Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


It’s time for the girls to get the job done

Aru Shah and the End of Time: the Graphic Novel by Roshani Chokshi

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Step aside all you Pandavas (heroes), Aru (and Mini) are in town! Aru Shah and the End of Time: the Graphic Novel is a heavy feminist take on the hero/heroine story arc. Two Indian American girls (who are two of the reincarnated Pandava brothers who battled in a civil war with their 1000 cousins), must battle mythical beings, with help from the Gods that claim them. With quirky humor mixed in, this heavy on text graphic novel has some fun illustrations, interesting adventures and a […]

Keep an eye on your enemies, but watch your family closer

The Keeper by Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes

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Some days I just cannot get into reading (and you know I like to read). And when that happens I take a break from reading. This happened recently, and when I came back to it, I found the graphic novel,  The Keeper by Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes.  I was not sure what I would be reading about. It was not giving away secrets: there is a girl on the cover; some designs look like it could be a combination of adventure and maybe fantasy. […]

A Man and a Muse

Mother Christmas Volume 1: The Muse by Valya Dudycz Lupescu

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I would have preferred reading the completed story of Mother Christmas Volume 1: The Muse, but this first volume is strong, if not open-ended and left me with a few questions. Valya Dudycz Lupescu had a curious mind as a child and that took them into adulthood where they followed mythology, legends, folk and fairy tales to their “why.” AS St. Nicholas and Santa Claus played a role in their lives (St. Nicholas was from their Ukraine heritage  and Santa from their American side) they […]

“I’m still going to move them out of my wanigan, but I’ll give you odds two-to-one that after they move out there’s going to be spontaneous combustion.”

Pilgrim's Wilderness: A True Story of Faith and Madness on the Alaska Frontier by Tom Kizzia

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The Pilgrim family seems to be a lovable, if eccentric addition to the town of McCarthy, Alaska, and soon win many supporters for their battle for landowner rights with the National Park Service. But the head of the clan is keeping some secrets, and the family’s lifestyle is not as idyllic as it seems. Having lived in bustling cities all my life, life in remote Alaska has always sounded surreal to me – and so I’ve often thought about how it would go if I […]

Rhythm and butterflies

A Flicker of Hope: A Story of Migration by Cynthia Harmony

Rhythm by Jackie Azua Kramer

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Perseverance in an interesting concept. And within the picture books A Flicker of Hope: A Story of Migration and Rhythm, we see two different ways of obtaining that.  Both titles are due mid-February 2024 and were read via an online reader copy. Cynthia Harmony made a book that has the migration of not only monarchs, but people too, in A Flicker of Hope. When Lucia and her father notice that the monarch butterflies are getting ready for their trip North, they know the journey of […]

Two languages one story

Okāwīsimāw Omēkiwin Askīhkānihk Ohci: Auntie’s Rez Surprise by Heather O’Watch

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My 250 words for a review are almost taken up by the Nehiyaw title, Okāwīsimāw Omēkiwin Askīhkānihk Ohci: Auntie’s Rez Surprise (translated by Dorothy Thunder). I am sorry to say there was not a glossary or pronunciation guide in either of the versions I read (I also read the English only version, just titled Auntie’s Rez Surprise). Therefore, I was unable to truly appreciate the language. At first the dual languages were a bit confusing, making the pages crowded, but I quickly was able to […]



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