Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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Really World Class Manga About the Power of Art

Blue Period (Volumes 1-6) by Tsubasa Yamaguchi

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I’d been circling this series for a long time, flipping through the first volume occasionally at the bookstore, and then getting intimidated by the length and also my concern that it seemed emotionally stressful, but I wanted to read it enough that I asked for the first six volume box set for Christmas. Well, I’m really glad that I did that, because what a treat! Blue Period is about a teenage boy, Yatora Yaguchi, who is seen by his parents and peers as a successful and […]

“The town of Stony Lonesome spreads like scrambled eggs. It spills, runny, over the hot desert pan, but then heaps up all around you, making this place feel smaller than you thought.”

Gumshoe by Brenna Thummler

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I was unsure about this when I saw it in the bookstore, but I’m glad I gave it a chance because I ended up thinking it was quite good. Sometimes it’s good to push through my initial negative reaction! Gumshoe is a magical realist middle grade/YA graphic novel (definitely appropriate for middle schoolers, but it’s dense and complex enough that I think it’d be good for the YA reader as well) about Willa, who has intense social anxiety and wants more than anything to be […]

“It seems like a good thing to know the star that can keep you from being lost in this world.”

Louisiana's Way Home by Kate DiCamillo

Beverly, Right Here by Kate DiCamillo

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Spoilers follow below! These two books follow Raymie Nightingale and round out the trilogy with the girls at 14. Louisiana’s Way Home details Louisiana’s struggle to understand her past and to cope with her grandmother’s decisions, as she uproots them yet again and forces Louisiana to leave behind the new home and friends she’s made. They end up in a small town in Georgia and she has to find her footing once again in the face of a lot of revelations and emotional upheaval. This is probably […]

“There were three of them, three girls. They were standing side by side. They were standing at attention.”

Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo

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This was a re-read and actually a re-buy because I bought this a couple of years ago and it’s stuck with me, so this second copy is going on the permanent bookshelf. Kate DiCamillo is such an amazing author, every book I’ve read by her is a hit with me. She has a delicacy of tone and a way with emotional gravity that I think children’s books really benefit from. Children need to have books that take them and their concerns seriously, that acknowledge the […]

“Why do I even go to school? What’s the point of all this?”

Red Threads by Ila Nguyen-Hayama

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Another random bookstore find that I really enjoyed. I always am hoping and checking for more YA graphic novels since fewer come out than those aimed at middlegrade readers, and this is aimed at around 14-15. Red Threads is about Hana, a high schooler from Tokyo who helps save a crow and then gets offered a scholarship at the Benten School of Esoterics, a fancy boarding school. On the train to the school, she meets another new student, Yoomi, a girl from Kansai whose family work […]

Very Delightful Slice of Life Manga About Looking Past Exteriors and Being Your True Self

Suzuki-kun's Mindful Life (Volume 1) by Yuhki Fujimoto

Suzuki-kun's Mindful Life (Volume 2) by Yuhki Fujimoto

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I’m so glad I randomly saw this at the bookstore this weekend! I actually got both volumes even though they were shrinkwrapped and I couldn’t see inside them, just on the strength of the covers. And what a nice treat! Suzuki-kun’s Mindful Life is about a high school freshman who looks tough and scary, but he’s actually a huge softy who loves cooking and baking and helping to take care of his little sister. Suzuki is used to people being afraid of him and bullying […]



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