Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Genius? A$$? Or Both?

Hawking by Jim Ottaviani

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Stephen Hawking was a complicated man. Selfish, self-centered, intelligent, willing to work with others, wanted self-credit, chose romantic partners that seemed distant, and believed his own press as he made up most of it. You never know what will happen next in the pages of this graphic novel by Jim Ottaviani. Aptly named, Hawking¸ Ottaviani starts the story (told from the point of view of Hawking himself) from about age elven to around the eve of his death. Ottaviani makes it so you think you’ve […]

Bitter sweet goodbyes

The Sour Cherry Tree by Naseem Hrab

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When I first saw The Sour Cherry Tree by Naseem Hrab, I thought it was going to be an Asian folktale. Instead, this lovely story of a granddaughter saying goodbye to a beloved grandfather is a realistic story with Arabic characters. But the great part is, it is relatable no matter your background. Anyone with a grandparent that maybe you did not have a terrible close relationship with but had a very special one will understand how the young girl feels the day she learns […]

Sometimes I Grumblesquinch too

Sometimes I Grumblesquinch by Rachel Vail

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Katie Honors is a really nice kid, but in this realistic story about a young girl and her little brother Chuck, who seems to ruin everything he (literally) touches, Sometimes I Grumblesquinch (or more actually Katie does) it is hard to stay nice.  Trying to stay the “good girl” after a not so fun morning, she pushes her feelings down (grumblesquinch) every time something happens that upsets her (Chuck takes her seat at the table, he gets food over her favorite shirt, he “punches” her […]

If you want to keep on swimmin’ you’ll need to take care of the planet first

To Change a Planet by Christina Soontorvat

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To Change a Planet by Christina Soontorvat is a lovely story about how one small event, person, or thing, can have a global impact. And if each one of us bans together, we can try and help the issues we have created. Of course, there is little new to this concept presented in the pages of Soontorvat’s story. Yet, it is a nice book. It would be good for a classroom setting, or a quiet time read. The colorfully bold illustrations by Rahele Jomepour Bell […]

Because I found two new books, I’m writing a three book review

Paper Planes by Jim Helmore

In a Jar by Deborah Marcero

Out of a Jar by Deborah Marcero

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Several of the books I have read deal with a friend moving a serious distance. And Paper Planes starts off as that kind of story. And like In a Jar by Deborah Marcero the solution is a lot simpler than our child narrators feel is possible. In Paper Planes by Jim Helmore, Mia and Ben are best friends who do everything together. And while they like watching the geese fly, and swinging together, they love making airplanes and hope someday to make one that will […]

These little mermaids don’t use snarfblats

Thirsty Mermaids by Kat Leyh

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Some of my usual dislikes in a story are in Thirsty Mermaids: the drinking to excess, the odd characters that are less than intelligent about common sense, not getting punished for events like stealing, and every character is conveniently “other.”  However, in Kat Leyh’s graphic novel, they are pluses. I can forgive the stealing as the guy they stole from seemed like a jerk. I can accept the drinking because it is necessary to push these characters forward. Would I like to have seen less […]



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