Surprise Books in a Box

A Surprise Box of Books may be one of our favorite things to put together for you at The Story Shop. As booksellers, we love to recommend books; there is little like the joy of putting beloved titles into reader’s hands. A Surprise Box of Books is book recommendations par excellence.

  • Choose the amount you wish to spend: $50, $75, $100, or $150

  • In the notes section at the check out submission page: Tell us the age range of the child(ren) who are receiving the box

  • Tell us what they like to read: themes, specific titles they’ve enjoyed, genres, etc.

  • We will pull and send titles similar to those you’ve listed that we are sure the recipients will love

A Surprise Box of Books is:

  • a one time purchase (though you can certainly set up a subscription if you would like)

  • an easy gift, we do most of the work!

  • a great surprise which equals tons of fun

Below are examples of a surprise box of books based around the theme of adventure! These examples are separated by age range: picture book, middle grade, and young adult. But you may mix and match if you want to send one box to friends, siblings, or cousins who are different ages!

Summer Reading Bundles

Summer is quickly approaching! Are you pumped for all the free time you’ll have with the kids while they’re out of school? Or are you overwhelmed by all of that unstructured time? If you are more of the latter disposition, reading is a great “time waster” with pleads for just one more chapter! Either way, reading is the perfect activity for keeping a child’s brain engaged and developing over the break. That’s great, you say, but what to read?? Our summer reading bundles are a wonderful solution!

Grab a summer reading bundle for the appropriate age or reading range for your child(ren) for hours of fun! Our carefully curated collections are available in four categories: beginning reader, early reader, middle grade, and young adult.

The Beginning Reader Bundle is for kids who are just starting to read on their own, around 4-6 years old.

The Early Reader Bundle is for kids who are reading on their own but aren’t quite ready for bigger chapter books, around 6-8 years old.

The Middle Grade Bundle is for kids who are hitting their stride in the reading game, can handle a longer narrative on their own, and are ready for more well-rounded characters, around 8-12 years old.

The Young Adult Bundle is for those who are ready for more complex stories and more nuanced themes, usually ages 12 and up.

 

Each Summer Reading Bundle comes with a post card for each book with fun questions that help the reader reflect on the book. Fill them out and send them in! Each post card sent in will be an entry to win ANOTHER curated reading bundle for the age range of your choice!

 

Order by May 15th for pick up or shipping in time for the start of summer break!

RomCom Love for February

Who doesn’t love a good romantic comedy? You laugh, you cry, you delight in characters falling in love. Discover three of our favorite newer releases as well as fun goodies in our YA RomCom Surprise Box!

81SGimIZe3L.jpg
81blkBgkG+L.jpg
9780593180075 (1).jpg

Amelia Unabridged is one of the most whimsical books out there and we are here for it! Move over Kathleen Kelly, Val’s and it’s crew are stealing the scene.

Sparks fly between two teens as they grapple with grief, love, and the future in this unforgettable debut novel sure to entice fans of Jandy Nelson and Jennifer E. Smith.

Eighteen-year-old Amelia Griffin is obsessed with the famous Orman Chronicles, written by the young and reclusive prodigy N. E. Endsley. They're the books that brought her and her best friend Jenna together after Amelia's father left and her family imploded. So when Amelia and Jenna get the opportunity to attend a book festival with Endsley in attendance, Amelia is ecstatic. It's the perfect way to start off their last summer before college.

In a heartbeat, everything goes horribly wrong. When Jenna gets a chance to meet the author and Amelia doesn't, the two have a blowout fight like they've never experienced. And before Amelia has a chance to mend things, Jenna is killed in a freak car accident. Grief-stricken, and without her best friend to guide her, Amelia questions everything she had planned for the future.

When a mysterious, rare edition of the Orman Chronicles arrives, Amelia is convinced that it somehow came from Jenna. Tracking the book to an obscure but enchanting bookstore in Michigan, Amelia is shocked to find herself face-to-face with the enigmatic and handsome N. E. Endsley himself, the reason for Amelia's and Jenna's fight and perhaps the clue to what Jenna wanted to tell her all along.

Ashley Schumacher's devastating and beautiful debut, Amelia Unabridged, is about finding hope and strength within yourself, and maybe, just maybe, falling in love while you do it.

Now That I’ve Found You is Old Hollywood mystery and biggest failure turned adventure. A wonderful look at love and legacy!

Now That I've Found You is a YA novel about searching for answers, love, and your eccentric grandma in all the wrong places.

Following in the footsteps of her überfamous grandma, eighteen-year-old Evie Jones is poised to be Hollywood's next big star. That is until a close friend's betrayal leads to her being blacklisted . . .

Fortunately, Evie knows just the thing to save her floundering career: a public appearance with America's most beloved actress--her grandma Gigi, aka the Evelyn Conaway. The only problem? Gigi is a recluse who's been out of the limelight for almost twenty years. Days before Evie plans to present her grandma with an honorary award in front of Hollywood's elite, Gigi does the unthinkable: she disappears.

With time running out and her comeback on the line, Evie reluctantly enlists the help of the last person to see Gigi before she vanished: Milo Williams, a cute musician Evie isn't sure she can trust. As Evie and Milo conduct a wild manhunt across New York City, romance and adventure abound while Evie makes some surprising discoveries about her grandma--and herself.

11 Paper Hearts is the cozy mystery, memory-loss high school drama you didn’t know you needed!

Perfect for fans of To All the Boys I've Loved Before and The Kissing Booth, this teen romance is about a girl who follows a trail of paper hearts from her mystery admirer and learns that sometimes love can find you in mysterious ways.

Ella's life was picture perfect. She had a circle of close friends, a jam-packed social life, and an amazing boyfriend. But then something completely unexpected happened: a car accident after a Valentine's Day dance. When Ella woke up in the hospital, she couldn't remember the accident . . . or anything about the weeks before it, including the reason she broke up with her boyfriend.

Now, a year later, she begins receiving paper hearts from a mysterious admirer who seems to have the answers she craves. Ella is intrigued. The hearts contain clues to help Ella remember her life before . . . and take her on a journey she never imagined. Following the paper hearts is the most spontaneous thing Ella has ever done . . . but will she find love?

An Invitation to Celebrate

Now, when you book your birthday celebration, baby or bridal shower with The Story Shop, order your invitations as well!

  • Order invitations tailored to your theme designed by the talented Gratuity Paper Co.

  • Quantities of 15, 25, or 35 available for purchase. Envelopes included.

  • All pertinent information for invitations is pulled from your celebration reservation.