Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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When fear makes you small, friendship makes you tall

Shrinking Violet by Laurel Snyder and LeUyen Pham

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The book, Shrinking Violet by Laurel Snyder and illustrated by LeUyen Pham is a fun and sweet story dealing with the common themes of fear and bravery. We also have friendship and how that ties into overcoming the fear to be brave. While the themes are not new, the presentation gives things a fresh and clever take. The colors and details are rich, but not “too much” and allow focus on the story. The only real issue I had (since I read this due late […]

Even grownups have fears

Melvina Whitmoore (More or Less a Horror Story) by Faith Capalia

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cbr15bingo Adulthood: Melvina is an adult, but has relatable issues for all of us. I was looking for a book that was a smidgen more spooky when I picked up Melvina Whitmoore (More or Less a Horror Story). Not that I wanted horror (after all it was a picture book for kids), but something “spooky” (like a ghost who says boo a lot and shakes some chains, or something like that). Instead, we get a story of Melvina Whitmoore who is afraid of everything (spiders, […]

The non-swimmer in his crocodile family

Swim, Jim by Kaz Windness

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One day in the swamp, three crocodile siblings are born. Kim, Sim and Jim. Kim and Sim both jump right into the water to swim, but Jim? Well, he just puts his toe in. And like typical siblings, the others tease Jim. But though his parents reassure him he will swim when ready, he feels the swamp is too big and he must find a smaller swamp, and then everyone will realize that Jim can swim in, Swim, Jim by Kaz Windness. Okay, so the […]

“Committing it to ink makes it truer.”

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen

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This was a warm blanket of a macabre fantasy Romance about life, death, and making yourself actually live your life that I devoured in a day and have spent nearly a week searching my mind for how to review. There are a couple things that have held up the writing, one that it’s a weird book that is both very straightforward in its description but the minute you scratch at its surface it gets quite difficult to nail down, and second that this is a […]

Home Run Time

R.B.I. Robots (Fuzzy Baseball, #3) by John Steven Gurney

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cbr14bingo,  Funky Funky meanings: having an earthy, blues-based quality or character. having an offensive smell; evil smelling; foul. adjective funkier or funkiest informal (of music) passionate, soulful; of or pertaining to funk authentic; earthy stylish and exciting; cool, funky jeans overcome with great fear; terrified. John Steven Gurney (whom I missed when he came to my store due to a headache I was fighting) has a great baseball series called Fuzzy Baseball. I have read them out of order, which mostly is okay, but I […]

Do You Have the Need? The Need to Read?

The Need by Helen Phillips

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Helen Phillips knows how to grab your attention. My pulse was already quickening on the very first page. I had to read as much of it as quickly as I could; the chapters are snappy and taught. I had to stop myself from skimming to the bottom of every page. I was desperate for relief; chapters whip back and forth between the present and several hours ago and I just had to know what nasty break was waiting for me in the present. My distress […]



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