Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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Just a family tradition

Cemetery Game by Alan Woo and Rachel Wada

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Cemetery Game by Alan Woo and illustrator Rachel Wada is due September 2026 and was read via an online reader.  And now comes the more fun part of the review, but also a bit tricky to write. I was not a huge fan of things. I liked the idea of culture, family and traditions, but it felt flat. I liked the presentation, but the illustrations felt off, like maybe a bit computerized or not fully human formed. Yet, this is a nice book. It introduces […]

Based on historical events, still relevant today

The Yellow Hats by Kelly Matathia-Covo

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The picture book The Yellow Hats by Kelly Matathia-Covo (due mid August 2026; read via an online reader copy) is about the Holocaust. It does not come out and say that but due to the Yellow Hats (yellow stars) and the scene behind barbed wire, plus a few other pieces, we know this is the case. Based on the author’s family experiences, this is not an original theme, but an original presentation. It is an emotional story and an emotional way of telling things. It […]

The author looks like someone who would write about a pickle

The Wise Pickle by Sarah Howden

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One will never look at a pickle the same way again.  Or you won’t after reading The Wise Pickle by Sarah Howden and illustrated by Sabina Hahn. Due mid/later June 2026 I read this book via an online copy. First, be prepared to witness weirdness. I mean a talking pickle for starters is really just the start of the weirdness. And second, be prepared to be amazed (by the fact there is a talking pickle who is a wise old soul. Or not). And finally […]

“The Next Right Thing”

Gigs by Mark Mosedale and Si Smith

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Right now, I really dislike Mark Mosedale, Si Smith,Top Shelf Productions, and the person who sent me the reader’s copy of Gigs by Smosedale and illustrated by Smith. I dislike you because you made me feel all the emotions at once. You made me unable to put my reader copy down. You made me want to finish before it comes out mid-June 2026 so I can get it on release day, stand at the front doors and tell customers, “You ain’t leaving until you buy […]

Up up and sorry please go away….

Super Roomies: Lake of Slime: A Star Chapter Book by Jarrett Lerner

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I found a book that happens to be by the author and illustrator Jarrett Lerner that I was not the audience for and therefore, I am not a fan of. Please don’t get me wrong, I appreciate and admire the time and effort that goes into creating any book, in fact, I’m envious as I couldn’t begin to know where to start to do what authors do. It’s just not a book for me. That does not mean I’ll stop reading Lerner, far from it. […]

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 […]



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