Longtime Cannonballers know of my obsession with all things Andrew Smith. From the moment that I first read Grasshopper Jungle I was obsessed with reading as much of this work as I could, as quickly as possible. When I finished his books, I started reading the books that he tweets about and books by friends of his. I discovered AS King and We Are the Ants. So when I saw that the highly lauded Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda actually had a blurb from Smith on the cover, really, I […]
“I was horny, and scared, and so confused about everything.”
I don’t even know how to review this book (which is why I’ve put it off for a week). It definitely grabbed my attention, but I have no idea if I really liked it or not… “History provides a compelling argument that every scientist who tinkers around with unstoppable shit needs a reliable flamethrower.” Andrew Szerba is 16, lives in a small town in Iowa, and has a major obsession with history — primarily his own, but also the general way that lines of history cross […]
Eat the bacon, Henry.
We are the Ants is a story about high school and first love. Its about depression and suicide. Its about survivor’s guilt and grief. Its about sexual identity and standing up for your true self. Its also a story about being abducted by aliens and given a choice about whether or not the earth is worth saving. Henry Denton lives in a small town in Florida with his overworked mom, his senile grandmother, and his pain in the ass older brother and his pregnant girlfriend. […]
I can’t really say anything except to go and read these books. You won’t be sorry.
I just finished reading Carry On, literally seconds ago. And just before that, I had the pleasure of reading Stand Off. Not only were these the two best YA books I’ve read in ages, but they were just two of the best books I’ve read. Ever. Full-stop. Nobody out there can touch Cannonball favorite Rainbow Rowell and Andrew “my Cannonball boyfriend” Smith right now, as far as I’m concerned. Many people have touted Carry On before me. And I”ll gladly jump on that bandwagon, waving […]
More from my Cannonball boyfriend. He can do no wrong, really.
I love discovering new authors and then devouring their entire bibliography. It’s like a little present, just for me. And I’m still making my way through the early books written by my Cannonball boyfriend, Andrew Smith. So far, I’ve loved Grasshopper Jungle, The Alex Crow, and Winger. And while I didn’t 100% love The Marbury Lens, I was intrigued enough by its unique darkness to pick up its sequel, Passenger. Passenger is just about the darkest, most psychologically frightening, YA book I’ve ever come across. And I mean that in […]
“So what’s a few plane crashes in the name of a good night’s sleep?”
What if I told you that I just read a great book about a teenaged boy named Ariel? Ariel lives in an unnamed, war-torn country, and has just turned 14. On his 14th birthday, tragedy strikes, and Ariel finds himself the sole survivor in his village. Wouldn’t his tale about his travels with soldiers and regular families, about the horrors of the refuge camp, and about his new, adoptive family in West Virginia sound like something you might want to read? Or how about if […]