Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time
| Log in
  1. Follow us on Facebook
  2. Follow us on Instagram
  3. Follow us on Bluesky
  4. Follow us on Goodreads
  5. RSS Feeds

  • Home
  • About
    • Getting Started in CBR18
    • Rules of Respect
    • Cannon Book Club
    • Diversions
    • Fan Mail
    • Holiday Book Exchange
    • Book Bingo Reading Challenge
    • Participation Badges
    • AlabamaPink
    • About Cannonball Read
  • Our Team
    • The CBR Team
    • Leaderboard
    • Recent Comments
    • Participant Interviews
    • Cannonballer Location Maps
    • Our Volunteers
    • Meet MsWas
  • Categories
    • Review Genres
    • Tags
    • Star Ratings
    • Featured Review Archive
  • Fight Cancer
    • How We Fight Cancer
    • Donate
    • CBR Merchandise
  • FAQ
  • Contact
    • Contact Form
    • 2026 Registration
    • Suggest a Review
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Newsletter Archive
    • Social Media

Join the CBR18 Book Bingo Reading Challenge—Now Underway!   

Fluffy Bunnies

The Wild Season: The Remarkable True Story of a Rabbit Rescue by Dashka Slater

September 21, 2026 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

One reason I do not always like non-fiction books is that they can read like the longest, dullest speech given. A speech in any language but the one you listen/read/know in. And The Wild Season: The Remarkable True Story of a Rabbit Rescue by Dashka Slater is not one of those. It is a fun story. It is based on a true event but is read as fiction. Of course, the author does not superimpose their own thoughts (the boy thought, “Gee that bunny is […]

Filed Under: Biography/Memoir, Children's Books, History, Non-Fiction, Young Adult Tagged With: activism, animals, City & Town Life, community, Dashka Slater, Neighbors, rabbits, Social Justice

BlackRaven's CBR18 Review No:340 · Genres: Biography/Memoir, Children's Books, History, Non-Fiction, Young Adult · Tags: activism, animals, City & Town Life, community, Dashka Slater, Neighbors, rabbits, Social Justice ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

One thread to connect them all

One Red Thread: A Story of Connection by Lindsay Ward

May 15, 2026 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

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 […]

Filed Under: Children's Books, Fiction, Health, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Religion Tagged With: community, friendship, Lindsay Ward, Neighbors, Social Themes, values

BlackRaven's CBR18 Review No:140 · Genres: Children's Books, Fiction, Health, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Religion · Tags: community, friendship, Lindsay Ward, Neighbors, Social Themes, values ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

Some cheer

The Old Sleigh by Jarrett Pumphrey and Jerome Pumphrey

October 9, 2025 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

As another companion to the stories The Old Truck and The Old Boat, (which I do not believe I have read) the book The Old Sleigh is added to the clever creators Jarrett Pumphrey and Jerome Pumphrey stories. A horse-drawn sleigh against a snowy background is loaded with the firewood a boy and father cut and deliver to a small village. As the village grows and the sleigh starts to fall about as it ages, we see how the changes happen and though things have […]

Filed Under: Children's Books, Fiction, Poetry Tagged With: advent, celebrations, christmas, community, Country Life, family, holidays, Jarrett Pumphrey, Jarrett Pumphrey and Jerome Pumphrey, Jerome Pumphrey, Neighbors

BlackRaven's CBR17 Review No:450 · Genres: Children's Books, Fiction, Poetry · Tags: advent, celebrations, christmas, community, Country Life, family, holidays, Jarrett Pumphrey, Jarrett Pumphrey and Jerome Pumphrey, Jerome Pumphrey, Neighbors ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

Beloved rain boots and a lesson

Green Jolene: Green Jolene and the Neighborhood Swap (Disney Planet Possible) by Wendy Mass and Billy Yong

February 27, 2025 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Reader copies come and they go, and one that came into my life was Green Jolene: Green Jolene and the Neighborhood Swap (Disney Planet Possible) by Wendy Mass and illustrator Billy Yong. Currently available, I plan on finding a copy as I need to see the final images. This is a short story that mixes a bit Junie B. Jones, Eloise, and a lot of modern sentiments to get this generation’s spunky bossy pants who loves her friends, family, dog and saving the world. Jolene […]

Filed Under: Children's Books, Comedy/Humor, Fiction, Health Tagged With: Billy Yong, Environment, environmentalism, friendship, Neighborhoods, Neighbors, Science & Nature, Social Theme, Sustainable living, Wendy Mass, Wendy Mass and Billy Yong

BlackRaven's CBR17 Review No:121 · Genres: Children's Books, Comedy/Humor, Fiction, Health · Tags: Billy Yong, Environment, environmentalism, friendship, Neighborhoods, Neighbors, Science & Nature, Social Theme, Sustainable living, Wendy Mass, Wendy Mass and Billy Yong ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

I hit the 7th Cannonball with pun and fun

Deep Thoughts from a Shallow Grave: Epitaphs to Die For by Anthony Martignetti

The Man Who Didn't Like Animals by Deborah Underwood

August 2, 2024 by BlackRaven 3 Comments

I like to read and I enjoy writing reviews. But sometimes a book is not able to produce a long review. There isn’t a lot to say, or if you do, there are more words in your review than the actual book. These below titles fall into that category as well as the category of sometimes you cannot find a theme to link books together in a review other than they don’t allow for longer reviews and they have nothing in common. And that is […]

Filed Under: Children's Books, Comedy/Humor, Fiction, Graphic Novels/Comic Books, Young Adult Tagged With: animals, Anthony Martignetti, dark humor, Deborah Underwood, friendship, language, LeUyen Pham, Neighbors, Nursery Rhymes, Old MacDonald, Puns & Wordplay

BlackRaven's CBR16 Review No:364 · Genres: Children's Books, Comedy/Humor, Fiction, Graphic Novels/Comic Books, Young Adult · Tags: animals, Anthony Martignetti, dark humor, Deborah Underwood, friendship, language, LeUyen Pham, Neighbors, Nursery Rhymes, Old MacDonald, Puns & Wordplay ·
Rating:
· 3 Comments

Thyme travels

Counting Thyme by Melanie Conklin

April 18, 2024 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

As an adult, I found a few areas in Counting Thyme by Melanie Conklin that were not “smooth” for me, however, from ages 10 to 14 I would have enjoyed it. You are there with our narrator Thyme (like the clock, with a HY). You worry about fitting in at your new school, you worry about your siblings and your relationships with them, you worry about your old friendships, you are sad and happy, you try to balance your “now and then” and along the […]

Filed Under: Children's Books, Cooking/Food, Fiction, Young Adult Tagged With: cancer, community, Death, family, friendship, Illness, medical, Melanie Conklin, moving, Neighbors, new york, siblings

BlackRaven's CBR16 Review No:165 · Genres: Children's Books, Cooking/Food, Fiction, Young Adult · Tags: cancer, community, Death, family, friendship, Illness, medical, Melanie Conklin, moving, Neighbors, new york, siblings ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments
  • 1
  • 2
  • Next Page »


Recent Comments

  • esmemoria
    on The Witch by Fredia McFadden
    I went through such a tear of McFadden books a few years ago. I pretty much gave her up when...
  • Malin
    on What if the hot crazy guy was right? And now you’re stuck in a Winnebago with him?
    I have one more ARC I need to finish before I start on this one. I don't think I love...
  • vega-table
    on CBR Diversion – Bingo – “Bird”
    When I read Une semaine de bonté, I learned about the bird character Loplop, Max Ernst's fursona. I don't think...
  • Dusty Highway
    on CBR Diversion – Bingo – “Bird”
    H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald The Good Lord Bird by James McBride At Swim-Two-Birds by Flann O'Brien The...
  • Emmalita
    on What if the hot crazy guy was right? And now you’re stuck in a Winnebago with him?
    In addition to Alyssa Cole, mentioned above, Ally Carter has one that just came out, It’s Beginning to Look a...
See More Recent Comments »

Support Our Mission

  • Support Our Mission, Donate Today!
  • FAQ
  • Shop
  • Volunteers
  • Leaderboard
  • AlabamaPink
  • Contact

Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo

The reviews and comments posted on this site reflect the opinions of individual posters and do not reflect the views of Cannonball Read.

© 2026 Cannonball Read Inc., a registered 501(c)(3) | Log in