if you’re looking for digital equivalents (but with more screen time), take a look Amazon Prime Reading and Kindle Unlimited, Amazon FreeTime Unlimited and free library books through the Libby app.
Continue reading: K-12 online courses and activities to continue school at home during coronavirus
Amazon
Let’s start with Amazon. If you are one Main memberYou can subscribe to Prime Book Box, which delivers curated hardcover books for children up to 12 years old. The first box of books costs $ 16.99, and thereafter $ 19.99 per box. You can sign up to receive a box every two or three months. There are boxes for 0-2 years, 3-5 years, 6-8 years and 9-12 years. The box, which is up to 2 years old, contains four board books, the rest contains two hardcover books. You enter your settings and Amazon sends you a preview of its selection, which you can revise before the box is shipped. Or you can skip the processing step and be surprised when the box arrives.
Bookroo has three age groups for its book clubs: 0-3 years, 2-6 years and 7-10 years. You will receive three board books for the youngest group, two picture books for the middle group and two chapter books for the oldest group. You can sign up to receive alternate board and picture books if you have toddlers of different ages. If you register for two separate subscriptions, you will receive a 15% discount on the second subscription. You can’t preview the books before Bookroo ships them, but it aims to find hidden gems you’ve never heard of. And should you receive a book that you already own, you can get a $ 5 credit if you send Bookroo an image of giving the duplicate to a friend. And the books that Bookroo sends are delivered individually packaged – because which child doesn’t love to open a gift?
Literati
With Literati, you basically lease books with an option to own. For $ 9.95 a month, you get five books a month, but you have to return them after the first week unless you want to buy them for what Amazon is currently charging for them. It’s a fun way to expose your kids to a range of different books without having to buy each one. Literati offers a prepaid return label that allows you to return the books you don’t want to keep for free. Literati chooses a different theme for the books it sends each month and has five age groups: Neo (0-3 years), Sprout (3-5 years), Nova (5-7 years), Sage (7-9 years) ) and Phoenix (9-12 years).
Once upon a time there was a book
This book club feels a little over the top, which makes it a great gift for parents or, even better, grandparents of young adults. For $ 35 (plus $ 10 shipping in the U.S.; you can double shipping for Canadian orders and more for international orders) Once Upon a Book Club sends a new title for young adults and adults more judges – along with three to five individually wrapped gifts, each of which corresponds to a page number in the books. Your YA reader needs to exercise some self-discipline as the gifts act as spoilers if opened before reaching the specified page in the book. Also included is a 5 x 7 inch printout of a quote from the book, discussion questions and follow-up appointments for online live discussions.
BookCase.Club is one of the cheaper book subscriptions for just $ 10 a month. It has ages 0-2, 2-4, 5-6, 7-8 and teenagers, and you can choose a box for boys or girls. You will receive three books per month, which are a mixture of task books and picture or chapter books. There is also a Teenage Dream Club that offers two YA novels every month. With code you get 20% discount on your first order STAYINGSAFE2020.
Book box for equal opportunities
This book subscription service is just beginning and does two admirable things: it contains books with different characters – each selected book contains at least one color character – and donates a book for every book sold. You will receive three picture books for children between the ages of one and six per month. And it donates books to Bernie’s Book Bank, an organization that gives free books to underprivileged children in Chicago. Each box from the Equal Opportunity Book Box contains an information sheet about the books of the month and an educational drawing activity. It costs more per month than most book clubs, but every box you receive means that three books will be donated to needy children.
There are many book subscriptions at Cratejoy for both children and young adults. Children’s book boxes cost between $ 14 and $ 31 a month and offer everything from blackboard and picture books to science and art activity books. For YA, there is a mix of new and used book clubs that only cost $ 6 a month.
Paper books not your thing? Here are some resources for e-readers
Originally published May 4, 2020.