Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

“Could animorphing BE any creepier?”

The Message by K. A. Applegate

The Predator by K. A. Applegate

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As of book five, I have officially read an Animorphs book from each main character’s POV, and I gotta say, I’m a Marco girlie. But I was always a big fan of the funny short guy (Max Casella in Newsies, I’ll love you forever). In book 4, The Message, Cassie and Tobias begin receiving telepathic messages from an unknown creature in need. The group figures out it’s likely an Andalite that is seemingly stuck in their spaceship underwater, and they learn to morph into dolphins […]

Ursula Le Guin is a Bad Ass

The Wild Girls by Ursula Le Guin

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The Wild Girls is a small collection of writings by Ursula Le Guin, as well as one interview. I enjoyed this book enormously and it’s a quick read. The first piece is a short story from which the collection gets its name. The Crown men, the elite denizens of a nearby city, kidnap children of the “dirt people,” otherwise known as slaves. They steal a little girl named Mal, whose sister Modha chases after them until she’s caught up with the cadre of soldiers. Among […]

Two Cozy Books for Winter

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson

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After a December that felt more like early autumn, winter weather has finally arrived at my house. So it’s time to break out some cozy winter books. This week in my classroom, we read “The Snowy Day,” and “Bear Snores On.” “The Snowy Day” is a classic for a reason. It tells the story of a little boy named Peter, and the day he spends playing in the snow. Peter makes footprints, knocks piles of snow off a tree, slides down snow piles and every […]

I came in like a Cannonball!

One Can by Eric Walters

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One Can by Lana Button, Eric Walters and Isabelle Malenfant  is due in September 2025 and I had the opportunity to read it via an online reader copy. And I was not prepared for the story. I figured it might be something about how wonderful a can is and all the wonderful things it can do (store food, pennies, shells, etc) or how you can recycle it and it can have a second life. Instead of something nice and cute, something that has been done […]

One summer of food, friends, family

Speak Up, Santiago!: A Hillside Valley Graphic Novel by Julio Anta

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Speak Up, Santiago!: A Hillside Valley Graphic Novel by Julio Anta and illustrator Gabi Mendez is a story about friendship (even to yourself), family and finding your place. The cultural references, the ideas of community and more comes to life. The feeling is a younger The Misfits by James Howe, with colorful illustrations that brings Santi and his four new friends together.  In the end it is a cozy read that is both familiar and fresh. Santi is trying to come to terms with not […]

Junie B. and the kinda smelly book

Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus: The Graphic Novel by Barbara Park and Colleen A. F. Venable

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I can see why people did not like Junie B. Jones novels after reading Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus: The Graphic Novel, and not just because of the words “stupid” and “smelly” are used by Junie B. I will say her attitude could be likened to Eloise or DW Read from the Arthur tv series. So if you like Eloise or DW like characters, you will love Junie B. Jones. The author Colleen A. F. Venable adapted Barbara Parks’ beloved Junie B. […]



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