Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Let there be light and community 

The Light Keeper by Sheila Baslaw

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Recently an email pops into my work emails and it says that I have been chosen to read a book in an online reader format. Fantastic! When did I enter/ask for this book?  I could not remember even seeing The Light Keeper by Sheila Baslaw, Karen Levine, and Alice Priestley before. But that would work in my favor as I had no preconceived notions about things.  While I have read the theme of the story before (the idea of being brave), it was new and […]

The Ghost of Memories

There's a Ghost in the Garden by Kyo Maclear

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There is a message inside of There’s a Ghost in the Garden by Kyo Maclear, but it is one that will be different for each reader. Also, it is okay if you just enjoy the words of Maclear, the flow of text and the illustrations (by Katty Maurey) without taking any meaning from them. It works on both levels allowing the reader to take what is needed at each listen and/or reading.  This can work for many ages, though it is for slightly older listeners/readers. […]

Purple thumbs and stabby plants

Prunella by Beth Ferry

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Along with Millie Fleur’s Poison Garden by Christy Mandin, the picture book Prunella by Beth Ferry and illustrated by Claire Keane, has given me a new category for books I like: Plants that are Not Your Cute Fluffy Pretty Garden Variety. The surface story is the same with both books: girls who love the spookier, odd, weird, dangers, spiky, thorny plants. They like them so much that they are isolated from their communities and peers. In both cases, the parent(s) encourage this individuality, even if […]

No bird brain here

Clever Crow by Chris Butterworth

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I had this online reader link in my keep files for ages. I looked at the title (Clever Crow) and thought, so I want to read it? It seems like it might be a bit slow. And then I clicked on it, saw a few illustrations by Olivia Lomenech Gill and figured I would give it a shot. This artwork was giving off darker vibes that I didn’t think a traditional picture book crowd would be the audience for.  The picture book Clever Crow has […]

By the author who has a ginger girlfriend, an even more ginger dog and an undisclosed number of cats and a lot to say in this delightful book

The Lonely Book by Meg Grehan

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I know it is odd to start a review with a negative, but I want to get it out of the way. I did not like The Lonely Book as much as Meg Grehan’s other titles. This one felt younger than the ones I have read and I was expecting something more mature. With that said, I still enjoyed this addition to their collection of prose poetry novels. Most of Grehan’s books deal with LGBTQ+ issues as well as mental health. This time we are […]

Girl is not truly one but truly two…. unless she has the magical antidote

Jaclyn Hyde by Annabeth Bondor-Stone and Connor White

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I am not sure I liked the book Jaclyn Hyde by Annabeth Bondor-Stone and Connor White. I know I enjoyed it, but liked it? I am still on the fence about it. There is a lot of good, but I am assuming that I am not really the audience for it, and therefore, not picking up what Bondor-Stone and White were putting down.  And this story is obvious: Jaclyn Hyde is perfect. Perfect grades, organizes her school books alphabetically by authors’ hometowns, never really gotten […]



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