Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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Animorphs Rebooted

The Invasion by Chris Grine

The Visitor by Chris Grine

The Encounter by Chris Grine

The Message by Chris Grine

The Invasion by Chris Grine

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I read all six of the Animorphs Graphic novels by Chris Grine! I read the first book with my tween book group at the library, and it was so fun to talk to them about it. They generally really liked it. Only one kid was skeeved out by the morphing. Most of them didn’t really get the main conflict, though. I’m not sure if this is because they are too young (many are third graders) or if the portrayal of the Yeerks isn’t very clear. […]

Queen of Play Makes Everyone’s Day

Odder: An Otter's Story (Picture book) by Katherine Applegate and Charles Santoso

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I was in the right mood the other day when I found an online copy of Odder: An Otter’s Story (Picture book) by Katherine Applegate and Charles Santoso (the lovely illustrator). Because this book could be considered overly saccharine and too sugary sweet. And when something is overly sweet I can really be a real Scrooge and a Humbug it. Yet, I was in the mood for something sweet, cuddly that just might make you have a tear (or ten) in your eye. Due in […]

See, this is why you should stick to the zoo animals, Applegate

The One and Only Ruby by Katherine Applegate

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Alright, Applegate, this is a vast improvement over the previous sequel to The One and Only Ivan. A small part of me wondered if they intentionally avoided mentioning The One and Only Bob on the cover, instead simply referring to it only as a sequel to The One and Only Ivan because the second book was not on par with the first, but I appear to be in the minority on that (based upon Goodreads reviews at least). But is it a fair fight when this one has a […]

I wish I’d read this as a kid instead

Wishtree by Katherine Applegate

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Knowing my love for her other book, The One and Only Ivan, my wife picked this up for me at a recent trip to the thrift store. The concept behind it sounded cute enough: what if a tree, as well as all the creatures that live in and around it, could (secretly) talk? And I’m sure, had I read this as a kid, I would’ve found it a charming and funny read, what with all the dad jokes and weird naming-conventions for the different creatures. As […]

Stand Tall and Reach Deep

Wishtree by Katherine Applegate

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Wishtree is a lovely and charming story for children ages 8-12, but I’m 56 and adored it. I heard about this book from a friend whose little girl loves it and reads it repeatedly. I can totally understand why that is. Wishtree is about friendship, community, diversity, and acceptance of those who are new in our “messy garden.” It’s full of delightful characters, gorgeously detailed ink illustrations, and an important message about speaking up for your neighbors. The narrator of Wishtree is a 216-year-old red […]

The fight gets personal for Rachel.

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It’s weird that what struck me the most about this second book in the series after reading it for the first time in lo these many years is how small everything feels. As the series goes on, every book features our young heroes taking on bigger challenges with more and more devastating consequences, but here, the mission is small, and Rachel’s goals even smaller. It’s emotionally intimate. The Visitor is Rachel’s first POV book. Rachel is the beautiful, fashion-conscious one, but she’s much more than […]



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