Literati is a monthly book subscription box for children that works similar to Stitch Fix. For a monthly fee of $9.95, you’ll receive 5 books to try out for a week. You can purchase the ones you love and return the rest (in totally new condition) in the enclosed prepaid mailer (shipping is free in both directions).
You can get 5% off when you decide to keep all the books! There are also categories for each age bracket: Club Neo is for newborn to 1 year; Club Sprout is for children ages 2-3; Club Nova is for kids 4-6, and Club Sage is for those 7-8 years old.
This is a review of the Club Sage box.
The Literati box upon opening.
DEAL: Get $25 in account credit to put towards books when you sign up! USE THIS LINK to get the deal.
The cards come neatly wrapped in an envelope, with the Literati logo sticker.
The featured illustrator creates new artwork for the monthly themes. This month’s illustrator is Dan Santat.
There’s a little Q&A with the featured illustrator at the back of the card.
This month’s art print was amped up in size – a full-size print. Although I don’t love the monthly fee, this makes it more worth it.
The information sheet lists the titles with a brief description for each.
Your child is not alone! Literati is on a mission to widen their reach. You can share your kids’ happiness by sending their picture to Literati’s email.
They included a sheet to help us label the books, and make others know that it’s ours when we decide to keep them. And this month, it’s sports ball-themed!
There’s also a listing of the book prices. If you decide to keep everything, you’ll get 5% off. The subscription has a $9.95 non-refundable fee. According to Literati “it covers shipping both ways, allows the curators to invite a new world-renowned illustrator each month to draw personalized bookplates and a unique print for members, and covers other themed surprises that are included in the box.” Apparently, they offered a 10% off the purchase of one book, 15% off two books, 20% off three books, 25% off four books and 30% off five books, when they launched, but that may have been off the MSRP.
There’s also a personalized card and note from Literati.
We even got this colorful inflatable ball!
This would be perfect to play with at the beach.
There’s a lot of books in store for us!
There’s also a padded mailer, if you want to return some of the books. You can also return your own gently read books (up to five total in the mailer) for donation.
Everything in the box!
Who’s On First By Abbott & Costello ($14.40)
“Who’s on first. What’s on second. I Don’t Know’s on third.” One of the classic comedy sketches of all time is now transformed into a priceless picture book—and it’s a great read for kids of all ages. Follow the mistaken identities, confusion, and lots of laughs as Rabbit and Bear act out this scene. The book will appeal to Abbott and Costello fans, baseball fans, and anyone who enjoys funny banter-driven picture books. Illustrated in full color with slightly retro stylized illustrations.
Who’s On First is a comedy routine made famous by the duo in 1938.
I personally can’t stand Abbott & Costello but my 3-year-old may love this book if my husband read it aloud, maybe my 7- year-old too, but he’d likely be just as frustrated as me with it, while my 9-year-old would join me with eyerolls.
The Zach & Zoe Mysteries The Missing Baseball By Mike Lupica ($14.19)
Perfect for fans of Cam Jansen, #1 New York Times bestseller Mike Lupica begins an exciting new chapter-book series, featuring his trademark sports action and heart, and a lovable twin brother-sister duo who solve sports-related mysteries.
There’s nothing eight-year-old twins Zach and Zoe Walker love more than playing sports and solving mysteries. And when those two worlds collide . . . well, it doesn’t get any better than that. So when a baseball signed by Zach’s favorite major league player suddenly goes missing–the search is on! Luckily, amateur sleuths Zach and Zoe are on the case. Can they solve the mystery and find the ball before it’s lost for good?
In this first book of the Zach and Zoe Mysteries, bestselling author Mike Lupica begins a series for a new and younger audience, introducing readers to a sports-loving detective duo who can swing for the fences and catch the culprit in one fell swoop. With a recipe equal parts sports and mystery, the Zach and Zoe Mysteries break fresh ground for an author who has been called the greatest sportswriter for kids.
The back of the book tells us what the book is all about. This book goes well with the sports ball theme of this month’s box, with all the labels and the inflatable ball.
The book is all text, and the font size is good enough for the kids to read clearly.
Roller Girl By Victoria Jamieson ($16.79)
The Newbery Honor Award Winner and New York Times bestseller Roller Girl is a heartwarming graphic novel about friendship and surviving junior high through the power of roller derby—perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier’s Smile!
For most of her twelve years, Astrid has done everything with her best friend Nicole. But after Astrid falls in love with roller derby and signs up for derby camp, Nicole decides to go to dance camp instead. And so begins the most difficult summer of Astrid’s life as she struggles to keep up with the older girls at camp, hang on to the friend she feels slipping away, and cautiously embark on a new friendship. As the end of summer nears and her first roller derby bout (and junior high!) draws closer, Astrid realizes that maybe she is strong enough to handle the bout, a lost friendship, and middle school… in short, strong enough to be a roller girl.In this graphic novel debut that earned a Newbery Honor and five starred reviews, real-life derby girl Victoria Jamieson has created an inspiring coming-of-age story about friendship, perseverance, and girl power!
This book is a Newbery Honor Award winner, but I don’t think it should be included in the Club Sage box – the level is definite for tween and teen readers.
It includes the epithet “ass-turd.” My daughter isn’t into graphic novels, and my son wouldn’t enjoy, so it’s a pass.
Gracie La Roo By Marsha Qualey ($5.95)
Gracie LaRoo is a synchronized swimming pig extraordinaire! Follow Gracie as she shoots for the gold medal; uses her dazzling moves in a Piggywood movie; visits her old school and shows her former coach just how hard synchronized swimming can be; and captivates a cruise ship audience with her signature spins. This easy-to-read, beautifully illustrated chapter book by seasoned author Marsha Qualey will make new readers squeal with delight as they learn about the marvelous, the amazing, the pig-tastic Gracie LaRoo!
Like most books, you can find the synopsis on the back of the cover. By the looks of it, the story seems interesting.
It is an interesting find with some interesting language, but appropriate for a beginning chapter book reader. How it made it in this box with the previous selection is beyond me.
General Knowledge Trivia Questions By Sam Smith, Simon Tudhope & Sarah Home ($4.99)
Put your general knowledge to the test with these lively trivia questions, crammed full of kings, explorers, animals, movies and more.
The last book we got from this set is a general knowledge trivia book. You can learn from it by answering multiple choice, fill in the blanks, or true or false type of questions.
The pages are all colored and have some fascinating illustrations too.
Literati was kind of a fail. All the books seemed very far off the mark in terms of either literary quality or reading level for the 7-9 age group. The curation just seems off. The reading group for La Roo is totally different than the Lupica book – and I couldn’t imagine paying nearly $15 for that read (ever) especially when it’s available in paperback for 3.99. Really, it’s a great way to add new titles on the shelf, and I wish they send more age-appropriate books next time, as good, if not great, books are always a delight to find.
Any thoughts on Literati?
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Comments
Subscriptions – what an interesting hobby! Your presentation is beautiful and your reviews are very helpful. I’m considering a subscription for grandchildren who live halfway across the country, so finding your site helps me determine A) if they’re the type of books the kids will like and B) if I’m making more work, rather than less, for my daughter-in-law – which is NOT my goal! Dependability is also a key factor since I’m not there and don’t want them disappointed by a promise made by an absentee grandmother! Thank-you for the effort you put in to making this a great resource.