Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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Half-Cannonball with an old favorite! This Newbery Medal winner holds up.

The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden

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I’ve been wanting to re-read The Cricket in Times Square for a couple of years now, but I was a little nervous because I remember loving it as a child. Revisiting a book or a movie that you remember fondly from years past is always a little risky; I’m glad I took a chance in this case, because “adult me” found this book just as delightful as “kid me” did. The story is about a cricket named Chester who, after accidentally stowing away in a […]

Don’t hide your light under a bushel, darling.

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling

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(Title quote is from Bertolt Brecht’s Mother Courage) Aven Green has a pretty great life as a middle schooler in Kansas.  She plays on the soccer team, has a wonderful group of friends, is a creative writer, and plays the guitar. She also has no arms. She was born without them, though if anyone asks about it (and boy do they), she always has a wild tale to tell them about where they went and how. But her life is about to be upended: her […]

I’d like to be/under the sea

The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden

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Zoey doesn’t have time to finish her schoolwork. It’s not that she doesn’t care – she does. It’s not that she isn’t smart – she is. But being responsible for the care of her three preschool siblings while mom’s working means she doesn’t have time for things that other kids have time for.  It would be easier for Zoey, she thinks, if she was an octopus. Eight legs to juggle her siblings and help around the house. The ability to camouflage when her teacher eyes […]

“Now raise your goblet of rock. It’s a toast to those who rock!”

Drum Roll, Please by Lisa Bigelow

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Let’s just get this out of the way: THIS BOOK IS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO CUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUTE!!!!!!! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 I want a movie of it that’s like School of Rock meets Camp.  Come on! Working out your parents divorce and your sexual awakening through rock and roll?!?!?! Turning Taylor Swift into a metal jam?! I die. This story is about Melly, who is a quiet young lady that loves playing the drums. She and her best friend Olivia make up the perfect rhythm section, and they […]

Eat slugs, Malfoy.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter, #2) by J.K. Rowling

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This little beginning of the month Harry Potter re-read is turning out to be quite delightful. Normally I just mainline them as fast as I can back to back. But new month, new Harry Potter book to read, is a nice change! A little trip to Hogwarts to start February off right. I’m going to continue with the format I used last go-round, since it was pretty stress-free, and didn’t involve a heck of a lot of thought. Plus, my usual tactic with reviews is to focus […]

“It’s amazing how few words a person can get by with.”

After Zero by Christina Collins

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Elise grew up as the home-schooled daughter of a single mother and has recently transitioned to public school for her eighth grade year. Theirs is a solitary existence – her mother rarely leaves the house, working as a professor for online math classes, struggling with bouts of depression since the death of her husband on the day of Elise’s birth. Elise deals with the solitude, and these days it has actually been helpful: for quickly after starting the school year, Elise made it a goal […]



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