I like to think I’d be the mom that schedules in library time every week, checks out the stack of new books while Sienna quietly reads in the corner of the library, and remembers to bring back each from the previous visit….But alas, I think we’ve done this twice… and Sienna has a hard time doing anything quietly, let’s be honest. And while we will get better with our library visits as Sienna has recently learned to read, there’s still something about owning lovely books and reading and re-reading them that is extra special.
What’s tough is knowing which books to invest in that you actually want to keep. Everyone’s tastes differ and even popular books aren’t always our favorites. That’s what drew me to trying out Literati. It’s an adorable new book club just for younger kiddos. They hand-pick fabulous books for you each month that arrive in a lovely box filled with reading inspiration and cuteness. (And it doesn’t hurt that the branding is pretty and on-point.)
This is not a sponsored post, I just love this concept and the setup of trying five books out each month, keeping the ones you adore and returning the rest. So fun! Not only do you get the Amazon price or better for the books you keep, you also get adorable extras and you can return your older, used books along with the book club books to be donated. WIN + WIN.
We recently tried our first month and were blown away. Here’s what’s included:
Literati Membership Details
The book club membership is $9.95 per month. You pay for the books you want to keep and they match (or beat) the Amazon List Price. You can explore the books for up to 7 days. They have easy returns and free shipping, and you can cancel anytime. They offer four age-group levels: Club NEO (0-3), Club SPROUT (3-5; what we’re currently getting), Club NOVA (5-7), and Club SAGE (7-9). I thought we’d try a couple months of Club SPROUT and then move up to Club NOVA to see the difference.
I was really impressed with both the stories and the illustrations in the books in our first box. For this first round, we wound up keeping three out of the five books. Here’s how the prices compare to retail:
Sidewalk Flowers
retail – $16.95; club price $11.79
Fortunately
retail – $8.99; club price $7.19
If You’re A Robot And You Know It
retail $16.99; club price$10.99
Also in our first box were: cute customized stickers for Sienna’s books, an adorable illustrated print about reading, and a fun invisible marker with a decoder light. So fun.
If you’re interested in trying it out, you can do so here. You can customize how often the book club arrives, pause any time for vacation/travel, etc., and switch which club you receive. It would make an amazing birthday or holiday gift! Grandparents are always asking what to get for the grandkids and this would be perfect to suggest.
Have you and your family tried this or another book club? I’m excited about this to spice up story time in our household with a regular delivery of new additions. The books themselves would make great gifts to have on hand for those last minute birthday party invites, too. Happy Reading!
xo,
Laura
Be sure to follow me on Instagram @elletrain to see daily outfits, what I’m currently whipping up in the kitchen, and of course, Sienna’s dance moves. And don’t forget about LikeToKnow.It for easy peasy shopping of the looks I’m wearing!
First I was like “…what?” You pay $10 a month just to have them pick books? Then I checked out the website….and now I signed up for two kids (I got a $25 credit!). So you convinced me.
Ok I love this! My 3 boys are huge readers! We don’t have many books in the 7-9 group because my oldest just turned 7. He’s going to love getting this in the mail.
Oh yay! I hope he loves the books!
Amazon is doing one (might be a trial right now). We’ve received two boxes so far (one for my 7 year old and one for my 9 year old). The 9 year old has loved his books; my 7-year-old not so much but she is not a big reader. I like that Amazon lets you select the frequency. Right now, we are only doing a box every three months, which for my 9-year-old might not be frequent enough! It definitely does not have the cute packaging or bonus items like Literati, though!
Ah, good to know, thank you! You can change the frequency with Literati, too, but I’ll have to look into Amazon and compare!
My local kid’s bookstore (The Reading Bug) has a customized book box. You pay about $30/mo but you get to tell the crew there your child’s likes/dislikes, etc. You often get 3 books and a couple little playthings or useful, fun stuff. My son got a book light one month, some travel games another one, etc. There is a personalized note, etc. He’s 10 and loves it. I’m all for paying for books. readingbugbox.com (I think) — they ship all over the place.
That sounds amazing, too!
So does it apply the $9.95 to your book purchase price like StitchFix does?
Thank you for this article! I had looked at Literati for both my boys – 5&7 – a few times, but never moved on it. You were just the push I needed. The boys loved getting their new boxes and the selections were awesome! At one point, my oldest let out a…. YEEESSS!!!!! I’m told the school librarian read aloud the included Heartwood Hotel to them last year and it was his MOST favorite. #momwin!
Thanks for the help?
PS… did I see that you won Literati’s contest? If so… ?????? I love when good things happen to good people. Keep up the great work!
Aw that is so amazing! I’m so glad it was a hit! Thank you for writing back in to let me know. Trying to find good books can be overwhelming when you’re doing all the other things, so this was a true find and I’m so happy to share. And yes, we did! I’m so excited!! Thanks again.
I’ve been a loyal Literati subscriber for over 2 years, and have loved the books. However, their customer service is frankly appalling. They have double charged me on shipments, and failed to issue refunds they promised me in writing. All told, they owe me approx $430. I have reached out via support tickets and direct messages on social media — all of which have been ignored. Support tickets aren’t even replied to before being closed out. I’ve now had to hire a lawyer to recover the funds owed, and he told me that they either have to return my money or my merchandise, that failure to do either violates consumer protection laws. No customer should have to go through this! Literati has been, quite literally, the WORST customer service experience of my life.