Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time
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Join the CBR18 Book Bingo Reading Challenge—Now Underway!   

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

August 19, 2026 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

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 […]

Filed Under: Biography/Memoir, Children's Books, Fiction, Health, History, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Religion Tagged With: 20th Century, Disability, family, fathers, friendship, Jerry Jordan, Joel S Tuck, Jyothi Nookula, Jyothi Nookula and Nabi H. Ali, Leslie Johnson Piotrowski, Leslie Johnson Piotrowski and Tonya Engel, Nabi H. Ali, Pamela M Tuck, Pamela M Tuck, Joel S Tuck, and Jerry Jordan, Racism, railroads, Sanjit "Bunker" Roy, Self-Reliance, Social Themes, Tonya Engel, trains, Transportation, United States

BlackRaven's CBR18 Review No:238 · Genres: Biography/Memoir, Children's Books, Fiction, Health, History, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Religion · Tags: 20th Century, Disability, family, fathers, friendship, Jerry Jordan, Joel S Tuck, Jyothi Nookula, Jyothi Nookula and Nabi H. Ali, Leslie Johnson Piotrowski, Leslie Johnson Piotrowski and Tonya Engel, Nabi H. Ali, Pamela M Tuck, Pamela M Tuck, Joel S Tuck, and Jerry Jordan, Racism, railroads, Sanjit "Bunker" Roy, Self-Reliance, Social Themes, Tonya Engel, trains, Transportation, United States ·
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Getting your vroom on

Sarabeth's Garage by Melanie Florence and Nadia Alam

April 15, 2026 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Once again, I found a book that I almost did not read. I was going through online reader copy links and Sarabeth’s Garage by Melanie Florence popped up. It had a funny looking cover, realistic, but overly cartoon based. It was colorful and okay, but not “grabbing me.” Still I was looking at Sarabeth, on the cover, with a garage behind her. It wasn’t bad-looking, okay it definitely looked like this was going to be a “girl power, girls can do anything story” but was […]

Filed Under: Children's Books, Comedy/Humor, Fiction, Poetry Tagged With: Business, Careers, cars, family, garages, Girls & Women, grandmothers, mechanics, Melanie Florence, Melanie Florence and Nadia Alam, Nadia Alam, Occupations, Transportation

BlackRaven's CBR18 Review No:106 · Genres: Children's Books, Comedy/Humor, Fiction, Poetry · Tags: Business, Careers, cars, family, garages, Girls & Women, grandmothers, mechanics, Melanie Florence, Melanie Florence and Nadia Alam, Nadia Alam, Occupations, Transportation ·
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Two pieces of history around the world

A Place Called Galveston by Andrea Shapiro

Claudia Said Sí!: The Story of Mexico's First Woman President by Deborah Bodin Cohen, Kerry Olitzky and Carlos Vélez Aguilera

July 31, 2025 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Recently I mentioned to a friend of mine that there are a lot of political titles happening, even in the children’s genres. And most are slanted seriously and obviously in one direction or the other. Therefore, when I find something that is not political, but could fit current events I try to pay attention.  Two of those books are A Place Called Galveston by Andrea Shapiro and illustrator Valerya Milovanova, as well as Claudia Said Sí!: The Story of Mexico’s First Woman President by Deborah […]

Filed Under: Biography/Memoir, Children's Books, Health, History, Non-Fiction Tagged With: activism, Andrea Shapiro, butterflies, Carlos Vélez Aguilera, Claudia Sheinbaum, Deborah Bodin Cohen, Deborah Bodin Cohen, Kerry Olitzky and Carlos Vélez Aguilera, Emigration, History 20th Century, Immigration, Judaism, Kerry Olitzky, mexico, politics, refugees, Russian, Social Themes, Texas, Transportation, Valerya Milovanova, women history, Women presidents, Women scientists

BlackRaven's CBR17 Review No:349 · Genres: Biography/Memoir, Children's Books, Health, History, Non-Fiction · Tags: activism, Andrea Shapiro, butterflies, Carlos Vélez Aguilera, Claudia Sheinbaum, Deborah Bodin Cohen, Deborah Bodin Cohen, Kerry Olitzky and Carlos Vélez Aguilera, Emigration, History 20th Century, Immigration, Judaism, Kerry Olitzky, mexico, politics, refugees, Russian, Social Themes, Texas, Transportation, Valerya Milovanova, women history, Women presidents, Women scientists ·
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Boingy boingy goes the car and the jacket and the money and the shovel and the….

Are We There Yet?: The First Road Trip Across the USA by Stacy McAnulty

April 29, 2025 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Are We There Yet?: The First Road Trip Across the USA is not “ha ha” funny, but there is a tone of humor to the storytelling of Stacy McAnulty and illustrator Elizabeth Baddeley’s book. Maybe it is because I like a good yarn, a good road trip and have an odd sense of humor. But regardless of my thoughts of humor, this is one of my favorite books I read this month (and due to a recent vacation, I had a lot of books read). […]

Filed Under: Children's Books, Comedy/Humor, History, Non-Fiction, Sports Tagged With: Cars & Trucks, Elizabeth Baddeley, Horatio Nelson Jackson, road trips, Stacy McAnulty, Transportation, travel, United States - 20th Century, vehicles

BlackRaven's CBR17 Review No:227 · Genres: Children's Books, Comedy/Humor, History, Non-Fiction, Sports · Tags: Cars & Trucks, Elizabeth Baddeley, Horatio Nelson Jackson, road trips, Stacy McAnulty, Transportation, travel, United States - 20th Century, vehicles ·
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A heck of an ol’ gal!

Big Bertha: How a Massive Tunnel Boring Machine Dug a Highway Under Seattle by Amanda Abler

October 11, 2024 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

History is not just the people on top of the Earth, but what we do below it as well. And Big Bertha: How a Massive Tunnel Boring Machine Dug a Highway Under Seattle does a fantastic job of showing us both. But especially below. When the earthquake hit, damages were numerous, and the city had to find a way to stop the highway from collapsing again. It would take several years to find a way, but between the different sciences and global assistance, the drill […]

Filed Under: Children's Books, History, Non-Fiction Tagged With: Amanda Abler, Cars & Trucks, City & Town Life, diggers, Katy Wu, Transportation

BlackRaven's CBR16 Review No:484 · Genres: Children's Books, History, Non-Fiction · Tags: Amanda Abler, Cars & Trucks, City & Town Life, diggers, Katy Wu, Transportation ·
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A Navy family takes a trip to home

Goodbye, Hello: A Going Home Travel Adventure by Angela H. Dale

August 29, 2024 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Me the other day looking at online reader copies: Nope, don’t want to read that. Not that one. Oh, I’ll save that. Okay, what do we have here? A sailor and their kid? Nope. Is there anything I want to read????  A few days later: Again, nope, nope, oh it’s that sailor again… I just read something about it…okay let’s try Goodbye, Hello: A Going Home Travel Adventure.  I expected Angela H. Dale’s book to be about a sailor who comes home to his family […]

Filed Under: Children's Books, Comedy/Humor, Fiction, Health, History, Poetry, Romance Tagged With: Angela H. Dale, family, LGBTQ, military families, parents, Transportation, travel

BlackRaven's CBR16 Review No:412 · Genres: Children's Books, Comedy/Humor, Fiction, Health, History, Poetry, Romance · Tags: Angela H. Dale, family, LGBTQ, military families, parents, Transportation, travel ·
Rating:
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