Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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Oddly comforting book

A Hug from Heaven by Anna Whiston-Donaldson

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My cousin and I were texting a few days before the new year. She mentioned her youngest son was having issues dealing with the death of his father. Now, this is not unusual, but he passed a couple of years ago. You would think he would have been dealing with things then. But he is autistic and was young when his dad passed. Now he is starting to “mature” and realize the things that kids do about death, such as: Dad is not coming back […]

Through the grieving process

Bon Voyage, Mister Rodriguez by Christiane Duchesne

The Immortal Jellyfish by Sang Miao

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Today, two books arrived for a customer. I figured these books were new, being promoted or had a contemporary theme as they were purchasing two copies each. They are important as they both deal with the deal of an older male/grandfather. This tricky subject has books that really work or do not depending on beliefs. In November 2019 we saw Bon Voyage, Mister Rodriguez and August 2019 The Immortal Jellyfish published. While they might not be my personal first choices, they were lovely books that […]

New York Times Book Review told us:

Just Because by Mac Barnett

I Miss My Grandpa by Jin Xiaoling

The Famer by Abadia Ximo

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New York Times Book Review told us a few months back what their 67th annual list of Best Illustrated Children’s Books for 2019 was. I picked up one or two here and there and today I found myself reading three. My “like” of Just Because by Mac Barnett comes from Isabelle Arsenault’s illustrations. They are simple, with a lack of a traditional color, but the details are far from simplistic. The story (a child asking all the questions even many adults want to know) is […]

Nature, love, loss, magnolia flowers and friendships

Pilu of the Woods by Mai K. Nguyen

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**possible spoilers** I read Pilu of the Woods by accident. I was looking at graphic novels and meant to just look at it, but it got into my purchase pile. And even though it was a surprise find, I strongly recommend Mai K. Nguyen and their graphic novel about loss, family, grief and coming to terms with it all. In fact, so much so that I am planning on donating my copy to my library in honor of a friends first grand-baby. (Which I know […]

Two heads are better than one, unless you are a PushMe-PullYou

My Father’s Words by Patricia MacLachlan

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#cbr11bingo #TwoHeadsareBetterThanOne My Father’s Words by Patricia MacLachlan is a modern story with the classic elements of loss, family, friendships and growth. While some areas are based on the authors own life, this is a fictious story about a young girl, Fiona, and her family dealing with the loss of her father. Told in Fiona’s voice, we see the past mixed in with the current grief the characters all share. But a grief all must process differently. Like many of MacLachlan’s stories, this is a sweet story. […]

Life might not be basketball, but basketball can be Life

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

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My goal this year was to read books I tend not to read. I was doing well but quickly fell back into my comfort zones. One being YA graphic novels. As far as I know, I have not read any Kwame Alexander novels. I might have read a short story or two, but that is it. Therefore, I have wanted to add him to my To Be Read List and figured a graphic novel was a good way. What it turned out to be was […]



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