Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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Human Tornado

Not Really Buddies (Buddy and Bea) by Jan Carr

Tiny Tornadoes (Buddy and Bea) by Jan Carr

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They look adorable on the cover. Two kids ready for adventure. I figured there would be bumps, but nothing like they actually had. Not Really Buddies (Buddy and Bea) by Jan Carr and illustrated by Kris Mukai had more bumps than a Three Stooges movie. The character of Buddy has a lot going on. First, is his name, Buddy. I am assuming that is what he is called and not his birth certificate name, but that is what we are told his name is (after […]

Lots of Good Stuff in these books

Colorful Mondays: A Bookmobile Spreads Hope in Honduras by Nelson Rodriguez

Fiona the Fruit Bat by Dan Riskin

What's Inside a Bird's Nest?: And Other Questions about Nature & Life Cycles by Rachel Ignotofsky

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I like books. You like books. The neighborhood in Tegucigalpa, Honduras likes books. And Luis likes books in Colorful Mondays: A Bookmobile Spreads Hope in Honduras. A lot. And he cannot wait for the bookmobile to come once a week. He cannot wait for the adventures he will find inside books. And he cannot wait for the happy feelings he gets by reading, then telling, the stories. Nelson Rodriguez, Leonardo Agustin Monetes, Rosana Faria, Carla Tabora, and Lawrence Schimel got together and wrote, illustrated and […]

I am The Best! At what, not sure yet…..

Getting Dizzy by Shea Fontana

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I was surprised at the graphic novel, Getting Dizzy. I expected it to be “whiny” and young. However, while it deals with teen angst and the “good enough/not good enough” trope, the not-so-super-superhero story was  not overly cliché. The ending was a tad rushed, the mother a bit too forgiving, but overall it was a pleasant read. The aged 10 to 13-young 14 will enjoy it.  Shea Fontana has a diverse cast, and while there is a “love interest” he, or that potential storyline, is […]

The Flame of the Heart

Flamer by Mike Curato

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The simplicity of Flamer is deceptive. There is a lot going on within an image driven story. The text is realistic, and could be from the year 1995 (when the book is set) or today. The black and white illustrations help the story stay the main focus, and the use of fire and the color red is telling. Red is a strong plot mover/plot point as the red color and images becomes its own character. There is even the use of fire and it too becomes its […]

But who reads to the monsters?

I Will Read to You by Gideon Sterer

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When the publisher’s review of the book starts off with “A gentle blend of spooky and sweet” you pretty much have said the majority of what you need to know about the book. However, you also could say that in I Will Read to You Gideon Sterer has a young boy who wonders who reads to the monsters of the world. He has his mom to read to him, but who do they have? When the mom says no one, because they are monsters, our […]

Drag Queens and Dinosaurs have bellies

B Is for Bellies by Rennie Dyball

Parker’s Place by Russ Willms

Big Wig by Jonathan Hillman

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I was going to use B Is for Bellies by Rennie Dyball as my Bingo Bodies but found another one instead. Therefore, I just decided to add this to a review of two other books about being yourself. Starting with a bunch of bellies (well, we have A first as B is for Bellies is an alphabet book)  we have a self explanatory picture book. This book is about big bellies, small bellies, black and brown, and white and purple bellies (okay maybe not purple). […]



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