Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

About BlackRaven

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I am a Professional Book Pusher. Reading is a passion, as is writing, bragging about nephews, and alligator wrestling. My first year participating was 2018. (Learn more about this Cannonballer: BlackRaven's Quick Questions interview.)

BlackRaven's Reviews:

Women can make the world

Behind My Doors: The Story of the World's Oldest Library by Hena Khan

Miles of Style: Eunice W. Johnson and the EBONY Fashion Fair by Lisa Brathwaite

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History is a genre I tend to be drawn to. I like most formats it comes in, even true non-fiction if it is done in a biography or a solid presentation that does not get too fancy or lofty. And as I have said before, picture books are a great format as well. Therefore, combining the two can lead to some of my favorite reading, or at least to some really good reading. The first picture book I read is due soon (May 2025) and […]

Orris and Timble are back for round 2

Orris and Timble: Lost and Found: (A Sweet and Funny Early Chapter Book About Friendship, Trust, and Finding Your Way) by Kate DiCamillo

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Orris and Timble: Lost and Found: (A Sweet and Funny Early Chapter Book About Friendship, Trust, and Finding Your Way) by Kate DiCamillo and illustrator Carmen Mok is a sequel of Orris and Timble: The Beginning. It has many elements and pieces from book one, though we see more of Timble’s journey this time. However, when I started it I thought I was reading book one again. This took me out of the moment for a while. And, in fact, had to back track while […]

Yo-Yo means: Come back

Pedro's Yo-Yos: How a Filipino Immigrant Came to America and Changed the World of Toys by Rob Peñas

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Who invented the yo-yo? Well, that I can’t tell you, but what I can tell you is that a Filipino immigrant helped make it one of the most popular toys of not just its time, but even today. Born in 1896, Pedro Flores was a young man from the Philippines. He would work hard under the conditions of events of the  time. When he was finally allowed to leave the country, he found his way to America. But it was not an American Dream right […]

Quest for courage

Hupo and the Wonder Thief by Billy Partridge

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I enjoyed the book Hupo and the Wonder Thief by Billy Partridge. There is something about this dog-like critter (they say they are a dog-rabbit combo) and his quirky personality. Now, to boil it down, he is a lot. And I mean a lot. He might be physically smaller in size, but there is a big amount of wonder that fills him. He loves learning, exploring, being himself and sharing that with others. However, the city he lives in is not the most open to […]

My comfort read

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Season 10, Vol. 2 by Jeremy Whitley

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As a reader, especially one that specializes in children’s and young adult reads, I like to think I mix my genres up, or at least my subjects. I know I have been on a graphic novel kick for several years now, but they come in all shapes and sizes and subjects so I can find almost anything I am in the mood for. And ages ago I found a My Little Pony (contemporary) collection of several stories. It was My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic […]

Sketch a boy like no other.

Sketch by Jacques Goldstyn

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Being different is the theme of Sketch by Jacques Goldstyn and translated by Helen Mixter. As it is due mid-October 2025 I read this new picture book via an online reader copy. From the first work practically and some of the first illustrations said that this book was a translated book. There was a European/old world feeling to things. This is not a problem, but for me there were times when the wording felt a little stiff. I am assuming the influences are French-Canadian, but […]



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