Tag: November 2020

Brave Girls Book Club – NEW Subscription Box – November 2020

I subscribe to the monthly Books that Matter feminist book box (you can see my review of the November box here) so I was on the mailing list when they were looking to launch the Brave Girls Book Club, a similar offering for girls.

My daughter is 10 and not the keenest reader, so I thought it would be worth a shot.

The first box arrived this week and my daughter got to it first so there are no nice unboxing photos… The wrapping is the same as the Books that Matter box anyway so let’s go straight to the contents!

The November Box

The theme for the box was ‘Girls Who Read, Lead’ and the contents of the box were:

Not pictured – the sweets or keyring
  • ‘When Life Gives You Mangoes’ by Kereen Getten
  • A reading journal
  • Two ‘This Girl is Mighty’ pencils
  • A bag of strawberry sweets (long since gone…)
  • A collectible patch (there will be one to collect each month)
  • A bookmark with quotations from Roald Dahl’s ‘Matilda’ on
  • A ‘Brave Girl’ keyring
  • A ‘Girls Who Read, Lead’ booklet/activity pack
The keyring

My Review

The book looks excellent – it is one that I wouldn’t have thought of to buy my daughter (I hadn’t heard of it) but she likes the look of it. Whether she actually reads it will be the true test!

The pencils are really nice and are already in use, as is the keyring which has been attached to my daughter’s school bag. The bookmark is nice and the sweets were very much appreciated in the three seconds they were in the house!

The patch is cute, but I’m not sure what we will do with it – I think attaching it to something will involve sewing which is very unlikely to happen! I think a pin badge would have been better and more likely to get some use.

The activity booklet is quite thin but I think my daughter will like the wordsearch and might do some of the other activities. Time will tell if she uses the reading journal but I am ever the optimist!

My Verdict

I think this is a lovely box for girls aged between about 9 and 12 – the book looks a good reading age for my daughter and it is nice to have a story that is both diverse and has positive messages about friendship.

The other items in the box were well chosen, good quality and I think this box is reasonable value.

We’ll certainly be giving the December box a go!

Books that Matter – Subscription Box – November Review

I’m always keeping an eye on subscription options – this month, I’ve been debating the Orenda Books subscription from Bert’s Books because I’ve heard such great things about that publisher.

However, for now, I’m with Books that Matter, the feminist subscription box- this is my 7th month with them and I’ve also signed up for the brand new Brave Girls’ Book Club subscription box for my daughter which I’ll review when it arrives.

Spoilers ahead, for those of you who haven’t received your box yet…proceed with caution!

The November ‘Books that Matter’ box:

Hallelujah! They’ve changed the packaging! Instead of getting a crumpled box, I got this smarter, tougher one. It’s only a little thing, but it already made me feel better about this box!

Opening the box is the usual lovely experience – everything is wrapped and placed beautifully and the contents looked great. This month’s offering is very brightly-coloured and themed around the topic of ‘Hear Her’, using your voice to achieve what you want.

The contents of the box were:

  • ‘The Inland Sea’ by Madeleine Watts
  • ‘No One is too Small to Make a Difference’ by Greta Thunberg
  • A ‘She is Fierce’ plain notebook
  • A floral face mask
  • 3 feminist postcards
  • A bookmark
  • The ‘Hear Her’ booklet

My Review:

It’s another lovely selection from the team at ‘Books that Matter’.

I love the fact this is a 2-book month as this isn’t the norm. I’m intrigued by ‘The Inland Sea’ as I hadn’t heard of it and I like the fact it has a historical dimension, plus the Greta Thunberg book is one that I have felt I should read for a while now.

The notebook, postcards and bookmark are good quality and will definitely be used and I like the accompanying booklets with these boxes which showcase the artists, writers and other creatives/female-led businesses who have been involved in putting the box together.

As much as I wish it weren’t true, the face mask will also get a lot of use as England begins its month-long lockdown and I am required to wear a mask at work.

My Verdict:

Every time my wandering eye fixes on another subscription offering, Books that Matter seem to pull another blinder out of the bag! I’m really pleased with the November box and very much looking forward to seeing what this team have to offer for my daughter in her forthcoming Brave Girls’ Book Club box.