OwlCrate Jr. is a monthly book subscription box for young readers ages 8-12 with a middle-grade book plus fun gender neutral bookish items designed to enhance your little reader’s experience. It’s from Owl Crate, a super popular YA (young adult) fiction subscription.
DEAL: Save 15% on your first subscription with the coupon code HELLO15 at checkout.
LIMITED TIME: Enter code ROBOT15 to receive 15% off!
The inner flap has a guide to unboxing your crate!
The items were surrounded with white squiggles.
Included in the box is an information card.
The theme for the September 2019 OwlCrate Jr. box is LEGENDS OF THE DEEP!
Everything in the September OwlCrate Jr. box!
They also included an adorable mini magazine!
Of course, the mini-magazine includes an author interview! This month’s featured author is Thomas Taylor. Knowing what inspired the author to pen a story can help children understand the book better.
They also suggested some titles for further reading, especially if you love this month’s book:
- A Series Of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket ($12.59)
- Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend ($13.16)
- The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart ($11.25)
The mini-magazine also included some fun activities like this crossword puzzle. The other page is another interview, and this time, with artist Owen Davey.
There’s also a box photo challenge that you can join, while they also gave us the theme for next month, which is ROBOTS!
Author’s Note Card. The card features the same artwork as the cover of this month’s featured book.
On the flip side is a note from the author, Thomas Taylor.
Bookmark. The bookmark captured the side where it shows the scary eyes of what I believe is the Malamander.
At the flip side of the bookmark is how they picture the Malamander. It’s like a large reptile. Even though the image is in black and white, you can see that he’s quite scaly and scary.
Signed Book Plate. We also got a signed bookplate from the author!
Malamander by Thomas Taylor ($16.99)
A quirky, creepy fantasy set in Eerie-on-Sea finds a colorful cast of characters in hot pursuit of a sea monster thought to convey a surprising gift.
It’s winter in the town of Eerie-on-Sea, where the mist is thick and the salt spray is rattling the windows of the Grand Nautilus Hotel. Inside, young Herbert Lemon, Lost and Founder for the hotel, has an unexpected visitor. It seems that Violet Parma, a fearless girl around his age, lost her parents at the hotel when she was a baby, and she’s sure that the nervous Herbert is the only person who can help her find them. The trouble is, Violet is being pursued at that moment by a strange hook-handed man. And the town legend of the Malamander — a part-fish, part-human monster whose egg is said to make dreams come true — is rearing its scaly head. As various townspeople, some good-hearted, some nefarious, reveal themselves to be monster hunters on the sly, can Herbert and Violet elude them and discover what happened to Violet’s kin? This lighthearted, fantastical mystery, featuring black-and-white spot illustrations, kicks off a trilogy of fantasies set in the seaside town.
The back of the book has some praises for the story from other known authors!
The dust jacket served as a warning if you still want to continue reading the book, or just forget that it exists! It’s definitely piqued our interest!
The Malamander is said to control people’s dreams, and the creature kept the people of Eerie-at-Sea under its power.
It’s a good fantasy story, and the kids really love the mystery, especially Violet’s story. They’re kind of scared of the Malamander, and as described, it’s a half-fish half-human monster with a really scaly head. The illustrations gave us the creeps!
Pin. The pin for this month features a purple anglerfish! Just look at the lure on its forehead that has been lit-up!
Shark Tea Strainer. Because we’re exploring the deep blue sea, we also got an adorable shark tea strainer!
It has two parts, the tail part being the strainer, and the head part serves as the hook to the cup.
Gillyweed Tea. To try with the strainer is a pack of loose tea leaves made of peppermint, rooibos tea, cocoa nibs, natural chocolate mint flavor, and peppermint leaves.
To prepare, just steep a teaspoon per cup at 212°F (100°C) for 5 minutes. My kids loved this Potter-inspired blend!
Narwhal Gel Pen. I love the color of this pen and the cute Narwhal topper!
It’s a fine pen that writes beautifully on any paper!
The Narwhal looks really adorable. We love unicorns, so the sea unicorn is definitely a win for us as well.
We love its multi-colored horn, and its big, cute eyes!
The Yetti Files: Attack Of The Kraken by Kevin Sherry ($6)
Blizz Richards and his band of wacky cryptids are back for a third illustrated adventure from bestselling author Kevin Sherry!
Something smells fishy in the underwater kingdom of Atlantis. The merfolk claim the mighty kraken is attacking their city and threatening their safety. They have called yeti Blizz Richards and his team of cryptozoologists to track and capture the beast. But something about their story isn’t holding water…
To find the kraken and get some answers, Blizz and the gang will have to face man-eating sharks, powerful magic crystals, giant crabs, and find a long lost hero in the furthest reaches of the deep.
It’s another under the sea adventure, and this time, we’re dealing with the legendary Kraken! These creatures are mysterious with strong tentacles and pointy teeth!
The illustrations in the book are all in black and white.
It’s like a comic, and it’s really easy to read and relate to!
Reading Mermaid Sticker. We also got a cute sticker featuring a mermaid reading a book. This can be attached on notebooks, laptops, or any flat surface that needs some cool design.
Dakuwaqa Poster by Owen Davey. The poster is packaged nicely in a paper tube packaging.
It shows an octopus strangling and fighting the Dakuwaqa, a shark-god, with its numerous tentacles. I love the art style, and how the scene looks like it happens in the deepest and darkest part of the sea. This is a high quality print and I was really impressed!
Here’s a sneak peek for next month’s box!
It’s all about ROBOTS!
Oil your gears and update your operating systems, you’ll want to be in tip-top reading condition for next month’s book! Our October pick is fast-paced, funny and full of big-hearted adventure. This story is perfect for fans of The Wild Robot, Amulet, The Iron Giant and WALL-E!
We love to explore the deepest part of the sea, and this box even introduced us to bizarre creatures under the sea like the Malamander and the legendary Kraken! The kids really like the story of the Malamander though they are a little scared of it. We also love the artwork from Owen Davey which is based on Fijian myth. We love this month’s adventure! We also learned that the next box will feature ROBOTS, and we just can’t wait for it!
What did you think of the Owl Crate Jr. box this month?
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