Cannonball Read 10

Sticking it to Cancer One Book at a Time

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This return to childhood never disappoints (a slightly feminist review)

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

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I’m not sure how old I was the first time I encountered The Phantom Tollbooth, but I do recall that my first exposure was in an anthology in an elementary grade reading class. We read the chapter on the Royal Banquet, where Milo is forced to “eat his words.” It strikes me that this book is likely the first exposure kids have to really understanding figures of speech and the complexity of the English language. For those who haven’t read The Phantom Tollbooth, well first of all, I’m shocked. You really need to stop what you’re doing and get that […]

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Funds raised are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name.

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11/12/2017 's CBR9 Review No:22 |

Cubby returns, to the delight of most

Cubby Returns to Yellowstone by Frances Joyce Farnsworth

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Back in February I reviewed a charming little children’s book called Cubby in Wonderland. Since then, you have no doubt been wondering, whatever happened to that ursine lad? Did he hibernate? Did he go off on his own? Did he encounter any new creatures? All these questions and more are answered in the second and final installment of this series, Cubby Returns to Yellowstone. (Two and out? Frances Joyce Farnsworth was clearly an amateur at milking a series.) When the book opens, Cubby is stirring from a deep sleep, fretting that he feels odd and stiff, and his feet feel […]

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Funds raised are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name.

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10/7/2017 's CBR9 Review No:19 |

Animorphs twofer: One very silly, one very not.

The Underground (Animorphs, #17) & The Decision (Animorphs, #18) by K.A. Applegate

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Apparently instant oatmeal (maple ginger instant oatmeal, to be precise) is like Yeerk heroin, so the Animorphs decide to run a mission down to the Yeerk pool, and see how many Yeerks they can get addicted to it (a process which eventually drives them mad). Man, just typing it out like that makes me feel like their whole plan was super fucked up, and the fact that no one really put up more than a token resistance to it is NOT a good sign for both the morale and morality of our heroes. Aside from the oatmeal complication, this is […]

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9/22/2017 's CBR9 Review No:87 |

You know, for kids!

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Volumes 1-2 by Brandon Montclare, Amy Reeder, Natacha Bustos

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About a year ago, the Marvel Comic Moon Girl got a lot of positive press because its heroine is a young girl of color and because it was revealed that Lunella Lafayette, aka Moon Girl, is perhaps the smartest character in the Marvel Universe, outshining intellects such as Tony Stark and Reed Richards. Lunella is a science/math/engineering wunderkind and a fourth grader. She is also bored at school, friendless, and, in her opinion, deeply misunderstood by most of the people in her life, including but not limited to parents and teachers. The cool thing about these Moon Girl books, and […]

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Purchase Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Volumes 1-2 by Brandon Montclare, Amy Reeder, Natacha Bustos or any item from amazon via our link.

Funds raised are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name.

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6/26/2017 's CBR9 Review No:28 |

Too cute for words (but I’ll try)!

Cubby in Wonderland by Frances Joyce Farnsworth

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I took my first trip to Yellowstone last summer and in one of the official gift shops in the Park, I picked up this innocent little book as a souvenir–supporting the Park Service and all that! Originally published in 1932, Cubby in Wonderland tells the story of a mother bear and her cub as they travel from Grand Teton National Park to Yellowstone and the many interesting critters they meet along the way. I’ll confess, during the opening pages I was all set to make some good-natured jokes about this book, like how everyone is named with their titles: Mr. Moose, Mrs. Otter, etc. What’s gonna happen when […]

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Purchase Cubby in Wonderland by Frances Joyce Farnsworth or any item from amazon via our link.

Funds raised are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name.

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2/20/2017 's CBR9 Review No:4 |

My favorite not my favorite

Dragons at Crumbling Castle and other stories by Terry Pratchett

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Terry Pratchett is one of my favorite authors of all time. I’ve read the Discworld series in its entirety and several of Pratchett’s other works as well. When he passed away in March 2015, the literary world lost one of the contemporary greats, but it seems he left a lot of unpublished things or just works in progress or to be collected. I was looking forward to Dragon’s at Crumbling Castle and Other Stories, which is a collection of juvenalia fiction. Some of the stories did not disappoint, showing the sparks of what Pratchett would eventually become. Others worked less […]

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Funds raised are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name.

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1/29/2017 's CBR9 Review No:6 |

Need a Hero? El Deafo To the Rescue!

El Deafo by Cece Bell

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Well, I couldn’t have chosen a better book to raise my spirits in these trying times. Cece Bell’s Newbery Honor-winning graphic novel is pitched toward kids but will entertain and educate anyone who picks it up. El Deafo is Bell’s account of losing her hearing but finding her power in her childhood. I am the parent of two special needs kids, one of whom wears a hearing aid, and I found myself saying, “wow, I never thought of that,” as Bell recounts what it was like to lose her hearing, learn to live with bulky hearing aids, try to lip-read, […]

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Funds raised are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name.

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1/27/2017 's CBR9 Review No:4 |

Not Just History

The Night Journey by Kathryn Lasky

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I was raised in an interfaith household, and I read a lot of books about young Jewish girls when I was growing up. There was Judy Blume’s Sally and Margaret, Lois Lowry’s Number the Stars, and the All-of-a-Kind Family, of course, but there was also the lesser-known Rachel Bloom and Sashie from The Night Journey. The Night Journey is a simple story–Rachel is 13 years old, growing up in Minnesota with her parents and her great-grandmother, Nana Sashie, who lives with them. Sashie tells the story of her childhood and her family’s escape from Russia to Rachel, and her story is […]

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Purchase The Night Journey by Kathryn Lasky or any item from amazon via our link.

Funds raised are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name.

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1/1/2017 's CBR9 Review No:2 |


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