Everything you want to know before you subscribe.
You hold the account. You see every pick. Here is exactly how it works and who is behind it.
Who is behind Cardinea
Cardinea is a family business in Victoria, British Columbia, run by Robert Hayes. The curators are his own kids, Keane and Iris, two real readers who pick the manga. An adult reviews every selection before it ships. It is small on purpose, and personal by design.
How age rating works
Kids choose the books, an adult signs off on the fit. Every title is reviewed against the reader's age band before it goes in a box, and every box includes a parent card that spells out the rating and the themes. Nothing mature is ever in the catalog to begin with, so it cannot end up in a box by mistake.
The parent card
A card comes in every box so you always know what your reader is holding. Here is what one looks like.
Parent card · sample
This month's title
- Age fit
- Ages 8 to 12
- Themes
- Friendship, adventure, courage
- Content notes
- Mild peril, nothing scary
What to expect: a warm, exciting story about a kid who finds their people. Reviewed and approved by an adult.
Sample layout. Real cards are made per title.
What we hold, and what we never do
- Nothing is collected from your child. Browsing needs no account. We store a first name, an age band, boy or girl, and the reading preferences you enter. No birthdate, no last name, no school, no location, no photo.
- About you, we keep an email and a shipping address, to bill and to ship. Payment runs through Stripe and card details never touch us.
- We never sell or share your information. You can delete your account or your child profile whenever you like.
No contact between kids and curators
There is no messaging anywhere on Cardinea. A subscriber cannot contact a curator, and a curator cannot contact a subscriber. If your reader has a question, an adult picks one to answer in a future note. All correspondence goes through a grown up, always.
Shipping, timing, and cancelling
- One box a month, shipping included.
- United States and Canada, shipped domestic in your country.
- Pause or cancel yourself, any time, no calls.
- The gift plan runs three months, then simply stops.
An honest comparison
A year of Robux is gone by the following year. A year of Cardinea is a shelf of books they have actually read.
Not a knock on games. Just a different kind of spend, one that ends the year as something on the shelf and time off a screen.
Start a subscription
Shipping included. Prices in CAD.
Monthly
$49.99
per month
Annual
$499.00
per year
two months free
Gift, three months
$149.97
one time
You set up the reader next, then enter your card on a secure Stripe page. Cancel any time.