Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Little Sister has punch

Jonna and the Unpossible Monsters volume 1 by Chris Samnee

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I was going to include Jonna and the Unpossible Monsters volume 1 with Barb the Last Berzerker not because they are by the same author(s) and/or illustrator(s), or even because they had similar themes. Now, they do both have a wild child (Barb in one and Jonna in the other), but their paths are radically different. One is on a journey to stop an evil wizard and likes to have a chat or two, the other hits first, second, last and does not talk much […]

Family, Friends, Fashion

Lizard in a Zoot Suit by Marco Finnegan

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One crazy (not so little) book that takes you to the 1940s and shows us how fashion caused a riot. Or more accurately, the fact people wore something “different” and were “different” and the prejudices against being different caused people to cause a riot. Lizard in a Zoot Suit shows the layers of events that would lead to the events that would lead to the real-life Zoot Suit Riots. The fact there is a disguised Lizard creature trying to help two sisters when they find […]

Mirror Mirror on the Wall I’ve Become My Mother Afterall

I Am Not Starfire by Mariko Tamaki

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I Am Not Starfire is a lighthearted coming of age/this girl isn’t like the other superhero story.  There are several obvious situations and solutions, but Mariko Tamaki’s text makes them fun and while not necessarily fresh, they are enjoyable to read. There are several characters who are diverse (due to race, sexuality, or personality). Of course, the story of the superhero Titan Starfire is multi-layered: she is the ultimate immigrant (she is not from this world), she is a single mom, and she is raising […]

Siblings to die for

The Blood Between Us by Z Brewer

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Had I been myself as a teenager (and I was) this book would have been a huge hit. The Blood Between Us is a thriller filled with distrust, explosions, and family secrets. Until you get to the end. And this was when my adult-self kicked in and the teenager who forgave a lot to just enjoy the story, came into play. The buildup was strong, but slow. All evidence points to an obvious ending (but honestly would be a satisfying one). That is, until the […]

Read me Seymour…. and Betty, and Moncia, and Fred, and Robbie, and George….

The Girl From the Sea by Molly Ostertag

Lilla the Accidental Witch by Eleanor Crewes

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I am combining the reviews for The Girl From the Sea by Molly Ostertag and Lilla the Accidental Witch by Eleanor Crewes because they have similar themes and I am not really sure I can do a 250 word count review for them as they are similar to many other titles I have reviewed here and would be repeating myself. Both books are about being yourself, learning to trust your friends and family and finally, coming out and into your own. But they are worth […]

Romeo and Juliet tackle social issues

The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Rivera

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The Education of Margot Sanchez came up in at a time when I was looking for something different, not too “light”, but not too “heavy” either. And the book Lilliam Rivera presented was a story of coming of age when your world is not as perfect as it might seem. There is a lot to this story to make it a familiar story. We have the “trying to fit in with the cool crowd” plot line. We have the “abandoning old friends who don’t fit […]



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