Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

The man who invited a dance style

Juba: A Novel by Walter Dean Myers

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CBR15Passport I own Based on true events of a little-known dancer of the pre-Civil War era, Juba: A Novel by Walter Dean Myers is a story of race and fame. This is the story of the man who invented modern tap dance. There is a mixture of humor and seriousness to the text as well as the overall tone. There is some language used (the N word and “racoon” without the “ra”) and talk of violence that happened (in the south and even north) therefore, […]

Celebrate differences

Princess Hair by Sharee Miller

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In 2017 Princess Hair probably was a fresh, new idea. I do not remember too many titles with children of color and their hair as the subject, but it was starting to become more mainstream. However, now, the story is a bit dated, as it has been done before. Though, it still is a good book for the younger child and their possible hair issues, or if in need of a little self-esteem pick-me-up. The nice part of Sharee Miller’s story is that there is […]

And here I always wanted a snow day

When the Schools Shut Down : A Young Girl's Story of Virginia's "Lost Generation" and the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka Decision by Yolanda Gladden

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While When the Schools Shut Down : A Young Girl’s Story of Virginia’s “Lost Generation” and the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka Decision is a slightly romantic telling of the several years after Brown v. Board of Education when one community went out of their way to make sure their black citizen did not get an education, this book is still strongly showing how much people want to learn, and how far they are willing to go to get what they want. After the decision […]

Presenting Who You Are

Who Are Your People? by Bakari Sellers

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The age-old question of Who Are Your People? is asked in Bakari Sellers picture book. And the answer is not what you would expect. The narrator does not say the people are from Kenya or South Africa. OR that they are Irish or Icelandic. They do not even go general and say from Asia or South America. The voice goes to a more broadly specific place. The place the characters are from are from a long line of people who fought, struggled, quietly sat instead […]

When you think the review says “poet witch” but is actually “poet to watch” you know there might just be magic

The Collection Plate: Poems by Kendra Allen

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cbr13bingo  Flora    Some of the poems in The Collection Plate: Poems by Kendra Allen are straight forward, while others have a more poetic way of speaking. Some poems deal with death, some with life, some with God, some with mothers and some all of that and more all at once. The experiences Allen has had in their life as a person of color and just as a person period, is laid out for all the experience along with them. To say Allen is not […]

While I don’t know it all, I know good poetry, so get on the ball and read y’all!

Whale Day: And Other Poems by Billy Collins

Born in a Second Language by Akosua Afiriyie-Hwedie

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cbr13bingo UnCannon I think we should teach poetry in school but not just the “classics” or what “academics” like, but stuff you WANT to read. Many kids (and adults) hate poetry because it is “girly” (yes, some I was taught was “flowery/girly”) or because is dull (yes, I have fallen asleep more than once while reading some my teacher(s) was forcing on me). And yes, there can be too many rhymes (not that I am complaining mind you, some of my favorites rhymed, but if […]



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