Crate Expectations is a monthly kids’ book subscription box that sends a quality book paired with one-of-a-kind Adventure Guide and toys or games. Plans start at $32.99 each month, plus shipping and tax, and they also offer 3-month and 6-month subscriptions. Each box contains their book club pick of the month, 2-4 specially curated toys or games, a book-related STEM activity and supplies, an exclusive author interview, a book-inspired recipe and menu ideas, book club discussion questions, and recommendations for further reading. The box is suited for 8-12 year old kids and a favorite subscription box for tweens and pre-teens!
The Crate Expectations middle grade readers box made our 2021 readers’ choice list of best subscription boxes for kids!
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There’s a card on top of everything in the box!
The contents were protected by white squiggles.
The theme for February 2021 is A Friend In Need!
The flip side of the info card lists all the contents of the box.
The box includes an adventure guide.
Sometimes you don’t need to say words for what’s in your heart.
The Last Bear
There’s an interview included in the guide. This month, it features Hannah Gold, the author of The Last Bear.
Next up is a suggested activity for kids! It’s about making mini ice caps using simple materials.
This part of the booklet is called the Bookaneer Log and it is where the kids can write about their crew and put some pictures!
They also included a recipe for Oat Biscuits that April loves to give to the Polar Bear!
On this part of the booklet is the Captain’s Log, where they suggested some food and activities for your book club meeting, as well as book talk discussion questions.
Of course, they also shared a list of other books that kids can enjoy if they like the featured book. It includes Journey of the Pale Bear, Of A Feather, A Wolf Called Wander, Coo, and King Of The Wind.
The back showed other titles that features polar bears. It also has a list of the social media handles where you can share photos and reviews.
Also included in the box is a book card with its own envelope that you can stick to the book’s endpaper.
Like the crew of a ship, the box included a message inside a corked bottle.
My kids popped the bottle open and took the rolled paper from inside. It has a message that welcomes them to the subscription, and also listed some activities for book club meetings!
Everything in the box!
Here’s a handwritten letter from Hannah Gold, the author of The Last Bear.
The Last Bear by Hannah Gold ($16.99)
An instant classic with a bear-sized heart, Hannah Gold’s debut novel is a touching story of kindness, adventure, and forging your own path—perfect for fans of Pax and A Wolf Called Wander.
There are no polar bears left on Bear Island. At least, that’s what April’s father tells her when his scientific research takes them to a faraway Arctic outpost.
But one night, April catches a glimpse of something distinctly bear shaped loping across the horizon. A polar bear who shouldn’t be there—who is hungry, lonely and a long way from home.
An excellent choice for readers in grades 3 to 7, this fierce celebration of friendship includes full-page black-and-white illustrations throughout, as well as information about the real Bear Island and the plight of the polar bears.
The book cover features an adorable illustration of a polar bear with a young girl. The back cover also has the story’s synopsis.
This book would be a good way to introduce kids to climate change.
It’s a story about April, and her polar bear friend that she hopes to save. The author did such a great job of weaving environmental awareness to this fun and touching story!
Aside from environmental awareness, the book also teaches kids the importance of friendship and valuing the life of other creatures. It truly an age appropriate book for middle graders.
Ghirardelli Hot Chocolate. Nothing feels better than a cup of hot chocolate on a cold day. This one is easy to prepare and only requires a hot milk!
Polar Bear Hugger. They also sent a cute polar bear stuffed toy. The smooth and soft fur make this toy really huggable!
With its long arms, it won’t have any problem hugging a lot of things!
It can even fully hug a bottle. This polar bear is surely a hugger!
Color Changing Story Mug. Here’s another polar bear-themed item, a lovely mug! What makes it unique is that it changes its color when you add hot water on it. This is perfect to use with the included hot chocolate in the box.
It has a nice print of a polar bear standing on ice at night.
The background turns more colorful and well-detailed once it’s filled with hot water. How adorable!
My kids love the aurora borealis on the background, which are also known as “polar lights”.
Arctic Sticky Notes. They also included 8 animal sticky notes that kids can use to mark the books they read!
These note pieces resembles cute and colorful arctic animals. My kids’ favorite among them is the penguin!
Supplies. This pack contains the materials that kids need for the mini ice cap experiment. This fun activity teaches them how different conditions affect the rate of each ice cap’s melting progress.
It includes 2 pieces of polar bear figures, 2 small plastic cups, and 2 pieces of paper in white and blue respectively.
Another card features a sneak peek for next month’s box!
Next month’s theme is Shelf Control.
Crate Expectations is a fun book box for kids! Their themes are always exciting and age-appropriate, and for this month, it’s all about polar bears. My kids loved the story and the friendship of the polar bear and the young girl and they also learned about climate change, which is an important environmental issue we’re facing today. The rest of the items in the box are also adorable, like the polar bear toy and the color changing mug. The box even includes a hot chocolate mix, which is great to enjoy while reading a book. All in all, having this subscription does feel like belonging to a book club! It’s a great subscription choice for young book lovers, especially if you want to encourage them to discuss about what they’ve read as well!
What do you think of the Crate Expectations box?
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