Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


I should save this for a bingo or something like this, but I gotta tell you about the book that made me cry

We Are Pan by Andre R. Frattino and Yasmín Flores Montañez

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A little over a year ago I read Tokyo Rose – Zero Hour by Andre R. Frattino and illustrator Kate Kasenow. I gave it a rating of four. When I was looking for my review from 2025, I found another review that was from 2023 (if you haven’t guessed, I came late to the party) on here that was also a four. I mention this other book because not only is it a great book and should be promoted when it can, Frattino is the […]

For Pride Month and any month

Guinea Pigs Don't Wear Pants by Chris Paul Rainbows Farias

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The email came that said: PW’s Grab a Galley – Guinea Pigs Don’t Wear Pants. It continued Dear You Thank you for requesting Guinea Pigs Don’t Wear Pants through Publishers Weekly’s Summer 2026 Grab-a-Galley event. I’m excited to share that your name was selected as one of the winners for the title. See attached for your digital advance review copy.   So, since I won, I should read it, right?  I had a few minutes before I needed to send some reports and a few […]

Mountains! Around the world!

Mountainous by Julia Kuo

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Looking at the cover of Mountainous by Julia Kuo made me think that the book was going to be a book that “feels good” and has a mindfulness quality to it. And it does, but it is not just that. This unique work features a clever, sweet, and interesting story that blends meditation, self-esteem, and imagery to create a truly special experience. It shows (from the publisher’s description) that When the world moves so fast, mountains seem to stand still. But mountains move and change […]

Not the Alphabet book I grew up on

Queer History A to Z: 100 Years of LGBTQ+ Activism b by Robin Stevenson and Vivian Rosas

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Queer History A to Z: 100 Years of LGBTQ+ Activism by Robin Stevenson and illustrated by Vivian Rosas is a middle grade alphabet book that is also a landmine of wonder tidbits. The version I found was from 2024 and was still an online copy. However, it was not complete so I hope to find a finished copy sometime. The list of letters and definitions are not just A is for Activist, or M is for Marsha P (though they do make an appearance) but […]

The Gale

The Gale by Mo Yan, Chengliang Zhu and Ying-Hwa Hu

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The Gale is a beautiful and sad story. It is also a unique story and the back story is as good, if not better, about how the inspiration came about. There was a lot of love that went into this story and creation of the book. Author Mo Yan, illustrator Chengliang Zhu, translator  Ying-Hwa Hu and adapter  Xiaoxiao Guan had their work cut out for them. This is a story that looks like it is going one way, but soon goes another. It blows around […]

Middle-grade picture book

Finding My Spark by Isabelle Jameson, Ann Marie Boulanger and Sylvain Cabot

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A recent online read (due mid August 2026) was Finding My Spark by Isabelle Jameson, Ann Marie Boulanger (translator), and Sylvain Cabot (illustrator). It is an upbeat and positive coming out story for a trans boy. The publisher description says it is a middle grade read but the picture book format might be a turnoff for that age. Yet, it  could work as a read-aloud in the classroom or siblings dealing with a sibling or classmate’s transition. Due to the translation there were some bumps […]



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