Tales by Mail - Children's book box review

*Tales by Mail provided us a PR sample to review - my words are my own & I have not been paid to provide this review

Like most parents, I really encourage my children to see the joy in reading and how stories can come alive in our imagination in a way screens don't. This has never been so important especially when we cannot travel at the moment or see friends and family, to bring stories of wonder and adventures to life is helping get us through lockdown so when Tales by Mail got in touch to review one of their boxes I was really keen to see what their bi-monthly subscription boxes are all about. 

First of all, what is Tales by Mail exactly? Well, it's a letterbox book club that sends two books every other month along with a few extra goodies such as chronicle pages & author cards, game, activities and a few small surprises. The box is aimed at children 8-12yrs old and also includes access to the Tales by Mail podcase with author interviews and book recommendations. 

When the box arrived we really didn't know what to expect especially as reading can be quite a personal journey and I was curious to see what my eldest thought of the book choices, but I needn't had worried as from the moment we opened the box we knew it was a good one (I'm pretty sure each box is very well curated) and I was instantly impressed with the quality of the contents.

The first book of the two contained in our "whimsical worlds box" was The Marvellous Land of the Snergs which was apparently the inspiration for JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit which happens to be one of our favourite reads. We immediately decided that the Marvellous Land of the Snergs was going to be our family bedtime story so that not only could my eldest enjoy this book but also my youngest (and myself) and as we near the end of this book I highly recommend it to any children who love mythical feelgood adventure stories. 

The next book in the box was The House at the Edge of the Magic by Amy Sparks, which we cannot wait to get stuck into (again as a family), we had actually come across a review of this book in The Week and we are excited to get stuck in and again is perfect for this age group.

The book also included some bookmarks which have been super useful, stickers, a pin badge, signed author bookplates and letters from the authors, activity cards, a beautiful wooded decoration and small and wild tea bags. What my son liked was the review card to create his own review of the Marvellous land of the Snergs once we have finished - giving an extra element of engagement with the stories and activities throughout the reading. 

We were all really impressed with the box, if fits perfectly through the letter box yet contains so much and is perfectly curated for ages 8-12yrs and feel it's well worth the price which depending on what option you pick is as low as £19.50 every other month. Check out their website to see more