Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

What in the name of Loki’s daughter Hel…..?

Gunhild, Volume 1: The New God? by Fred Tornage

Gunhild, Volume 2: The Hunt for Loki by Fred Tornage

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When you read Gunhild, Volume 1: The New God? toss out anything you think you know about Norse mythology. Especially if you have gotten it from Marvel movies. This is not your parent’s (or grandparents’) mythology. This is some crazy Sleipnir muffins!  The story has been done before with the typical “girl power” (only she is not human but a Fire Jotun named Gunhild) and she is trying to find her place in the world (only she does not fit with humans, because she bursts […]

That Nun!

Make Meatballs Sing: The Life and Art of Corita Kent by Matthew Burgess

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All I am saying is Hippie Nun. You need to read Matthew Burgess’s picture book to learn more! Okay, I will also say that Make Meatballs Sing: The Life and Art of Corita Kent has really cool illustrations that are inspired by Kent and the style of the illustrators mix-media format. There are colors, shapes and all the ins and outs of what you would expect from Kent’s work and life. They are unqiueq detailed and there are hidden pieces of fun (the blue bird […]

Surprises sent in the email

Archie Celebrates an Indian Wedding by Mitali Banerjee Ruths

Sami's Special Gift by M O Yuksel

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I love getting good surprise emails about books. Recently Charlesbridge Publishing sent me a link with new titles. There were several that talked about cultures that are not usually ones we see or know about. I jumped on in, read the 17 that were in English (a few were in Spanish) and found  these below. I admit, I made some assumptions about Archie Celebrates an Indian Wedding. Which, actually, I’m glad I did. I was able to learn from that, and that one should not assume; […]

“There are no stupid questions, nor any forbidden ones, but there are some questions that have no answer.”

Questions I Am Asked About The Holocaust : Young Reader’s Edition by Hedi Fried

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Four main things stand out for me from reading Questions I Am Asked About The Holocaust : Young Reader’s Edition. The first, it took the author, Hedi Fried, a lifetime to heal and process her experiences; the second, history has repeated itself, and third, while I knew what genocide meant (there is also a glossary that gives a technical definition) it was broken down by etymology: genos: people and cide: murder, or People Murder. But perhaps the big takeaway from this translation by Alice E. Olsson […]

One seed

Big Tree by Brian Selznick

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While I did not completely love the grainy illustrations of Big Tree by Brian Selznick, I understand the reason for them and appreciate them. And there were several that were more fleshed out, but they felt few and far between. The story is a mature environmental tale with spiritual elements that is told by two seeds from a seed pod from Mama Sycamore. It does not sound like it makes sense, but it does, even if sometimes the flow of the story felt to be not as […]

Gift a read

Joy to the World: A Christmas Song by Sara Gianassi

Silent Night: A Christmas Song by Sara Gianassi

The Last Slice: A Three Kings Day Treat by Melissa Seron Richardson

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If you like giving books for the holidays, these two board books illustrated by Sara Gianassi are adorable! They capture the more traditional feelings and ideals of the season, but also are just nice books. Perfect for stocking stuffers, these are practically must haves for everyone. They do include the full text (or at least a few verses) of each song (therefore a few lines might not be as familiar to some people) and have the sweetest images for illustrations. Okay, maybe too sweet for […]



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