Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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Boldly Going Where No Woman had gone before (Well, that was the Soviet Union, but the US had firsts, too)

Astronauts: Women on the Final Frontier by Jim Ottaviani

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Astronauts: Women on the Final Frontier is not just a book about the Women of Space (the ones that inspired: calling Nichelle Nichols. And the ones that took the ride: calling Sally Ride. Sorry, must do one bad pun) but how they got there and what happened once they were. We see both the men and women who boldly went where no one went before. We see those who broken color and gender lines. We see the inner workings of training, the ships themselves and […]

Born a Slave Became a Botanist, Scientist, Inventor

The Secret Garden of George Washington Carver by Gene Barretta

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While The Secret Garden of George Washington Carver is a lovely snapshot of one piece of Carver’s life, I wish there was a little “more” to it. I do not mean Carver’s life as a whole. I was not looking for a biography, but I was looking for more about the growing plants in his garden and learning about them. Gene Barretta has strong text telling a good story. Everything that is told and shown is nice. It is poetic with Rank Morrison’s lyrical illustrations. […]

Would you like to ride in my beautiful balloon

A Dream of Flight: Alberto Santos-Dumont's Race Around the Eiffel Tower by Rob Polivka

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#cbr11bingo #TrueStory A Dream of Flight: Alberto Santos-Dumont’s Race Around the Eiffel Tower is one of those powerful books that gives you a piece of history you might not be familiar with. Though not an all-encompassing/text-book look, it is a complete and general look at the history of flight in its early years. And it also gives you the story of one person who did much to get it to what we know as aviation today. Years before the Wright Brothers, a young Brazilian man-made history […]

Grab a cup of gravi-tea and get ready for an out of this world trip

Mousetronaut: Based on a (Partially) True Story by Mark Edward Kelly

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There are two thoughts I figure one could have when seeing the cover of Mousetronaut: Based on a (Partially) True Story by Mark Edward Kelly:     One: OMG that is the cutest thing ever     Two: OMG What is that? C.F. Payne’s illustrations are classical them and it shows on said cover. And you love it or hate it. Feeling of if you like or dislike mice and/or if you like or dislike stories about mice will also affect your feelings on this cover. I […]

Don’t fret these books are a couple of gems

The Diamond and the Boy: The Creation of Diamonds & The Life of H. Tracy Hall by Hannah Holt

The Golden Thread: A Song for Pete Seeger by Colin Meloy

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Biographies are interesting. I figure the author most likely likes the subject, or why write about it? However, lately it seems the same few people are being written: Lincoln, Hamilton, Sonia Sotomayor and Amelia Earhart. Now, this is great. I enjoy learning about them as much as the next person. But how many times can you read about them? Therefore, when someone not as popular or new comes along, I am on it. The Diamond and the Boy: The Creation of Diamonds & The Life […]

Not a Selfie Stick in sight (thank goodness)

Me, Myselfie & I: A Cautionary Tale by Jamie Lee Curtis

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Me, Myselfie & I: A Cautionary Tale is the latest compilation from author (also actress and all around busy gal) Jamie Lee Curtis and the wonderful illustrator, Laura Cornell. Perhaps this story is not as strong as their books of the past, but it is still on point and a contemporary issue is addressed. The rhyming text was at first a bit off putting, yet, it was perfect for the story. It makes a serious story more accessible and gives a better understanding of the […]



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