Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

It’s Nutcracker Season, Y’all

The Turnout by Megan Abbott

by 3 Comments

Jumping right in to my first review for my very first Cannonball Read! I am a librarian by trade, and I talk a lot about books. I’m hoping that the Cannonball will help me get into the habit of writing more about what I’m reading! This was my first Megan Abbott, and definitely a slow burn. Our main characters are Dara and Marie Durant, sisters, and Dara’s husband, Charlie. All three are co-proprietors of Durant School of Dance, and they also live together in the […]

Sweet story about the joys and challenges of friendship, identity, and privilege

Stargazing by Jen Wang

by 2 Comments

Stargazing is the most recent graphic novel from Jen Wang of The Prince and the Dressmaker fame.  My 10 year old spotted Stargazing at San Diego Comic Con and we had to bring it home.  She read it in one sitting and then began insisting that I needed to read it.  The Prince and the Dressmaker blew me away so I had high expectations for Stargazing, and Wang did not disappoint.  Once again she explores themes of friendship, identity, and privilege. Christine Hong is Chinese American in a […]

You are what you eat and more

Tomatoes in My Lunchbox by Costantia Manoli

by Leave a Comment

Tomatoes in My Lunchbox by Costantia Manoli is a book about growing up and being different from the Emma’s and Jessica’s of her classroom. Her name is hard to pronounce (it does not sound as you think it would), people wonder why she has a funny sounding name, and why she does not have a sandwich but a whole tomato in her lunchbox, a tomato that squirts the seeds out onto her school clothes. Manoli takes us through being not only being out of place […]

I’m Team Glue, but I see the Importance of Glitter

When Glitter Met Glue (When Pencil Met Eraser) by Karen Kilpatrick

by Leave a Comment

When Glitter Met Glue is part of the When Pencil Met Eraser series by Karen Kilpatrick. They are about our pens, pencils, erasers, markers, and other tools of art/writing that come to life to teach a lesson and entertain. They are a formula that you have seen before but are fresh due to the way German Blanco creates their illustrations. Here we learn about how friendships are created and how even if you are feeling underappreciated, you are still a vital part of the team. […]

Too Close to Home

Too Bright To Hear Too Loud To See by Juliann Garey

by 2 Comments

I always struggle with even rating books that are made more for being sad and discussing something difficult. Since I view reading as a form of entertainment its hard to rate pain as a kind of enjoyment. Juliann Garey takes us into the life and mind of Greyson Todd, a Hollywood studio exec with a wife and daughter whose life seems perfect except for the fact that Greyson has Bipolar 1 disorder. I went into this book completely blind, not knowing what it was about […]

I wish I may, I wish I might, have a friend to play with tonight

The Witchling’s Wish by Lu Fraser

by Leave a Comment

When I posted on Facebook that I had read seven books (all though picture books) I lied, a little. You see it was actually nine (picture) books (I had a busy picture book day). And one of them was The Witchling’s Wish by Lu Fraser and Sarah Massine. Due in July 2022, this book about a young witch (with a not so pointy hat) who wants a friend. She does not mind the critters living with her, or the drips of occasional rain, but she […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo