Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


One thread to connect them all

One Red Thread: A Story of Connection by Lindsay Ward

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One Red Thread: A Story of Connection by Lindsay Ward (author and illustration, read via an online reader copy, due September 2026) has everything I dislike about a book. It is too sweet, too cute, too happy-joy-joy, too kumbaya-yah. And yet, while it was too much for me, I think this book has great potential for all ages, including adults. And, for some reason, despite my dislikes I really liked this book.  The illustrations are cute, simple but are not lacking. I like how the […]

And I didn’t even mention it felt like it was book two to start with.

Silver Vessels by Steve Orlando

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If the graphic novel, Silver Vessels by Steve Orlando and illustrated by Katia Vecchio was any less believable, I would expect to see Bobby Ewing in the shower at the end of it. If you know that reference you’re not part of the aimed at ages of 10 and up. Who will  love the precocious teens, their hunting mysterious sunken treasure, the mysterious APEX bad guys, the coming of age elements. But this adult reader feels there were a lot of really unbelievable parts. My […]

This book is out now, so lucky you! You don’t have to wait.

The Endless Game by J.D. Amato and Sophie Morse

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The Endless Game by J.D. Amato and illustrator Sophie Morse has some plot points that I personally dislike, but kids at least aged 9 and up would be the perfect audience for this graphic novel. The concept is for decades the two sides of the town have been at odds. Think “greasers and socs.” Think “Uptown Kids vs. Downtown Kids.” Think “Hatfield and McCoys.”  Then one day, the mayor of the town decides to have a “friendly” game of Capture the Flag to have some […]

Life, love and rock climbing

Kirby's Lessons for Falling [in Love] by Laura Gao

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Kirby’s Lessons for Falling [in Love] was neither loved nor hated. I mean, Laura Gao did a lovely job of story, text and art, but at the same time, I was thinking, “Something is missing.” It moved quickly, has some new takes on familiar themes, and for the most part I like how things turned out. Yet, giving it a score is hard as I loved most of it, but there were places I did not. Probably why I am having trouble figuring out a […]

When did Frenemies become a word?

Dragon vs. Unicorn: Friends or Frenemies? by P.J. Hoover and Lisa Wiley

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Dragon vs. Unicorn: Friends or Frenemies? by P.J. Hoover and Lisa Wiley (illustrator) might be, if not the first, one of the first or few Choose Your Own Adventures books I have read via an online reader (though it is currently available).  Online reading of a CYOA is not an easy task, unlike this book which is a quick read for the adult and a decent read for the at least five and up (around a young nine) crowd.  Unicorn and Dragon are two friends […]

From the author of Bad Sisters comes, Bad Friend?

Wrong Friend by Charise Mericle Harper and Rory Lucey

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Online reader copies were clogging up my number of emails I had saved. One of those was Wrong Friend by Charise Mericle Harper and Rory Lucey as Illustrator. It came out in January 2026, therefore you can run out and get yourself, or your child more likely, a copy.  And while I enjoyed this fun, easy but not simple, story about friendship and changes, there was no wow factor for me. Things were messy, but then again, friendships are messy. As the adult reading I […]



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