Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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The stories of two young men

Hands by Torrey Maldonado

Garvey in the Dark by Nikki Grimes

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I needed a short read or two. I found two, while terribly short looking, books that also felt like they would have some “meat” to them. And those books were Hands by Torrey Maldonado and Garvey in the Dark by Nikki Grimes. I was familiar with Grimes, as they are the author of Garvey’s Choice and others I enjoyed reading. But Maldonado was new. Hands looked like it would be a boxing book. And it is, somewhat. But really what the book is about are […]

Taking on the role of Isaac

Buzzing by Samuel Sattin

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Buzzing is more of a 3.5 as an averaged out score than either a 3 or a 4.  I enjoyed seeing the changes in the illustrations to show the emotions, feelings, and how our main character is reacting. This is clever and a unique way of helping us see the situation. However, I never felt any one character was overly fleshed out and none felt “real” and more of a bit of a cliché. At the same time there are a lot of good pieces […]

And here my basement only had a skunk

Things in the Basement by Ben Katke

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The rating of a four for Things in the Basement is because of the illustrations. While on the surface, Ben Hatke’s story and art are not huge  “wows” (the illustrations are not overly colorful, or detailed; the story is slow to build up), there is something about them that makes you want more. The focus you need for the illustrations means you need to read the images as the book itself is mostly wordless. There are some interesting twists and turns and the “creepy factor” […]

No strikes, but a ball

Fox Point's Own Gemma Hopper: (A Graphic Novel) by Brie Spangler

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I enjoyed Fox Point’s Own Gemma Hopper: (A Graphic Novel) more than I thought, yet, not as much as I had hoped. The idea of “only having value is when you play baseball (but not actually, of course),” was the point, but not fleshed out enough to make you believe it. Plus, the father’s “apology” to Gemma at the end is only because now he has “two baseball players in the family” so now he’ll “step up” and “help my daughter. Who, by the way, […]

A berry-colored world

My Own World by Mike Holmes

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Some Spoilers below:  I was not sure what I expected with My Own World, but this is an odd book. I am not sure if author Mike Holmes is basing it off of their own experiences, or if it is a universal story about the misfit and how he tries to overcome things.  If you are a 10-to-14-year-old, you might take it at face value: a boy finds/creates a magic world to hide in. It is a world where he is in charge (unlike his […]

The balance of your magic

Shakti by SJ Sindu

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Shakti is a terribly cute, modern story (several GLBTQ characters and diverse people) but does not dwell on the diversity, but the story of how Shakti herself starts coming of age. This is probably my favorite part as Shakti is representing differences while making it relatable to everyone who reads. Even to the adult-kid-at-heart who is writing this review. SJ Sindu’s book was not an “OMG BEST BOOK EVER!” book, but I liked it and glad I read it now and not when it first […]



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