Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time
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A piece of the story

Song of a Blackbird by Maria van Lieshout

October 8, 2025 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

To be honest, I have a lot of books that get misplaced. I put them in safe places and well, they are so safe even I can’t find them. But there is always a way to find them. And with Song of a Blackbird by Maria van Lieshout that way was the library and interlibrary loan.  A powerful and beautifully done story of family and the horrors of war unfolds across the pages. As it is told via a blackbird, things at times become almost […]

Filed Under: Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic Novels/Comic Books, Health, History, Mystery, Non-Fiction, Religion, Suspense, Young Adult Tagged With: #Netherlands, 1940-1945, 20th Century, 21st Century, amsterdam, Dutch Resistance, europe, family, German occupation, Holocaust, Maria van Lieshout, Multigenerational, resistance, war, World War 2

BlackRaven's CBR17 Review No:446 · Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic Novels/Comic Books, Health, History, Mystery, Non-Fiction, Religion, Suspense, Young Adult · Tags: #Netherlands, 1940-1945, 20th Century, 21st Century, amsterdam, Dutch Resistance, europe, family, German occupation, Holocaust, Maria van Lieshout, Multigenerational, resistance, war, World War 2 ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

Experience of sadness

Sad Book by Michael Rosen

October 8, 2025 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

A while back I found the companion book to Michael Rosen’s Sad Book. Therefore, I figured I should see how the whole thing started and got a copy of the book from my library. After finishing it, I think that The Sad Book is a well done book on dealing with grief, but the second book, Where Are You, Eddie? (coming in Summer 2026) was more detailed and the stronger read of the two. With that said, I feel that The Sad Book could be […]

Filed Under: Children's Books, Fiction, Health, Non-Fiction, Poetry Tagged With: & Sons, family, fathers, grief, Michael Rosen, parents, Social Themes

BlackRaven's CBR17 Review No:444 · Genres: Children's Books, Fiction, Health, Non-Fiction, Poetry · Tags: & Sons, family, fathers, grief, Michael Rosen, parents, Social Themes ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

One tough Cookie

Rainbow Cookies by Lesléa Newman

October 8, 2025 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

I was nervous that I was not going to like Rainbow Cookies by Lesléa Newman and illustrated by Z. B. Asterplume. I have read several LGBTQ titles and they were starting to feel repetitive. Not to say they were bad or anything, I just wanted something a little different than what I had been reading. And Newman’s book is it. We really focus on the idea of helping each other in our community via a special cookie. We are focusing on Love is Love, but […]

Filed Under: Children's Books, Cooking/Food, Fiction Tagged With: community, family, friendship, Leslea Newman, LGBTQ, Prejudice & Racism, Social Themes, Z. B. Asterplume

BlackRaven's CBR17 Review No:439 · Genres: Children's Books, Cooking/Food, Fiction · Tags: community, family, friendship, Leslea Newman, LGBTQ, Prejudice & Racism, Social Themes, Z. B. Asterplume ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

What have we learned in the past 80 years? (from publisher description)

Barbed Wire Between Us by Mia Wenjen

October 7, 2025 by BlackRaven 2 Comments

Barbed Wire Between Us by Mia Wenjen and illustrated by Violeta Encarnación was a WOW book. It was not necessarily the story itself (though that is pretty wild) it was the way it was formatted that really made it work for me. It is a fantastic circular story that shows how history can repeat. But not only that, the text is repeated. We start with a young girl who is behind a fence in the 1940s. How she gets there, the thoughts and feelings she […]

Filed Under: Children's Books, Fiction, Health, History, Non-Fiction, Poetry Tagged With: 20th Century, 21st Century, family, Mia Wenjen, prejudices & racism, Social Themes, United States, Violeta Encarnación

BlackRaven's CBR17 Review No:436 · Genres: Children's Books, Fiction, Health, History, Non-Fiction, Poetry · Tags: 20th Century, 21st Century, family, Mia Wenjen, prejudices & racism, Social Themes, United States, Violeta Encarnación ·
Rating:
· 2 Comments

Welcome to my Two Books in One Review review 

Thank You, School by Louise Borden

Finding My Wave by Alexandra Katona

October 6, 2025 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

I found two books (hence the title) that were nice, cozy and enjoyable but I did not want to weaken reviewing either solo as I didn’t want to add fluff to them. Therefore, please enjoy these shorter reviews that hopefully do not leave out the good stuff. Thank You, School by Louise Borden and illustrator Paige Keiser  due March 2026 Read via an online reader copy. Through a series of poems, children thank each person (from bus drivers to teachers) who help make their school […]

Filed Under: Children's Books, Fiction, Poetry Tagged With: Alexandra Katona, Education, family, grandmothers, Hispanic, Latino, Louise Borden, Multigenerational, Paige Keiser, Sara Palacios, school, Social Themes, Stories in Verse, surfing, Water Sports

BlackRaven's CBR17 Review No:435 · Genres: Children's Books, Fiction, Poetry · Tags: Alexandra Katona, Education, family, grandmothers, Hispanic, Latino, Louise Borden, Multigenerational, Paige Keiser, Sara Palacios, school, Social Themes, Stories in Verse, surfing, Water Sports ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

Dance like your ancestors are watching

I Am a Bon Dancer by Brandi-Ann Uyemura

October 6, 2025 by BlackRaven 1 Comment

Recently I noticed that I have been reading a lot of titles that are similar to each other, be it the theme or the way it is presented. Therefore, I was hoping to find a few new themes or at least new ways of presenting them. In I Am a Bon Dancer, by Brandi-Ann Uyemura and Amy Matsushita-Beal (the lovely illustrations creator) the dance itself is a new way of presenting an old theme, but the idea of family and trying your best has been […]

Filed Under: Children's Books, Fiction, History, Religion Tagged With: Amy Matsushita-Beal, Asian American & Pacific Islander, Brandi-Ann Uyemura, Buddhist, Dance, family, grandparents, traditions

BlackRaven's CBR17 Review No:433 · Genres: Children's Books, Fiction, History, Religion · Tags: Amy Matsushita-Beal, Asian American & Pacific Islander, Brandi-Ann Uyemura, Buddhist, Dance, family, grandparents, traditions ·
Rating:
· 1 Comment
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