Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Are you Team Planet or Team Wrong… I mean Dwarf Planet

Pluto!: Not a Planet? Not a Problem! by Stacy McAnulty

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Are you Team Pluto is a Planet or Team Pluto is a Dwarf planet? Me? Planet all the way! But it does not matter which way you tilt, you will find that Pluto is still really awesome in the picture book Pluto!: Not a Planet? Not a Problem! by Stacy McAnulty. Things are upbeat, bouncy and give all the facts with some fun attached as well. Part of McAnulty’s Our Universe series, Pluto is proud to say, “Who cares if you don’t think me a […]

This book inspired me to write some of my own poetry again

Great Gusts: Winds of the World and the Science Behind Them by Melanie Crowder and Megan Benedict

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Great Gusts: Winds of the World and the Science Behind Them is one of the most beautiful books I have read so far in 2023. The fact it does not come out until mid-March 2024 is the frustrating part as I want everyone to go out and purchase copies at their local independent bookstore now! The poetry is amazing as it covers the science of wind and is emotional. Both Melanie Crowder and Megan Benedict’s work is factual, but allows for the movement of a poem. The […]

An adventure for some, but I’m not one

Super Space Weekend: Adventures in Astronomy (Science Adventure Club) by Gaelle Almeras

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I am not sure if Super Space Weekend: Adventures in Astronomy (Science Adventure Club) is a second (or at least not the first in a series) of titles, but there was some missing information for me. The book starts off with three friends who seem to have been introduced to us before. But I know I have not previously met Squeak, Orni, and Castor. Despite this “in the middle” feeling, I was getting a good feeling about Gaelle Almeras’ graphic novel. I was excited to learn […]

I’m gunna study the stars and there ain’t nuttin’ you can do about it!

Shining Star: Vera Rubin Discovers Dark Matter by Suzanne Slade

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What is dark matter? Well, if you are looking for an answer, you won’t exactly find it in Shining Star: Vera Rubin Discovers Dark Matter. Instead, in this picture book (due November 2023, and yes, I read it via an online reader copy) you will find the biography of Dr. Vera Rubin, a young girl who in the 1940’s said, “World. I’m going to study the stars!” And she did, all the while raising a family and facing discrimination. Her studies, ingenuity, tenacity, and a […]

“There are three stages in scientific discovery. First, people deny that it is true, then they deny that it is important; finally they credit the wrong person.”

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

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When I was looking at the 2022 Read Harder Challenge for the first time and saw #9: “Read the book that’s been on your TBR the longest”, I knew without looking what that book would be, even though I haven’t looked at the beginning of my list in years. And that’s because I’ve been avoiding this book for as long as I’ve wanted to read it. Just one word for you: supervolcano. In Bryson’s signature breezy, humorous, yet intelligent style, he will explain to you […]

Messages of light

Light Speaks by Christine Layton

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Light Speaks is created by Christine Layton and Luciana Navarro Powell (illustrations). The publication date is early April 2023. I had the pleasure of reading an advanced readers copy via Edelweiss. It is classified as Juvenile Nonfiction, Science & Nature, and Astronomy. It is a simple book but includes pieces of information that you may not realize. And it is all done in a prose poetic manner. This picture book combines the science of light and simplified it for most ages. It allows us to […]



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