Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Was an old favorite, but now it seems boring

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

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“It is helpful to know the proper way to behave, so one can decide whether or not to be proper.” Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine used to be one of my favorite books of all time. Now, reading the description, I’m not sure if it sounds all that. But, maybe I’ll re-read it and be surprised. At birth, a foolish fairy bestowed a “gift” on Ella of Frell. The “gift” of obedience. Ella must obey any order given to her, whether it is to […]

Pretty good, but not my favorite

The Year I Flew Away by Marie Arnold

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The Year I Flew Away by Marie Arnold is a book about immigration and belonging for ages 9-12. It follows the story of Gabrielle, a Haitian girl who immigrates to America. But, ten-year-old Gabrielle must leave her family and friends behind in Haiti. She goes to live in Brooklyn, New York with relatives she has never met. After being bullied at school, Gabrielle tries hard to fit in and become the perfect American. But, to do so she works with a clever witch. In her […]

From Thor to Monkey Kings

Arthur and the Golden Rope: Brownstone's Mythical Collection by Joe Todd-Stanton

Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx: Brownstone's Mythical Collection by Joe Todd-Stanton

Kai and the Monkey King: Brownstone's Mythical Collection by Joe Todd-Stanton

Leo and the Gorgon's Curse: Brownstone's Mythical Collection by Joe Todd-Stanton

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Joe Todd-Stanton has a four (so far) book series about the Brownstone family. They are adventurous children who have amazing times being heroes. The narrator is Professor Brownstone, a Brownstone descendent, and his vaults of books and artifacts. Well they don’t tell the story, but they help us find the stories, as each piece is linked to one of his ancestors and each has its own wonderful, far-out story to tell. The first in the series is Arthur and the Golden Rope: Brownstone’s Mythical Collection. Arthur […]

I can’t tell if this is a good or bad thing.

House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas

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So many thoughts. First and most important? Please get a new editor, Ms. Maas. A brutal editor or team of brutal editors is imperative for the next book. Your literary garden needs some serious weeding, lady. The blooms are there but they are choked under the kudzu. The weight of these books pushes me closer to carpal tunnel syndrome unnecessarily. End of rant. Well, maybe not…This book is another doorstop. Took me over a month to finish it. I nearly stopped reading it several times […]

Charm and irreverance happen to be my two favorite traits.

House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas

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Yep. Still riding the Maas train all the way to the station, I guess. This is the first book in the Crescent City series and it has all of the crazy world-building, will they won’t they, and wing-ed love interests that make a Maas book a Maas book. Whew. I really, really thought I was going to give up on this one until about 1/4 of the way in. Since this is an 800 page doorstop of a book, that was a good 200 pages of me […]

Love, Ghosts and Werewolves

Blackwater by Jeannette Arroyo and Ren Graham

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I found a way to read Blackwater by Jeannette Arroyo and Ren Graham online. Now, I will tell you, buy the book in July instead of doing this. I mean, I read the book that way and still plan on purchasing a copy. Not only do you support an author/illustrator this way, but you will also want to read this book wherever you are. And if you have no service for phone or tablet or whatever kids read on these days, well old school is […]



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