Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Cool drink of love

Zamzam for Everyone: Sharing Water at Hajj by Razeena Omar Gutta

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I was going to cut back on the number of reviews I did this year, but then well, books happened! Books like Zamzam for Everyone: Sharing Water at Hajj by Razeena Omar Gutta and illustrated by Bassent Dawoud (due January 2026, read via an online reader copy). There are several books on the Islamic faith for the younger crowd. However, they are mostly repetitive and hit the “big events” and there is nothing wrong with that, but I needed something different and I found it […]

From Diabolical Dart Frogs to Kissing Kiwis and beyond

The Dangerous Alphabet Book  by DK Ryland

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While alternative alphabet books are not new, The Dangerous Alphabet Book  has a clever concept. We start off with the usual A is for something that is nice, normal, familiar. But in the middle of that an Alligator jumps in and hijacks the tale. By wanting to mix things up, make things a little edgy, and make it dangerous, they cause all sorts of mischief and mayhem to ensue. Of course, our first narrator fights this change, until they realize maybe it is a little […]

The not so social media

Gabby Torres Gets a Billion Followers by Angela Dominguez

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Gabby Torres Gets a Billion Followers by Angela Dominguez has its moments, but I was not the audience, and therefore, most of the moments were lost on me. However, ages 8 to (young) 13 would really enjoy it. The modern themes keep it contemporary, but with a classically familiar feeling of the coming of age story. Gabby is 9 years old. She is an only child and precocious (it’s obvious why her parents were good with just one of her!). She is obviously a bit […]

“Whether or not you find your own way, you’re bound to find some way. If you happen to find my way, please return it, as it was lost years ago. I imagine by now it’s quite rusty.”

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, illustrations by Jules Feiffer

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There are no wrong roads to anywhere. Young Milo finds everything absolutely boring; tv is boring, school is boring, life is boring up until the day he arrives home from school to discover a tollbooth has appeared in his room, complete with a map of places to see and a car to go to them. Seeing as there’s nothing good on t.v. and he has nothing better to do, Milo drives through it and is transported to another world. The most important reason for going […]

Works of Pimienta

Twin Cities by Jose Pimienta

Stars, Hide Your Fire by Kel McDonald

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Somewhere I have a copy of the book, Twin Cities by Joe Pimienta. Do I know where it is? Not a chance! Books have a habit of finding safe spots that are so safe even I don’t know where they are! Therefore, thank goodness for my local library.  I’m thinking that two readings for adults would be a good idea. First, read the text then second, read the illustrations. Trying to do both at the same time is a little hard. You see, this might […]

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

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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 […]



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