Nothing Left to Burn -- Young Adult Book Review

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

It seems like every summer into fall wildfires are in the news especially in California. Have you ever thought about what it must be like to live where they are? Or perhaps you do. Today I am going to share with you a book about a teenager who is dealing with so much. She is home alone when her neighborhood is evacuated. The book is Nothing Left to Burn by Heather Ezell.

Cool String Art -- a Crafty Weekends Review & Link Party

Disclosure: Leisure Arts sent me a copy of this book in return for an honest review. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review. The links are affiliate links where I will receive a small percentage of any purchases made through them at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Crafty Moms Share!

Tonight I am going to share a fun book from Leisure Arts called Cool String Art by Lori Wenger. String art is a fun decoration and is fairly easy to make. You can see some of the string art we have made previously. 

Resources to help love nature

Disclosure: I was sent these products in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

Have you been watching Shark Week? It ends tomorrow. Now I will admit to not watching it because I see enough about sharks in the news (just saw this on the news as I write this post) with all the sightings around Cape Cod and off the shore of Boston. However I love how this week gets people thinking about these amazing creatures and nature in general. To keep this going I am sharing some great resources about nature and helping you get your kids loving it. To begin we will start with a DVD for younger kids that includes a bit about sharks. It is Thomas Edison's Secret Lab: It Always Sharkest. 

The Girl With More Than One Heart -- a Middle Grades Novel about Dealing with Loss as Well as a Sibling on the Spectrum

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Today I am sharing a book that is suggested for grades 3-7. It is touching and such a real life story. It deals with death, a sibling with autism and being a 13-year-old and all life brings with it. The book is The Girl with More Than One Heart by Laura Geringer Bass. 

Books to Introduce Young Ones to Coding

Disclosure: Penguin Random House sent me these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

There is a big push for STEM for kids and for coding. We have really enjoyed the Girls Who Code Series and now they have come out with board books about coding for babies (and toddlers). Introducing the Baby Code! Series by Melissa Horning and illustrated by Melissa Crowton. These books are an introduction to coding and what it does for young children (baby-3). The four books are a bit similar but use different things to introduce the coding concepts. I wish the books were not just about babies. I love this idea for toddlers and preschoolers, but feel a 3-year-old would be put off by the name baby throughout the books and I feel a baby is probably not going to pick up as much about coding as a preschooler would. The first book in the series is Baby Code!

Quilt Projects & New Books -- a Crafty Weekends Review & Link Party

Disclosure: I was sent me copies or ecopies of these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Some of the links are affiliate links where I will receive a small percentage of any purchases made through them at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Crafty Moms Share!

This week I have been focusing on quilting. I have six quilt books to share with you and two of them are kid-oriented! The first is Get Quilting with Angela and Cloe by Angela Walters and Cloe Walters. 

The Ultimate Book of Sharks -- Perfect Shark Week Resource + Shark Craft Round-up

Disclosure: I was sent this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

It is summer time and I always find summer to bring on sharks. Between the shark sightings in the news and the internet going crazy for Shark Week as well as television. Well Shark Week starts on Sunday. Today I am going to share an amazing resource to learn all about sharks. It written for kids ages 9-12 years old. It is a book from National Geographic Kids. It is The Ultimate Book of Sharks by Brian Skerry with Elizabeth Carney and Sarah Wassner Flynn. 

Fun Facts about Hot Dogs-- National Hot Dog Day

Did you know today is National Hot Dog Day? There are all sorts of events going on in honor of it. Be sure to check out this article for some of the deals you can get. Today I thought I would share with you some fun facts about hot dogs. 

Picture Books Review

Disclosure: I was sent these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Do you have a child who loves picture books? Or maybe you are looking for something to spark his or her imagination this summer. I have a picture book for every child and they are full of creativity and imagination as well as other fun ideas. Our first book is An Atlas of Imaginary Places by Mia Cassany and illustrated by Ana de Lima. 

Garden Crafts & More -- a Crafty Weekends Review & Link Party

Disclosure: I was sent these books in exchange for honest reviews. All opinions are my own. 

I can't believe it is already midJuly. Where is this summer going? I know my gardens are started though they need some work and I need to replant some of the vegetables that the rabbits didn't let grow past a few leaves before the devoured them. I also have to figure out how they are getting through the fences. Today I am going to share some books to help you bring plants to your life--indoors or out as well as a wonderful way to dispose of your food waste that will help your plants. We will start with indoor garden ideas. These are for people like my parents who love plants, but no longer have a yard or much space. The first book is Miniature Terrariums by Fourwords. 

Artsy Couture Metal Print

Disclosure: Artsy Couture made this metal print for me in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

I have hinted for a few weeks that life here has been a bit crazy. Two out of the past three weeks I have spent at Cape Cod with my parents. My parents have decided the time has come for them to move into a 62+ condo. This has meant helping them move and helping clean out the old house. The move itself is only 0.7 of a mile, but the smaller condo is very different than the house my grandparents built and the view is nowhere near as nice. They are going to miss the view of the marsh, bay and especially the beautiful sunsets (plus seeing the fireworks from their deck). We are all going to miss the house, but know it is time and for the best for my parents to sell it and move. So after two weeks of unpacking, packing and going through things plus moving lots of boxes and bags (mostly of fabric and books) up and down the stairs and more, I have been absolutely exhausted. I literally slept most of the first weekend home after the first week. I finally now am feeling like summer is just beginning. 

Christian Mommy Time Review

Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I often am looking for some books to help me focus my day on Jesus. I have shared a few books that have helped and today I am sharing two more. The first is a wonderful book for any Christian mother. In today's age of the internet with social media and Pinterest it becomes hard to remember that no one lives the perfect life and no one always is perfect. Let's face it, the photographs on Pinterest as well as other social media makes everything seem perfect and wonderful. However every mother has those days where she feels much less than perfect and doesn't know where to turn and certainly doesn't want to let other know. This is the start of the message Ruth Schwenk shares in The Better Mom: Growing in Grace between Perfection adn the Mess. 

Doll Crafts & Finds -- a Crafty Weekends Link Party

We had another busy week, but I found some time to make some crafts for Hazel's dolls. We are currently on a Harry Potter kick so a few are related to that story as well as a new quill pen for Caroline and a new Nanea style nightgown. Hazel would like to get Nanea and Luciana, but doesn't want to wait until her birthday or Christmas (basically the same things) or until she saves the money, so we are working on some clothes and trying to use her other dolls as them. I am also going ot share the some new doll finds we have found. Let's start with the quill pen. I found Felicity's quill pen and inkwell on ebay. Hazel fell in love and wanted one for her Caroline doll. Instead of spending the $25+ on it, I decided we could make one.

Kids Like Us -- Young Adult Novel Review

Disclosure: Macmillan Publishing sent me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Today I am sharing another book that has been sitting on my bookshelf for way too long without sharing it. It is a young adult novel that delves into the world of autism.

Who Was Series...

Disclosure: Penguin Kids sent me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The links are affiliate links where I will receive a small percentage of any purchases made through them at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Crafty Moms Share!

The reading specialist at Hazel's school recently told me she heard that at least 50% of what kids read should be nonfiction. Do your kids read nonfiction? Hazel actually loves biographies and historical books. One series that she loves is the Who Was Series. This series is for the middle grades or ages 8-12. Today we get to share two fun books from this series. These two characters are paired together in an episode on the Netflix Who Was? Series. We will be sharing Who Was Albert Einstein? and Who Was Joan of Arc? Hazel was very excited to read these books and she will be doing a Hazel's corner on Joan of Arc.

10 Interesting Facts about Fireworks & Independence Day & Craft Round-Up

1. It is believed the first fireworks were created in China as early as 200 BC. The first was a natural one where they would roast bamboo which would explode with a bang. It was believed to scare off evil spirits.

Patriotic Crafty Weekends Link Party & Features

We are going to watch the fireworks tonight, so we are going to share some patriotic crafts of the past. We did this round-up last year.