Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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Well-behaved women seldom make history

Rima's Rebellion: Courage in a Time of Tyranny by Margarita Engle

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CBR15Passport Book I own Rima’s Rebellion: Courage in a Time of Tyranny is an interesting book. First, it is prose poetry and while that is usually a good thing for me, I am not sure this was the best format for the subject. Second, it is confusing what age(s) it is aimed for. The tone of the book is for a middle-grade reader (at least aged 10 and up), but the subject matter is more mature. If this was Margarita Engle’s first novel, that bump […]

The connections never end

So Not Ghoul by Karen Yin

Sunflower Sisters by Monika Singh Gangotra

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So Not Ghoul by Karen Yin and Sunflower Sisters by Monika Singh Gangotra have connections in themes and are two very wonderfully different books. However, if you like one, you might just like the other. I will start with the main difference between the two, which is the tone. Yin’s story is while seriously themed, is more humorous, and Gangotra created a story with a more overall serious tone that is still lighthearted in nature. The main and most important similarity is that both the […]

I mean, Bicycle TUSH I get, but Bicycle Face?

Born to Ride: A Story About Bicycle Face by Larissa Theule

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On the surface, Born to Ride: A Story About Bicycle Face is a book about a girl being taught to ride a bicycle by her brother. Looking deeper, Larissa Theule made a piece of history that shows a slice of what women did to gain many rights we take for granted today. The illustrations perfectly complement Theule’s text with the bold use of color and details (which there are a lot), showing multiple events all at once. This dual story by illustrations allow us to […]

Don’t know your ABCs? That’s okay! You can still create a poem

Emily Writes: Emily Dickinson and Her Poetic Beginnings by Jane Yolen

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When you read a book that you have wanted to for awhile and it is not what you expected, that can be a bit disappointing. Sometimes it can make it even better than expected. And sometimes it is a combination. Emily Writes: Emily Dickinson and Her Poetic Beginnings is one of those books that was a combination.   Jane Yolen is a writer. She knows how to spin a tale and makes Dickinson come to life. However, due to lack of information about Dickinson as a […]

Always be by my side.

Mommy Sayang by Rosana Sullivan

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The first thing I noticed about Mommy Sayang by Rosana Sullivan was that there was a fun cover featuring a diverse people. The second thing I noticed was that was some bold blue and I was envious of the girl’s curly hair. After opening I noticed that there was some fabulous gorgeous, lush, fantastically created illustrations. Each page is filled with more detail than you can see in one viewing. Just reading the art would not be a waste of time. Sullivan is an artist […]

This review does not do this book justice. I should have written OMG THIS IS AMAZING a thousand and two times

Speak: The Graphic Novel by Laurie Halse Anderson

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Twenty years ago, a book called Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson came out. A book about a subject we still do not really talk about today. Speak told the story of Melinda, a freshman in high school, the night she was raped and the fall-out from that. Speak: The Graphic Novel keeps to the feel and message of the novel. I was surprised at what I remembered but things I had forgotten came back and rediscovered other things. I think it has been rearranged a […]



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