Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Let’s talk about [redacted], baby!

It's NOT the Stork! by Robie H. Harris and Michael Emberley

It's So Amazing! by Robie H. Harris and Michael Emberley

It's Perfectly Normal! by Robie H. Harris and Michael Emberley

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In my continued effort to be better acquainted with commonly banned and “controversial” children’s books, I dug into three sex ed books by Robie H. Harris and Michael Emberley. It’s Perfectly Normal is the book that is most commonly banned among the three, because it is the most comprehensive and progressive. But I was curious to see how each book differed, as they are aimed at specific age groups. It’s NOT the Stork is for ages 4 and up, It’s So Amazing is recommended for […]

I finally read Gender Queer!

Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe

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I’m sure this book has already been discoursed to death here at Cannonball Read, so I won’t get too much into that. (It was a book club pick, yes?) I finally decided to read it because I have been much more active in my local anti-censorship organization this year, and wanted to be able to better defend the book if someone came after me with questions about it. The book is so stunning, warm, and earnest. It’s the most thorough exploration of this specific form […]

Colorful exploration of a colorful subject

Sex is a Funny Word by Cory Silverberg, Fiona Smyth

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The Digital Public Library of America, a fabulous organization working toward equitable access to ebooks, is running a Banned Books feature on their social media pages, inviting readers to share why they love and support a banned book. (They are taking submissions here!) As a longtime supporter of comprehensive sex education, I picked a sex ed book that frequently comes under fire: the wonderful tween title Sex is a Funny Word by Cory Silverberg with illustrations by Fiona Smyth. I reread it to provide my […]

“Pleased to meet you, hope you guess my name…”

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

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3.5 stars Nowhere Books Bingo: Banned books (Wasn’t published until 27 years after Bulgakov’s death, and only then in a censored version. ) CBR16 Bingo: Cult (cult classic, and there’s the whole Devil and his entourage as a central plot point – that’s pretty cultish, right?) I can’t remember exactly how long The Master and Margarita has been on my TBR list, but it’s certainly more than twenty years. A quick glance on Goodreads shows me that 15 of my friends have rated it four […]

Hey, Boo

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

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CBR16 BINGO: Bananas, because this is a frequently banned or challenged book, and banning books is bananas. I have different reasons for re-reading certain novels. Sometimes I re-read a favorite book simply because I know it will make me happy. Sometimes I want visit with characters who feel like old friends. And sometimes it’s purely practical, like when I need clarity before continuing a series. With a novel like To Kill a Mockingbird, which many of us read in high school, a re-read is a […]

CBR15 Bingo: Queer Lives (Bingo)

All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson

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CBR15 Bingo: Queer Lives In July, the Forever Young Adult Reading Challenge prompt was Banned Books. Since All Boys Aren’t Blue was the second most banned book in America during the 2021-2022 school year, only beaten by Gender Queer, and I’d had the book on my digital bookshelf for a while, it felt like a suitable book to choose. This book was also one of the book club selections last year for the Cannonball book club, when we did banned books (this year we did […]



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