Middle Grade & Tween 2024

Hover/tap on the photo of the wrapped gifts to see the complete unboxing underneath and the page numbers for detailed gift spoilers!

A paperback edition of The Circus at the End of the Sea stands on a yellow OUABC box. In front of the box (from left to right) are a box of string lights, a crazy spoon, a lion tattoo, a small bottle of essential oils, an essential oil diffuser, and a box with a silver bangle in it.

Finding the Ringmaster

November Box

The Circus at the End of the Sea by Lori R. Snyder

Page 28: "White lights blazed to life around the pier railing until the entire circular end of the pier was ringed in lights."

The included gift was a custom strand of 20 string lights.

a person holding a set of string lights outside in the dark

Page 77: "He flipped the rabbit upside down, and it elongated into a thin purple scoop with a handle as long as Maddy's arm, like something a very tall person might use to serve ice cream."

The included gift was a custom glass spoon with a squiggly handle.

A crazy spoon with a squiggly blue handle.

Page 114: "Maddy stepped closer and inhaled: imitation buttered popcorn and fake taffy."

The included gift was a custom soda-can-shaped, light blue essential oil diffuser with the words Dreams Don't Work Unless You Do printed on the side, along with a 10ml bottle of Caramel Corn scented oil.

An essential oil diffuser that says Dreams Don't Work Unless You Do next to a small bottle of caramel corn essential oil.

Page 177: "Tattooed on his right shoulder blade was the same image of Kuma in a circle, but it was dark green instead of blue."

The included gift was a dark green lion temporary tattoo.

A circular dark green tattoo with a winged lion on it.

Page 270: "Maddy looked down at her wrist, at the beautiful, magical bracelet she had worn her whole life."

The included gift was a custom silver cuff bracelet with the words Made for Greatness stamped on it.

A silver bangle with the words Made For Greatness stamped on it.

A paperback edition of Much Ado About Baseball stands on a yellow Once Upon a Book Club box. In front are a cream-colored baseball hat with a lime green visor and Bruh on the front in lime green text, a jar of green dust, a box with three corded bracelets, a bag of Potato Chips with four clips that look like potato chips attached to the front, and a green transparent water bottle.

Math and Fastballs

September Box

Much Ado About Baseball by Rajani LaRocca

Page 4: "I approached the big field where a boy wearing a remarkably sparkly green baseball cap stood at the plate taking practice swings."

The included gift was a custom off-white and lime green corduroy baseball cap featuring green embroidered stars and the word Bruh on the front of the cap.

A child wears an off-white and lime green corduroy baseball cap. The front has the word Bruh in lime green letters surrounded by stars.

Page 226: "I reached for my bag of Sports Crisps and stood to walk off some of my jitters."

The included gift was a custom set of 4 clips that look like potato chips.

A blue and red bag of Potato Chips with four clips that look like potato chips attached to the front.

Page 270: "Ben knelt down and prepared to dip the bottle into the green pool."

The included gift was a 25oz neon green plastic water bottle with folded straw lid.

A transparent lime green plastic water bottle with a black lid and the Once Upon a Book Club logo at the bottom, standing on a yellow Once Upon a Book Club box.

Page 271: "Fib lumbered out of the pool, rubbing his entire body in green dust."

The included gift was a .34oz jar of edible green dust to be mixed into a drink or sprinkled on top of baked goods.

A small jar labeled Green Dust with green powder inside. The label says: mix into your drinks, or sprinkle on top of baked goods for a magical glow!

Page 309: "They did, and I tied bracelets on them. Green, blue, and white. Salt Shaker colors."

The included gift was a custom set of 3 friendship bracelets: one sparkly green, one different shades of blue, and one green and white.

A set of three corded bracelets: one green, one shades of blue, and one green and white.

A hardcover edition of The Bookshop of Dust and Dreams stands on top of a yellow OUABC box next to a box labeled hanging lightbulb. In front of the yellow box are a poster, set of pink pencils on a handwritten note, an enamel pin, and hanging chalkboard on a wooden frame.

Saving the Magic

July Box

The Bookshop of Dust and Dreams by Mindy Thompson

Page 39: "They each wear our pin: round and gold, it features a lemon tree and the words Rhyme and Reason written in script across the top. Made of stardust and daydreams is in the same font along the bottom."

The included gift was a custom round oversized (2in x 2in) enamel pin as described in the book, featuring a lemon tree with a sea of stars and clouds behind it.

An enamel pin with a picture of a lemon tree and dark blue waves in the background. The card the pin is attached to says Rhyme & Reason Made of Stardust & Daydreams.

Page 102: "The pencil shakes in my hand as a surge of bravery courses through me, and I begin to write."

The included gift was a custom set of 5 graphite pink pencils with the words Smarty Pants in gold on each.

A set of 5 pink pencils that say Smarty Pants on each of them near the eraser.

Page 158: "And then he reaches for the knob and yanks, but the door sticks shut. The lights come back on, flickering frantically in panic."

The included gift was a battery-powered, lime-green hanging lightbulb.

A lime green light bulb with a cord attached.

Page 259: "The chalkboard begins to flicker through letters of the alphabet, trying to find a quote, or a message."

The included gift was a black chalkboard with a wooden stand. Chalkboard includes a removable sticker with Theo Devlin's Recipe for Courage.

A black chalkboard with white writing and a wooden stand holding it up.

Page 321: "Above it, on the wall, we've placed a banner with the name Ollie came up with for our group: The Society for Bookish and Adventuresome Young Readers."

The included gift was a custom-designed 12in x 18in poster featuring a magical looking bookshelf including an owl, a sleeping cat, a candle, and more, along the with the words The Society for Bookish and Adventuresome Young Readers on a dark blue background on the front, and a lemon background on the back.

White hands hold a dark blue poster that says The Society for Bookish & Adventuresome Young Readers. A drawing of a bookshelf filled with books, a cat, an owl, and misc items is in the middle of the poster. Next to the poster is the book The Bookshop of Dust and Dreams.

The Dreamweavers book sits on top of a yellow OUABC box next to a box labeled Dice of Destiny. In front are a white cloud, folded blue apron with a food pattern, and chopsticks.

Fishing for Dreams 

May Box

The Dreamweavers by G.Z. Schmidt

Page 102: "Someone whipped an apron at him. He hastily put it on, then stepped beside a nearby chef who was slapping a large dead fish back and forth."

The included gift was a children's custom blue patterned apron, measuring 18in x 24in. The pattern is designed with food and cooking utensils and the front of the apron says FEED ME. Also included was a black chef's hat.

A child wears a light blue apron with a black pattern of food items and the words Feed Me on the center.

Page 112: "The chopstick had tiny blue-and-pink swirls and patterns, as if someone had painstakingly etched it with a single hair of a paintbrush."

The included gift was a custom pair of wooden chopsticks and a pale blue plastic chopsticks trainer.

A pair of wooden chopsticks with a plastic training attachment lay next to a wooden tray with a bowl of rice on it.

Page 183: "They each gripped a die, closed their eyes, then let the dice fall to the bowl."

The included gift was a custom-designed game called Dice of Destiny that includes instructions, sticky note pad with 50 sheets to keep score, a suction bowl, foam dice, two pencils, and storage box.

An open box with a cup, 2 dice, and 2 pencils in it. Next to the box is the lid that says Dice of Destiny on it with the instruction card above it.

Page 208: "Yun swung the fishing rod over the edge of the cloud they sat on. The fishing rod dangled near the closest window. Strands of the floating purple mist clung onto the hook as Yun reeled it back up."

The included gift was a cloud light that includes a remote, power cord, pre-wired cloud light, and instruction booklet.

A white cloud light hanging against a pale blue wall.

A hardcover edition of The Mystery of Locked Rooms stands on a yellow Once Upon a Book Club box. In front of the box are a green and white sign that says No Trespassing I'm Solving a Mystery! and a box that says The Floor is Lava.

The Amazing Funhouse

April Box

The Mystery of Locked Rooms by Lindsay Currie

Page 3: "Lasers and Lava is the second-hardest escape room at Escape City, and we just beat the buzzer."

The included gift was a custom The Floor is Lava game that included 1 game spinner, 25 colored foam safety stones, and 27 challenge cards.

A multi-colored wheel spinner is in the center of the image next to a pile of cards. The spinner has an image of a volcano in the background and says The Floor is Lava.

Page 38: "Looking back down, I notice that just like in the photo, the windows are boarded up and a NO TRESPASSING sign is tacked to the front door."

The included gift was a custom designed 12x9 sign that reads No Trespassing I'm Solving a Mystery, with a book and magnifying glass on the front.

A girl wearing a pink sweatshirt holds a green and white sign that says No Trespassing I'm Solving a Mystery! with an image of a magnifying glass in front of a book at the center of the sign.

A paperback edition of The Lost Whale stands on a yellow Once Upon a Book Club box. In front are a snorkel set and light blue box labeled My Box of Joy.

Ocean's Promise 

March Box

The Lost Whale by Hannah Gold

Page 34: "A train ticket from the time they'd been to the beach, heart-shaped pebbles because she said hearts made from nature were the best kind of all, a white angel's feather, and seashells in which you could hear the ocean from miles and miles away."

The included gift was a patterned cardboard box labeled Box of Joy along with a seashell excavation kit (includes a hammer, brush, and pick to break apart the exterior seashell).

A seashell with a black pick sticking out of it, next to a matching hammer and brush.

Page 259: "Birch opened a hatch on deck and pulled out a snorkel mask and an underwater flashlight."

The included gift was a custom yellow kids snorkel set including a mask, mouthpiece, and snorkel

A yellow kids snorkel set including a mask, mouthpiece, and snorkel.

A paperback edition of The Shelterlings is on a yellow Once Upon a Book Club box. In front are a box labeled Rock Painting Kit, a teal bag filled with candy, and a white tote bag with text on the front Friends Trust Friends. On the bag is a small square box with a geode image on the front.

Magical Misfits

February Box

The Shelterlings by Sarah Beth Durst

Page 44: "The fox sneezed as pollen landed on her nose, and candy sprayed around the room - her gift was to conjure candy, sometimes accidentally."

The included gift was a teal organza bag filled with a variety of candy.

A teal organza bag filled with candy. The sticker on the front says Lavender's Candy.

Page 125: "Many of them were braided, and pebbles decorated the floor in an even more elaborate pattern than Holly had chosen."

The included gift was a custom rock painting kit that included 7 smooth river stones, 6 acrylic paint colors, and 1 paintbrush.

A white hand dips a paintbrush in paint. A box labeled Rock Painting Art Kit and a pile of rocks are next to the containers of paint.

Page 145: "All three of them hurried away from the crater, with Charlie's satchel and the precious bits of fallen star."

The included gift was a custom tote bag with the text Friends Trust Friends on it. Inside was a break-your-own geode kit!

A white tote bag with three black boxes on the front. The black boxes have white text that says Friends Trust Friends. On top of the bag is a square box with an image of a geode.

A hardcover edition of The League of Picky Eaters stands on a yellow OUABC box. In front of the box are two plates with colored dots on them, a purple notebook, and a box labeled tumbling block tower.

Picky Eaters Unite

January Box

The League of Picky Eaters by Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic

Page 15: "Once I felt I could handle it, I took another look at the test plate and almost fell out of my chair again."

The included gift was a custom set of 2 bamboo 8" plates featuring 11 multicolored blobs printed on the plate and a Mealtime Magic game guide.

Set of 2 plates with multicolored blobs printed on them and text saying Put a Fork In Me.

Page 204: "I said, yanking out a Jenga piece and making the whole puzzle crash down."

The included gift was a custom, 48-piece tumbling block tower game. Blocks are red, green, and yellow in color.

green box labeled Tumbling Block Tower

Page 283: "I pulled out a black Sharpie and the brand-new purple notebook I had bought at the Flashlight Under Covers bookstore."

The included gift was a custom 6x8.5" lined notebook featuring #goals and emojis on the front cover.

a notebook featuring #goals and emojis on the front cover