Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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She’s not the spirit we wanted, but the one we needed

Zawa + The Belly of the Beast by Michael Dialynas

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I was a few pages into Zawa + The Belly of the Beast by Michael Dialynas when I said, “I think this might be a rating of four.” I was not sure why, but the humor and story up to this point made me think I was going to really really like it. Well, I did enjoy it, but not really really liked it. As the story went along, there were some missing pieces, and I was not liking some of the characters (the ones […]

New Cool Book Alert: The Thorn Key

The Thorn Key by Jeana Jorgensen

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The very cool Jeana Jorgensen – folklorist, professor, dancer, and sex educator – has published a gorgeous collection of her fairy tale themed poetry in her new book The Thorn Key! I love Jeana’s academic work. Her books Fairy Tales 101 and Folklore 101 are amazing introductions to both studies, teaching its readers a TON in a way that is fun and conversational. I should have reviewed those here LOL! If you have been interested in learning more about the history and study of fairy […]

Magic!!! (jazz hands)

Pacheco and the Witch of the Mountain: A Graphic Novel by Juan E. Zambrano

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We have seen this story before: Boys cannot do magic. They cannot be witches. The non witches also think witches are evil and bad. Witches think non witches are beneath them and if they have any trace of magic it is not pure and therefore not worthy of paying attention to.  But in Pacheco and the Witch of the Mountain: A Graphic Novel by Juan E. Zambrano (due June 2025) this story is told with a bit of fun and humor, plus a few twists […]

One sweet Bansheenie

Beanie the Bansheenie by Eoin Colfer

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The online reader site I use had a new listing of titles up. I saw the cover of Beanie the Bansheenie by Eoin Colfer and illustrator Steve McCarthy and said, sorry, not now. But I would go back to it. Okay, let’s read the description… banshee, a little girl, death. Nope, not right now. Then went back a third time. Still a no. It would be several looks later that I said I would read it. I still wasn’t sure if I should read, as […]

Pablo probably wishes he was the one stuffed in his locker

Monster Locker Volume 1 by Jorge Aguirre

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Currently available (but I read via an online reader copy), Monster Locker Volume 1 is a fun book that is a bit predictable for adults, but for at least 8 and up (more 10 to 13 perhaps) this is going to be a neat adventure. A mostly diverse cast of characters allows us to see a family following traditions but also forgetting its past. Then magic happens (cue a magic cell phone, a typical kid, and some ancient goddesses) and chaos happens. This is all […]

Fairy tale villains and loving sisters

Into the Goblin Market by Vikki VanSickle

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Recently I located a list of books that were recommended by other booksellers across the country. I found the picture book section and said, “Online reading here I come.” And I was able to read most of them (I have one in physical form so I passed and I have two more to read), but one that really stuck out to me was Into the Goblin Market by Vikki VanSickle and Jensine Eckwall as the illustrator.  It is a contemporary folktale or fairy tale that […]



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