Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Fill ‘er up

Buddy the Bucket Filler by Maria Dismondy and Carol McCloud

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Buddy is a bucket filler. And in Buddy the Bucket Filler we find out what this is (doing nice things to help other people fill their imaginary happiness bucket) and how to do it. Maria Dismondy and Carol McCloud create a short story about how Buddy, a young kid visiting his great uncle for a week during the summer, helps the people of Uncle Frank’s town. They find ways to get barbecue sauce to the barbecue picnic. They help a neighbor carry her groceries; they […]

How a storm made friendship

The Shelter: Deluxe 5th Anniversary Edition by Celine Claire

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I read via an online reader copy the fifth anniversary edition of The Shelter that is due in mid-October 2023.  I am not sure what might be new about this Celine Claire story, but I do know that somehow, I missed it when it first came out. Granted, I am not thinking this is the best book ever, but it is a solid book with equally strong illustrations by Qin Leng. The idea is an old story with a theme of giving to others, sharing […]

Sweet

My Little Sweet Boy by Hilary Duff

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I have said it before, that I do not usually expect a lot of a celebrity written book and in particular a picture books. I am not a Hilary Duff fan, but I was pleasantly surprised by her My Little Sweet Boy. The idea is simple, the narrator says all the things they hope for their child, the things the child will see and do and experience. The child will need to be patient, wait in lines, and feel the feels they must feel. They […]

To dream the impossible dream (and how to take care of it)

I Want to Be a River by Cecile Elma Roger

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Able, when he grows up, he wants to be a river. But since unrealistic dreams are not allowed, his friends try to discourage him. And eventually, they do. Of course, then Able is no longer their smiling, happy friend; but a sad, unsmiling one, and they are aware of the thing that they did. The themes of I Want to Be a River are to help others embrace their dreams no matter how ridiculous they are, and when things are quiet and you are alone […]

Did they use Monsters Ink to write this?

Why Did the Monster Cross the Road? by R. L. Stine

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When you have two powerhouse writers and illustrators like R. L. Stine and Marc Brown, you figure you will have a homerun out of the park hit. Um. Sorry, not this time. Oh, I am not saying Why Did the Monster Cross the Road? was not good, it just was not a huge win for me. Some of the jokes were amusing (Why did the Monster cross the road? To bite someone on the other side) but not all of them (What did the monster […]

The End of An Empire

The Final Empire - Mistborn Era 1 by Brandon Sanderson

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I had this book on my TBR for a loooooong time, and I’m so glad I finally got around to it. It was every bit as good as everyone said. Vin is an orphan who grew up hungry in the slums. She always knew that she had an ability she called “Luck” that helped her in tricky situations. What she didn’t know was that she was actually an Allomancer, or a “Mistborn”, someone gifted with the power to draw magical abilities from metals. She is […]



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