Cannonball Read 11

Sticking it to Cancer One Book at a Time

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Being the Man of the House

Keeping the Night Watch by Hope Anita Smith

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Looking at Keeping the Night Watch I figured it was going to be like Nikki Grimes or Nikki Giovanni. However, what it is like is a mix of both Grimes, Giovanni and Jason Reynolds, Jewell Parker Rhodes, Jacqueline Woods and what I think Kwame Alexander sounds like. I was unfamiliar with Hope Anita Smith before getting this gem in my shiny green package (see Go Sports Ball! review). However, unlike the others, this was not a new book but from 2008 (paper 2014). I am hoping this means there is a new edition coming out. Of course, it could just […]

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Buy the following on Amazon and help our mission to stick it to cancer, one book at a time:

We pay for our website first, and then all proceeds above and beyond those fees are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name. Find out how else you can help support our mission.

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4/16/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No:130 |

Gotta get Busy busy busy

Olive & Pekoe: In Four Short Walks by Jacky Davis

Lizzy McTizzy and the Busy Dizzy Day by Sarah Weeks

Woke Baby by Theodore Taylor III

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Once upon a time there was girl who enjoyed reading. And she enjoyed telling other people about these books as well. This girl likes stories about friendship. And while she is not a dog person, she found a must have for dog lovers in a book about two doggie friends named Olive and Pekoe. Olive & Pekoe: In Four Short Walks by Jacky Davis, is a story that is broken up into four different walks. Each of these walks highlights how different these friends are, but also how perfect opposite friends can be. These best of buddies, in Giselle Potter’s […]

Help Support Cannonball Read

Buy the following on Amazon and help our mission to stick it to cancer, one book at a time:

We pay for our website first, and then all proceeds above and beyond those fees are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name. Find out how else you can help support our mission.

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4/15/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No:127 |

When life gives you hurdles, lead with your knee

Lu Track #4 by Jason Reynolds

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I have now come to the final book of Jason Reynolds’ Track series. Lu Track #4 covers the last leg of Ghost, Patina, Sunny and Lu during their time as newbies on a middle-school track and field team. It is bittersweet as I would like to know more, but also it is time to come to the finish line. We follow Lu as his changes include not being a full-time runner but is also doing the hurdles (which, of course, is a metaphor for his life), learning about his father’s past, his mother’s surprise pregnancy, overcoming bullies and fears he […]

Help Support Cannonball Read

Buy the following on Amazon and help our mission to stick it to cancer, one book at a time:

We pay for our website first, and then all proceeds above and beyond those fees are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name. Find out how else you can help support our mission.

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4/11/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No:118 |

Did Not Heart as Much as The Hate U Give

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

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Well, though I did enjoy this book, I didn’t love it as much as The Hate U Give. I could not help making comparisons between Starr and Bri (the main character in this one) and also about the story-lines. I think in the end that Bri was more frustrating to me as a reader. She really doesn’t listen to anyone, though in the end that causes her to forge her own path that can lift her family up out of poverty. However, how realistic is it for many teens to go out and become rap superstars? Should that be a […]

Help Support Cannonball Read

Buy the following on Amazon and help our mission to stick it to cancer, one book at a time:

We pay for our website first, and then all proceeds above and beyond those fees are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name. Find out how else you can help support our mission.

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4/7/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No:83 |

When the Fresh Prince is inspiration for a Fresh Princess

The Fresh Princess, by Denene Millner

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The story Denene Millner created, The Fresh Princess, is a solid one about moving, new places, making friends and being brave. However, while this story has been done before, it is a little different this time. You still get the “upset about moving” and the “jitters” trying to make new friends’ aspects, but it just has a slightly different feel. This could be since this family is black. However, this is not an “issue” (nobody comments on that), they just are a new family in town. The normalcy of this is very refreshing. The other part that could make it […]

Help Support Cannonball Read

Buy the following on Amazon and help our mission to stick it to cancer, one book at a time:

We pay for our website first, and then all proceeds above and beyond those fees are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name. Find out how else you can help support our mission.

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4/5/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No:112 |

Life is better in running shoes

Patina by Jason Reynolds.

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Track #02 Patina is written in the signature style of Jason Reynolds.  This time we look at the life of Patina, or Patty as she prefers. Due to her mother being unable to care for her and her sister, she gives custody of her daughters to her brother and sister-in-law. This brings up many issues for Patty: the biggest being, how can she care for the people she loves. She takes on a “mother roll” to her sister, her mother, her friends and forgets herself. She is not sure why she becomes angry when people “think they know” about her […]

Help Support Cannonball Read

Buy the following on Amazon and help our mission to stick it to cancer, one book at a time:

We pay for our website first, and then all proceeds above and beyond those fees are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name. Find out how else you can help support our mission.

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3/18/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No:77 |

When you know who Maria Tallchief and Misty Copeland are, but are unsure who other non-white dancers are…..

The Story of Ballerina Raven Wilkinson by Leda Schubert

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Trailblazer: The Story of Ballerina Raven Wilkinson is more of a 4.9 rating. I think I wanted a full-length biography and not the medium length picture book Leda Schubert created. However, Schubert does an amazing job of presenting a little-known dancer, woman, African-American and person. If you have a young lady into ballet this would be a good book for them. If you are doing a class about women trailblazers or African-American history this would be a good book to add.  I might even give this to a boy who likes dance. Wilkinson overcame the hurdle of being black in […]

Help Support Cannonball Read

Buy the following on Amazon and help our mission to stick it to cancer, one book at a time:

We pay for our website first, and then all proceeds above and beyond those fees are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name. Find out how else you can help support our mission.

Share the post "When you know who Maria Tallchief and Misty Copeland are, but are unsure who other non-white dancers are….."

2/26/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No:58 |

Life of a Poet: June 7, 1917 – December 3, 2000

A Song for Gwendolyn Brooks by Alice Faye Duncan

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A Song for Gwendolyn Brooks by Alice Faye Duncan is probably my favorite read of 2019 so far. Not only do you get a woman of color presented, you get one who might not be familiar to everyone. She is a poet I knew about but not familiar with. And unlike say, Maya Angelou, there does not seem to be a lot out there about her and especially not for the younger crowd. Therefore, this is a pleasant addition to the biographies of both black people, woman and poets. The format is tricky, as it is a picture book, but […]

Help Support Cannonball Read

Buy the following on Amazon and help our mission to stick it to cancer, one book at a time:

We pay for our website first, and then all proceeds above and beyond those fees are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name. Find out how else you can help support our mission.

Share the post "Life of a Poet: June 7, 1917 – December 3, 2000"

2/5/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No:33 |


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