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:

The little journal with a lot of heart and a really long title

It's Your Weirdness That Makes You Wonderful: A Self-Acceptance Prompt Journal (Positive Mental Health Teen Journal) by Kate Allan

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When I post a review, I try to write out my review first. I was making the final tweaks, and slipped, and the entire review of It’s Your Weirdness That Makes You Wonderful: A Self-Acceptance Prompt Journal (Positive Mental Health Teen Journal) disappeared!  However, this makes for a great restart as I really could have used the journal to get some of my frustrations out. Because one could have (I could have) easily gone down a rabbit hole of “I’m no good.” “How could I […]

Raise the curtain

Upstaged by Robin Easter

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I have read a lot of middle reader novels and a lot of graphic novel middle readers. I have read a lot of stories that deal with LGBTQ issues. And of course, most (if not all) have dealt with growing up, coming of age, finding yourself and situations like those. Therefore, it takes a lot for me to really love a book with the above criteria. And while I liked and enjoyed Upstaged by Robin Easter, I did not love it.  However, I did like […]

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

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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). […]

Brains are food, not friends.

Zombie and Brain Are Friends by Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic

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Brains are food, not friends. Well, Brian the Brain is a friend to Zeb the Zombie. Which would be okay, if Zeb’s family didn’t farm brains for food (themselves and sell at the local market). But how could anyone in their right mind eat Brian? He’s the pinkest, squishy, cutest brain ever! And this starts Zeb and Brian’s journey in Zombie and Brain Are Friends by Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic and illustrated by Laan Cham. Due early August 2025, I had the pleasure of reading this […]

Describe in two words: FREAKING WOW

Chance: Escape from the Holocaust by Uri Shulevitz

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The book: Chance: Escape from the Holocaust by Uri Shulevitz One word: WOW. Okay two words. FREAKING WOW I cannot tell you how fantastic this book is. Just read. It is not easy, it is sad, heartbreaking, scary, beautiful, hopeful and more. It covers all the emotions. It shows you a piece of World War II that we don’t know about. Again, WOW and go read. For mature readers at least 12-13 and up, but I would recommend older. But if you read with them, […]

Their voices

Poemhood: Our Black Revival: History, Folklore & the Black Experience: A Young Adult Poetry Anthology by Amber McBride, Erica Martin, Taylor Byas and LLC Ashwin Writing

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Poemhood: Our Black Revival: History, Folklore & the Black Experience: A Young Adult Poetry Anthology by Amber McBride, Erica Martin, Taylor Byas and LLC Ashwin Writing (photographer) is getting a lot of press. It will get a lot of awards and a lot more attention before things are said and done. And it deserves all and everything it gets. It is a very lovely collection of poems. We have contemporary poets and classical ones, too. You will know some of the poems and others will […]



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