Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

I came in like a Cannonball!

One Can by Eric Walters

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One Can by Lana Button, Eric Walters and Isabelle Malenfant  is due in September 2025 and I had the opportunity to read it via an online reader copy. And I was not prepared for the story. I figured it might be something about how wonderful a can is and all the wonderful things it can do (store food, pennies, shells, etc) or how you can recycle it and it can have a second life. Instead of something nice and cute, something that has been done […]

One summer of food, friends, family

Speak Up, Santiago!: A Hillside Valley Graphic Novel by Julio Anta

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Speak Up, Santiago!: A Hillside Valley Graphic Novel by Julio Anta and illustrator Gabi Mendez is a story about friendship (even to yourself), family and finding your place. The cultural references, the ideas of community and more comes to life. The feeling is a younger The Misfits by James Howe, with colorful illustrations that brings Santi and his four new friends together.  In the end it is a cozy read that is both familiar and fresh. Santi is trying to come to terms with not […]

On guard that cha-cha-cha!

On Guard!: A Marshall Middle School Graphic Novel by Cassidy Wasserman

Swing by Audrey Meeker and Sarah Davidson

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Graphic novels are one of my favorite genres to read.  They cover several themes and ages. Currently middle and young adult graphic novels have several being published. Most of the middle readers are nice, not too in-depth but have a good message. They are fun and relatable without being too heavy for the (strong) 8-9 to (younger) 13-14. Two of those books are reviewed below.  Over a weekend that was cold, I found a quick graphic novel that I hoped wouldn’t go too deep into […]

Part cloud, part puppy all fun and (video) games

Cloud Puppy V02 Game On! by Kelly Leigh Miller

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Cloud Puppy V02 Game On! by Kelly Leigh Miller is a fun continuation of Cloud Puppy V01. I read this via an online reader copy. It is due in early March 2025.  While I like Cloud Puppy (part cloud, part puppy) it can be visually overly cute and sugary. It is for for the reader who likes friendship stories and stories about gaming (including LARPING). It does lend itself to a more stereotypical “girl story” but as one of the stories included tells us, we […]

Bee is for Honey and more

Diary of a Bee by Stepanka Sekaninova

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I did not know what to expect with Diary of a Bee by Stepanka Sekaninova and illustrated by Linh Dao when I saw the online reader copy (due mid April 2025). I figured it would be something like, “I wake up, brush my teeth, eat breakfast, go to (fill in space), lunch, dinner, snacks and go to bed.” You know, like a kid would do. But instead it is a fictionalized life of a bee. We start with “pre bee” and how they grow, hatch, […]

“Well that’s interesting.”

Astro by Manuel Marsol

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First, the only image from Astro I will be showing in this review is the cover. As that is probably more than enough to keep you occupied. Second, I must admit, I almost didn’t read Astro when I first saw the online reader copy because of that cover. It is just odd. Bizarre. Weird. And I like odd, bizarre and weird, but it was almost too odd, too bizarre, and of course, too weird.  But then I said, “Girl, your goal is to try new […]



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