Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Asking questions and getting answers

Jibberjack, Fibberjack: A Made-Up Monster Mystery by Stefanie Gamarra

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I almost did not read Jibberjack, Fibberjack: A Made-Up Monster Mystery book. The cover illustration was a bit on the silly side and I was thinking, “eh, maybe not.” Yet, something told me I needed to. Now, this is not the WOWY BEST EVER book, but it was funny, clever and has just enough of an edge to it that makes it great for multiple ages. The elements will charm kid readers and adults will want more of this great clue finding detective.  The silly […]

Gimmie nuggets

I Am a Spicy Nugget by Loryn Brantzas

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I am not the audience for this book, I Am a Spicy Nugget by Loryn Brantzas. This is due to the fact that the illustrations were “awkward” for me. Plus the story itself just did not have a “solid” hit in my “like this book” category. However, if you want a more modern take on the feelings theme, especially on anger, this can be a fun book. The character of our story asks their mother if they can have a penguin and feed them carrots. […]

He might be a mouse but he can ride a moose

Scurry by Mac Smith

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Scurry by Mac Smith is an adorable and serious graphic novel. There are elements of fantasy, science fiction, action and coming of age that are familiar and is also done in a fresh manner. The elements of Secret of Nimh, Lord of the Rings, Warriors, Redwall, and spiritual themes come out, so you will see things you know already and can reference them. The characters are animals therefore, things might not be for sensitive readers (even adults) as there is war and violent situations.  We […]

Life After the Golden Child

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez

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Julia Reyes is 15 when this novel opens, and her older sister Olga has just died in an accident that Julia partially blames herself for. Olga seemed to be the perfect Mexican daughter; she wanted to stay home with family, was content with community college, helped their mother out. Julia, on the other hand, wants to leave home to go to college and become a writer, has a rocky relationship with her mother, and chafes against the restrictions her parents (especially her mother) place on […]

Literature will/might/won’t Save the World. Maybe. I’m not sure the book ever told me.

The Heavens by Sandra Newman

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This book takes some really big swings and while it doesn’t miss, it does seemingly bunt the ball. Commenting on the War on Terror & its justifications in the early 2000s – Check. Historical drama featuring Shakespeare – Check. Questioning if Time Travel does actually happen or is just in the mind of the protagonist a la Twelve Monkeys – Check. I could go on. There’s so much happening here that I found myself skimming backwards in the book like it’s a Choose Your Own […]

Letters, We Get Letters

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

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As suggested by the title, The Correspondent is presented as a collection of letters. Most of them are written by Sybil Van Antwerp, a retired lawyer and chief clerk for a federal judge. At the start of the book, Sybil is living alone, having divorced her husband years before. She has a contentious relationship with her daughter Fiona, an architect living in London. Sybil has been a lifelong proponent of letter-writing, and has kept up the practice to the annoyance of many of her friends […]



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