Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

A biting review

Shark Out of Water! (Hungry Shark Chapter Book #1) by Ace Landers

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December 2019 will see not one, not two, but three sharks out of water. Or at least, the book Shark Out of Water! (Hungry Shark Chapter Book #1) by Ace Landers will be out. First, there are a lot of rough spots and sharp edges (and not just the points on the shark’s teeth). The first issue is this is written for the strong first to lower/mid-third grade reader. However, the kids are in middle school (aged 12-13). And while the issues presented could be […]

You are invited to a Tea Party for Mr. Pumpkin and his friends

Mr. Pumpkin’s Tea Party by Erin Barker

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I am sorry to say I was disappointed in the story of Mr. Pumpkin’s Tea Party. A child will probably enjoy the counting aspect and enjoy seeing all the goodies and people that are coming to the tea party, but this story has been done before. This is not to say Erin Barker’s book is bad. Far from it. It is a delightful Autumn story. It is great for Halloween without being SPOOKY. But not really spooky-spooky, you know? It is a cozy book. It […]

One one-legged dog, one-possessed motorcycle, a witch named Jacks and a girl name Snapdragon

Snapdragon by Kat Leyh

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One: This is a First Second Graphic Novel. Which meant I HAD to read. Regardless of the seemingly obviously crazy, off the wall, fantasy look to it. Second: This is not an obviously crazy, off the wall, fantasy. It is a not so obviously crazy, off the wall realistic fantasy. (See the difference?) Finally: Witches are real, and Snapdragon by Kat Leyh proves it. While there a few bumps to the storyline, it is a neat story about being yourself as well as about friends […]

Trust me, I’m an algorithm.

Excuse Me by Liana Finck

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This is a collection of mostly rough drafts from the comics artist Liana Finck. I recommend checking out her work online and seeing the finished products posted around, and more specifically the comics that have been published in the New Yorker. This collection, like I said, is mostly from rough drafts, Instagram posts, Twitter, and other sources. So in some cases these are incredibly insightful moments, and in other cases these are half-formed. Another thing that is clear from this collection is that a lot […]

Child me would have LOVED this book, adult me thinks it’s pretty great: CBR Bingo – Birthday

Matilda by Roald Dahl

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When looking for which authors have a birthday to fit the bingo requirements, I discovered that Roald Dahl’s birthday is September 13th.  I’ve previously read a few other books by Dahl but had never read Matilda, so this seemed like a good time. When first published in 1988, I would have been eight years old and it would have been perfect for me to discover in about another two years.  However, it escaped notice and when the movie came out in 1996, I was entering my […]

Has to be said: I have a crush on you

Berrybrook Middle School V03 Crush by Svetlana Chmakova

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The Berrybrook Middle School series by Svetlana Chmakova is an interesting look at middle school. It is mostly realistic, though there are a few times when things conveniently happen or work out. A few characters roll over from the other two books in the series, but one does not necessarily need to know any book to read another. In Crush (the third book in the BMS series) we focus on Jorge (seen in Brave and most likely Awkward due to his role as “Sheriff” of the […]



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