Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Behaving like a princess is work. It’s not just about looking beautiful or wearing a crown. It’s more about how you are inside

The Paper Bag Princess by Story by Robert Munsch, Art by Michael Martchenko

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I absolutely loved this book growing up, and I make sure to look at it again at least once a year. The art alone would have me coming back, never mind the ending. The book starts out with the title Princess Elizabeth and her Prince Ronald, dressed in their best gown and hybrid tennis/medieval ensemble respectively. Which is when the dragon bursts onto the scene, kidnapping the prince and burning everything the princess has, including the clothing on her back. (I do have to give […]

A kid asked me to do define communism. Um…

Red Scare by Liam Francis Walsh

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Fear of communism is rampant in America, but at the moment, Peggy is more concerned with her ongoing complications from polio, her parent’s struggling marriage, and oh yeah: witnessing the murder of a mysterious man the feds are calling a Russian spy. The spy was carrying a glowing red rod, and before he died, he hid the item in one of Peggy’s crutches. Not only does Peggy find herself hiding a mysterious Russian artifact, but that artifact enables her to fly! Suddenly, her health woes […]

Based on a Japanese folktale

The Beckoning Cat by Koko Nishizuka and Rosanne Litzinger

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The cover of the online version of The Beckoning Cat by Koko Nishizuka and Rosanne Litzinger (illustrator) was what caught my attention. This white cat jumped off the screen and meowed “look at my colors, my odd grin and you know you want to read me.” I debated laying down as I was at work and a talking computer screen was more than I was ready for. But I went to get some air and read it a bit later. I would love to give […]

The icon, the myth, the woman

Can You Imagine?: The Art and Life of Yoko Ono by Lisa Tolin

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The spirit of Ono is captured in lovely words and images in the pages of Can You Imagine?: The Art and Life of Yoko Ono by Lisa Tolin and illustrated by Yas Imamura. Though currently available, I had the opportunity to read it via an online reader copy. And though I might not get a finished copy for myself, I do highly recommend getting a copy for yourself, your child and local library or libraries. This is not just a book about Yoko Ono. It […]

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). […]



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