Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Time to tell a tale

The Moon from Dehradun: A Story of Partition by Shirin Shamsi

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cbr14bingo Time Level 2      Picture book are interesting. If you have a fiction story, well, that can go into any format (picture book, novel, verse). But if you have a non-fiction story or based on a true story and/or event, a picture book is not always my “go to” thought for a subject.  After all, picture books are usually aimed at ages five to eight, therefore, how do you talk about the displacement of Indian and Pakistani peoples when the two peoples have […]

A satisfying job

The Baker by the Sea by Paula White

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cbr14bingo Hot Level 2 & 3 In a village by the sea a young boy’s father is the local baker. And to the young man, nothing could be duller. Baking bread and such must be the worst job. Why would someone do that when you can be a fisherman? But by the end of The Baker by the Sea by Paula White, our young boy learns that if his father did not get up early and make the goodies that he does, the village would […]

So Practically Perfect it is Perfect

Once Upon a Book by Kate Messner and Grace Lin

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cbr14bingo New Level 2 (coming in February 2023)  The only thing that could make this book (Once Upon a Book) cooler is if Tomie de Paola was somehow involved. But since, sadly, he is no longer with us, this cannot not humanly be any better. Because Grace Lin and Kate Messner are perfection as it is solo, therefore, together they are out of this world awesome! This is a sweet book about imagination and some far out fantastic illustrations. The colors pop off the page, […]

Compelling origin stories aren’t just for superheroes

Secret Identity by Alex Segura

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Alex Segura’s Secret Identity tells the story of Carmen Valdez, a 1970s-era employee of second-rate comic book publisher Triumph Comics. Carmen loves comic books and would like to write them, but hasn’t found a way in, given the boys club atmosphere. She thinks she may have found a foothold when her colleague Harvey Stern suggests they collaborate on a new series. Carmen has lots of ideas built up over a lifetime as a comics fan and together she and Harvey create the Legendary Lynx – […]

Magically Heartwarming

The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen

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Crystalclear recommended The Magic Fish to me for it’s fairytales and the beautiful illustrations. And she couldn’t have been more right. Trung Le Nguyen weaves a heartwarming story of Tien and his mother, two Vietnamese immigrants living in the US who are trying to navigate language, culture, and coming of age while battling loneliness and family duty. Tien’s mother asks him to read her fairytales to help her with her English, and as they unfold, they remind her of how the fairytales are different in Vietetamese […]

Baby it is Flipping (only I didn’t say flipping) cold outside

I Survived the Children’s Blizzard, 1888 (I Survived, #16) by Lauren Tarshis

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cbr14bingo Cold  Level 1 & 2   (Images taken from online)   I Survived the Children’s Blizzard, 1888 (I Survived, #16) by Lauren Tarshis is an easy read for stronger readers but could capture some reluctant readers with the boy narrator and the adventure of the blizzard. The ages could start as young as six or seven for the more advanced reader, as there is little in the way of content that could be considered “too much” (I am sure cartoons and movies today have […]



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