Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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So-So scary monster and the brave little girl

Mina and the Monster by Silvia Romeral Andrés

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No, Mina and the Monster by Silvia Romeral Andrés is not: OMG WOW BEST BOOK. No, but what I am saying is: That’s so cute. That is sweet.  And even though Mina is a bit precocious, I like her. She’s spunky.” (It’s funny how a little twist here and there can change that perspective of “bratty” precocious makes “spunky.”) But I don’t think anyone who reads about Mina trying to find the local monster will have any other perspective than that it is cozy like […]

I’d like to be friends with the characters of these books

Johnny Tunes and the Gandy Dancers by Pamela M Tuck, Joel S Tuck, and Jerry Jordan

The Northbound Train: A Story of the Great Migration by Leslie Johnson Piotrowski and Tonya Engel

Solar Mamas: The Story of Sanjit "Bunker" Roy and the Grandmothers Who Became Solar Engineers by Jyothi Nookula and Nabi H. Ali

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Three picture books, all read via online reader copies, that everyone should have in their collections (be you teacher, parent, child, student, or other) are the below. Johnny Tunes and the Gandy Dancers by Pamela M Tuck, Joel S Tuck, Jerry Jordan (Illustrator) (due September 2026).   The Northbound Train: A Story of the Great Migration (A Picture Book) by Leslie Johnson Piotrowski, Tonya Engel (Illustrated by) (due January 2027).  Solar Mamas: The Story of Sanjit “Bunker” Roy and the Grandmothers Who Became Solar Engineers by […]

They go together like hocus and pocus.

Castle Hangnail by Ursula Vernon

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Recently I got on an Ursula Vernon reading kick. I was amazed that I had known about her, but never read anything. And then when I learned they were T. Kingfisher, too, I was intrigued. After all, when one uses two names as a writer, what does that say about the writing style? And when one writes many titles under one name, how similar are they? Castle Hangnail by Ursula Vernon probably is a good example of both of Vernon’s names and styles coming into […]

For Pride Month and any month

Guinea Pigs Don't Wear Pants by Chris Paul Rainbows Farias

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The email came that said: PW’s Grab a Galley – Guinea Pigs Don’t Wear Pants. It continued Dear You Thank you for requesting Guinea Pigs Don’t Wear Pants through Publishers Weekly’s Summer 2026 Grab-a-Galley event. I’m excited to share that your name was selected as one of the winners for the title. See attached for your digital advance review copy.   So, since I won, I should read it, right?  I had a few minutes before I needed to send some reports and a few […]

I’ve honestly lost track how many times I have read one and hope I can repeat it with the other title

The Tree in Me by Corinna Luyken

Hello, Ocean! by Corinna Luyken

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Honestly, I have lost track of how many times I have read The Tree in Me by Corinna Luyken. I know I have read it at least once via an online reader and one reading of the finished book, but I am sure it has been more. In fact, it could be up to four or five times. And this is because I forget I read it, but as soon as I do I remember, I remember it was a pleasure to read each time. […]

It’s okay to say No

A Million YES's by DJ Corchin and Dan Dougherty

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A Million YES’s by DJ Corchin and Dan Dougherty is currently available, but I read it via an online reader copy. It is an interesting book on self-care. Not so much the theme, we have read the idea of taking care of yourself and your health (mental and physical before), even in picture books, but this time there is something different and new in the presentation. There are interesting illustrations that are fun and silly, but include a serious attitude as well. Dougherty is not […]



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