Book Review: It's Going to Be OK

I don't do a lot of book reviews on my blog, but when my friend and her two boys wrote a book about their journey with Alzheimer's, I knew I had to share it. If you have ever had a loved one experience dementia, you will want to read this heartfelt book.

This story was personal for me, as I watched dementia take over the minds of my sweet grandparents. Watching a person you love slowly slip away is a difficult thing to endure. It's also challenging to explain this complicated condition to children. I wish I had been able to read this book to my boys when they first started to see this disease affect their great-grandparents.

"It's Going to Be OK" (by Ben, Alex and Marie Kennedy) is heartfelt, educational, well written and beautifully illustrated. The attention to detail is perfection! I especially love that there are forget-me-knots featured on every page.

If you have someone in your life that has been diagnosed with Dementia, you should grab a copy of this book. Dementia is hard to understand and deal with -- especially for kids -- and this book has a gentle way of explaining a heartbreaking disease. It's a great tool for dealing with grief, while inspiring hope that "everything will be OK".

To order a copy, go to www.itsgoingtobeokbook.com.

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

You might also like this list of my top 10 picture books for kids.

Top TWELVE Books for Tween and Teen Boys (and Girls!)

Many children start their love affair with reading by enjoying picture books, graphic novels, and easy chapter books. Then, after children have gained their confidence and honed their reading skills, they are ready for more advanced stories, characters, and plot lines. Today, I am sharing TWELVE books that were / are some of my boys' favourites.

*NOTE: The links to purchase these books are Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase one of these books using one of these links, I will receive a small commission... at no additional charge to you.

1) Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan




2) Harry Potter series by J.K.Rowling




3) I Funny series by James Patterson





4) David Walliams books: particularly Mr. Stink and The Boy in the Dress by David Walliams

5) Wonder by R.J. Palicio




6) A Series of Unfortunate Events series by Lemony Snicket 




7) Swindle series by Gordon Korman




8) Slapshot series by Gordon Korman



9) MasterMind series by Gordon Korman (My 10 year old LOVED the humour and adventure in this series.)

10) Wings of Fire series by Tui T Sutherland

11) Robert Muchamore books - My 12 year old loved the CHERUB series.

12) Treasure Hunter Series by James Patterson

Do you have books you would like to add to this list? I am always anxious to instill a love of reading in my boys, and good books are the key. If you have a suggestion, please leave it below, and I'll be sure to check it out. Thanks!

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Books for the LEGO enthusiast in your home

Note: I was given these books (at no cost) by DK books in exchange for my truthful review. I have also included Amazon links in this post. If you purchase one of these books using my link, I will receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you!

My 12 year old is currently studying at home due to Covid 19. He has been assigned work from his teachers, but we are also trying to include some fun educational activities in our schedule (like baking, doing crafts, and building with LEGO). His current science curriculum is focused on structures, so I gave him some great LEGO books, and put him to work.

The three books he tested out were:

LEGO Harry Potter Build Your Own Adventure: With LEGO Harry Potter Minifigure and Exclusive 2 in 1 Model

365 Things to Do with LEGO Bricks: Lego Fun Every Day of the Year

The LEGO Ideas Book: Unlock Your Imagination

His favourite of the three books was LEGO Harry Potter Build Your Own Adventure. He loved that it came with instructions and the pieces he needed to make a 2 in 1 model. (You can read more about it here.)

The other two books provide excellent inspiration for LEGO fans, but detailed instructions to build models are not included, and you need a large variety of LEGO pieces to build many of the items. If you have an extensive LEGO collection, the last two books would be fantastic for you.

LEGO is such a great toy, don't you think? I love that LEGO helps kids learn about structures, AND it encourages them to use their imaginations.

Happy reading, and happy building!

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

10 Books that you are going to want to take on your next Vacation

There is nothing like a reading a great book when you are on vacation. For a vacation book, I love an easy read that I can't put down, don't you? So today, I am sharing 10 of my favourite vacation books (in no particular order). If there is a book on this list that you haven't read, I highly recommend clicking the link and ordering it from Amazon today! 

Note: These are Amazon affiliate links, so if you order using one of these links, I will receive a small commission (at NO extra cost to you) that will help me to continue to provide free content on this blog. Thank you!


1) Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens 
(click the link above for more details)

2) Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine by Gail Honeyman
(click the link above for more details)

3) Educated by Tara Westover
(click the link above for more details)

4) The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
(click the link above for more details)

5) The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
(click the link above for more details)

6) All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
(click the link above for more details)

7) Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
(click the link above for more details)

8) Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt
(click the link above for more details)

9) The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
(click the link above for more details)

10) The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena
(click the link above for more details)

Have you read any of these books? What's next on your reading list? There really is nothing better than a good book... especially when you are on vacation. Am I right?!?

I'm looking for a book for my next vacation. Leave me your recommendations in the comments below. Thanks!

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Great Books for Getting Kids Engaged... with something OTHER than electronics

When I was a little girl, I owned a book called "Things to Make and Do", and I loved it. I would leaf through the pages of the book and get inspired to do science experiments, make crafts, and learn new games. There was something fantastic about having a book full of things to make and do. So... in keeping with my childhood experience, I thought it would be fun to get some books that would inspire my kids to get engaged with new activities... and away from their electronics.

Note: I was given these books (at no cost) by DK books in exchange for my truthful review. I have also included Amazon links in this post. If you purchase one of these books using my link, I will receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you!

These are the three books I chose for my boys.

Science is Magic by Steve Mould - Teaches you to amaze your friends with spectacular science experiments.

The Campfire Cookbook - Recipes for BBQing at home and cooking over a campfire.

Science You Can Eat - Teaches you the science behind cooking and baking... part cookbook/part science reference.

Of the three books, "Science is Magic" was the biggest hit. My 10 year old really enjoyed it. 

We've already learned a couple of magic tricks, and we made a drawing come to life. We drew a picture on a plate, we covered it with cold water, and then we watch as the picture detached from the plate and floated around. Fun, right?

We still have a lot of activities in our books to try, but we are already having a lot of fun. If you are looking for a unique gift for your kids or their friends, these books are great options. I love finding new ways to engage kids WITHOUT electronics, don't you?

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Simple Summer Science with Maker Lab Books

Disclosure: I was given Maker Lab books from DK books in exchange for my truthful review. Opinions in this blog are (as always) 100% my own. My boys really did love these books! (Also, I have included Amazon affiliate links in this post. If you purchase a book, I will get a small commission, at NO extra cost to you.

Recently, DK books sent my boys three "Maker Lab" books, and this weekend, I let my boys check them out. They immediately came up with a list of science experiments and projects that they want to do. I think these books are going to keep us pretty busy over their summer break!

Eventually, we came to a consensus, and we decided to start by making a glowing ice orb (inspired by the Star Wars Maker Lab book). We filled a balloon with water, left it in the fridge for 9 hours, removed it from the fridge, broke and removed the balloon, crack open the week side of the ice, poured out the water, and inserted glow sticks. We went into a dark room, and the kids admired the awesome glowing orb we made.

Here it is from a couple of different angles.

Then, we decided to do another experiment with our ice orb. We put it in a bowl, we poured salt over it, and we added food colouring. The rivers of colour created by the melting ice were super-cool.

We even looked at it in a dark room with a flashlight shining up through it.

I know my boys will be making a lot of things from these books this summer. They are especially excited about the Star Wars Maker Lab, but all three books are filled with wonderful projects.

Star Wars Maker Lab

 

Maker Lab: Outdoors

Maker Lab: 28 Super Cool Projects

I seriously encourage you to check out these kid-friendly science/ activity books. They really will get your kids reading and excited about about learning. 

Check out this cool projector my 12 year old made using a couple of boxes, a dollar store magnifying glass, and some duct tape.

How are you preventing the "summer slide" while the kids are on vacation this year? These Maker Lab books will educate AND entertain them... and it doesn't get much better than that! 

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)