Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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Grief, Guilt, & 21 Days at Sea

The Cat's Table by Michael Ondaatje

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Weaving fragments of timelines is always a risky move for a writer. Moving backwards and forwards through the protagonist’s life can be confusing and gimmicky, taking a skilled story-teller to avoid us asking if it would be a better plot if it were linear. With Michael Ondaatje, we’re in such talented hands.  The Cat’s Table weaves a slow, reflective tale of a group of friends, migrants from Sri Lanka to Britain and from there the wider world. Ondaatje uses the same spatial anchor to keep […]

One of the books from the “nope, not going to read, well maybe I will…” list

Ride / Đạp Xe by Bao Phi and Thi Bui

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Most of the time if I decide to read a book after thinking I won’t read it, I end up liking it. Usually a lot, too. And that is the case with Ride / Đạp Xe by Bao Phi and illustrator Thi Bui. It turned out to be more fun, interesting and more enjoyably clever than I had imagined.  The overall theme is learning to ride a bike. Of course, that means falls and frustration, but the father and mother of the story keep patient […]

History behind “The New Colossus”

What Emma Wrote: The Woman Behind the Words on the Statue of Liberty by Ann D. Koffsky and N. Tarcan

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What Emma Wrote: The Woman Behind the Words on the Statue of Liberty by Ann D. Koffsky (Ann Diament Koffsky) and illustrator N. Tarcan   While I was not WOWed by this story, I was warm and cozy with it. It was a nice story, a good introduction to the subject and made me want to learn more about the woman who is the Emma of the title. Both the text and illustrations give off comfortable vibes The publisher’s description says “with its poetic message” […]

To tell their stories

Home Is a Door We Carry by Constantin Satüpo

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Home Is a Door We Carry is a hard book to read, and not just because of the subject. There was a flowing issue for me. Things are simple and at times almost too simple for my personal tastes. Maybe different art could have enhanced my personal journey, but also I know that this is what author Constantin Satuppo needs to tell his story. Satupo is trying to give you the emotions of refugees (the voices of the children seen in the images) having to […]

Immigrant Stories

The Wind Knows My Name by Isabel Allende

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Bingo Square: Migrant – and bingos 8, 9 and 10 – 1st row, 1st column, and diagonal (top left to bottom right). I didn’t really have anything from the books I had read that I thought would be a good fit (there was a super forced fit but it felt disrespectful given everything going on in the world with immigration etc). When I had been searching through my TBR pile, I had considered several Isabel Allende novels as an option but couldn’t decide. So when […]

Two pieces of history around the world

A Place Called Galveston by Andrea Shapiro

Claudia Said Sí!: The Story of Mexico's First Woman President by Deborah Bodin Cohen, Kerry Olitzky and Carlos Vélez Aguilera

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Recently I mentioned to a friend of mine that there are a lot of political titles happening, even in the children’s genres. And most are slanted seriously and obviously in one direction or the other. Therefore, when I find something that is not political, but could fit current events I try to pay attention.  Two of those books are A Place Called Galveston by Andrea Shapiro and illustrator Valerya Milovanova, as well as Claudia Said Sí!: The Story of Mexico’s First Woman President by Deborah […]



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