Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Get your picture book reviews here

The Scariest Story You’ve Ever Heard by Ron Keres

It's Pride, Baby! by Allen R. Wells

Not a Smiley Guy by Dia Valle

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Picture Book time! They are fun! They are scary! They are full of pride! And one of each is below.  First with have The Scariest Story You’ve Ever Heard by Ron Keres and illustrations (what they are) by Arthur Lin. Read via an online reader copy, though available, this book has mostly all black pages. The narrator says this is so because it is just too scary to see! Two brothers (or so the narrator says), let their imagination run wild when they start hearing […]

So, there used to be this thing called men….

Woman World by Aminder Dhaliwal

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Woman World by Aminder Dhaliwal is a graphic novel that I was thinking was going to be this uber feminist book that was all “yeah women, boo men!” And it is far from it. Okay, men don’t have the best of reputations, but they are not totally villainized. And except for Max (whomever he is), their sperm is still  here and useful (but we have figured out how to synthesize a way that women can be “sperm donors” or bone marrow donors). As one person […]

3 friends were the laughs never end

Bat, Cat & Rat #1: The Cozy Home: Three-and-a-Half Stories by Ame Dyckman

Bat, Cat & Rat #2: Vacation: Three-and-a-Half Stories by Ame Dyckman

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I like Ame Dyckman’s writing. I also like their online persona. They are a hoot and selfishly answer tweets and comments to her. You can count on a funny squirrel story, something about their fox in the yard, something the college kid said, or the husband shook his head at, as she colors her hair yellow, pink, or blue. And I love how she shamelessly promotes her own books! And that is how I learned of Bat, Cat & Rat #1: The Cozy Home: Three-and-a-Half […]

And you thought your job was soul sucking

Hunger's Bite by Taylor Robin

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I asked (texted) a friend the other day asking her, “Why do I find books almost a year before publication? Especially book one of a series?” She answered it was because I was in the early book business. Reader copies are machines to the future (publication of a book), but also they are the dynomite used to open the passages for the trains of reading in the first place. And if the found early book is a stinker, no problems. But when you find something […]

Tea for you and me

Tea with an Old Giant by Jane Yolen

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Sometimes when you find/see a book and/or title, you think it is one thing. You base that assumption on the cover image and/or the author and/or illustrator’s name. Or you base it even on other books you have recently read. And when you finally do read that book (I was lucky enough to have one of my book dealers send me a finished copy), they turn out to be different than expected. Now, a title called Tea with an Old Giant that has a giant […]

From Lima, Peru for Sunny City, California

Vampirita and the Angry Mob (Book 1): A Charming Tale of a Young Vampire's Adventure in California by Mariana Llanos

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Vampirita and the Angry Mob (Book 1): A Charming Tale of a Young Vampire’s Adventure in California by Mariana Llanos and illustrated by Laura Brenalla is the story of a “new kid in town” but has a slightly different twist to it with a vampire as our main character. However, the relatable issues of homesickness, not fitting in, and trying to be nice when you want to be anything but, is familiar. However, regardless of how much we know this story, the author has fun […]



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