Cannonball Read 15

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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Probably should have given up the ghost

The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass

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cbr14bingo Minds Level 2  At first The Taking of Jake Livingston was enjoyable. There was enough familiar to make it comfortable, but new enough to not be the same-old-same-old. Even a couple of clichés could be forgiven for they did move the story along. Then there were the clichés that bogged it down. Then the ending (SPOILER) where our narrator walks away free of any consequences from his actions. What could have been something different turned into the same old thing. I was rooting for […]

That isn’t no bull

Clovis Keeps His Cool by Katelyn Aronson

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Did you like The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf? Or mor accurately the movie starring the voice talent of John Cena as Ferdinand? Then you should try this similar title, Clovis Keeps His Cool by Katelyn Aronson. This book is a concept book with the concept being “Clovis is a bull but not a bully.” Clovis tries to be a good, zen-like bull. He runs his grandmother’s china shop (yes, the joke “bull in a china shop is less than subtle), putting his football […]

Up Up and Crash… after saving the day

Sort of Super by Eric Gapstu

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At first, I almost did not finish this book due in March 2022.  I was thinking that Sort of Super was just another kid superhero who has the brain of a grape. One should not be thinking “Dumba$$” about an eleven-year-old/middle school kid. But Wyatt is a dumb dumba$$. I understand not being able to handle his powers or having misunderstandings (we all have had to calibrate to our “other left”), but even a kid should know what a “Muggle Dumbledore” means (not that he […]

Ride ’em cowgirl… or whatever you say to someone who rides English style

Horse Trouble by Kristin Varner

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I do not care what “horse people” think of Horse Trouble by Kristin Varner as it is a delightful story about a young girl who is dealing with the stress of her life and the horses are really “second thoughts that are important to the overall story but shouldn’t be nitpicked about.” The amount of information and images of horses comes from someone with a “horse background” and therefore, I take their lead. What I absolutely adored about this book is the realistic mother and […]

You don’t need a little orange book to be prepared for this book

Worst-Case Collin by Rebecca Caprara

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The prose poetry allows Worst-Case Collin by Rebecca Caprara to be a quick read, but without sacrificing the story. In the tone and style of Love that Dog and Hate that Cat, Caprara created a book that is both familiar in the subjects presented (growing up, bullies, the loss of a parent, friendship, mental health issues) and different (the father’s particular mental health issues). While I felt the ending was a bit forced, it also was the only way to do it. The realism of […]

Not just the middle school blues

Other Boys by Damian Alexander

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We know this story: Boy learning who he is. And we know the story of Boy learning that he is Gay and that’s okay. However, Damian Alexander’s approach makes Other Boys a fresh take on that story. The use of the wording/phrase “other boy(s)” is used throughout the book. Sometimes it is, “You are not like the other boys” and sometimes a bit more subtle, but it is there. Sometimes it is a half-compliment and others times and out and out insult. Both will make […]



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