Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Up Up and Crash… after saving the day

Sort of Super by Eric Gapstu

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At first, I almost did not finish this book due in March 2022.  I was thinking that Sort of Super was just another kid superhero who has the brain of a grape. One should not be thinking “Dumba$$” about an eleven-year-old/middle school kid. But Wyatt is a dumb dumba$$. I understand not being able to handle his powers or having misunderstandings (we all have had to calibrate to our “other left”), but even a kid should know what a “Muggle Dumbledore” means (not that he […]

Ride ’em cowgirl… or whatever you say to someone who rides English style

Horse Trouble by Kristin Varner

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I do not care what “horse people” think of Horse Trouble by Kristin Varner as it is a delightful story about a young girl who is dealing with the stress of her life and the horses are really “second thoughts that are important to the overall story but shouldn’t be nitpicked about.” The amount of information and images of horses comes from someone with a “horse background” and therefore, I take their lead. What I absolutely adored about this book is the realistic mother and […]

You don’t need a little orange book to be prepared for this book

Worst-Case Collin by Rebecca Caprara

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The prose poetry allows Worst-Case Collin by Rebecca Caprara to be a quick read, but without sacrificing the story. In the tone and style of Love that Dog and Hate that Cat, Caprara created a book that is both familiar in the subjects presented (growing up, bullies, the loss of a parent, friendship, mental health issues) and different (the father’s particular mental health issues). While I felt the ending was a bit forced, it also was the only way to do it. The realism of […]

Not just the middle school blues

Other Boys by Damian Alexander

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We know this story: Boy learning who he is. And we know the story of Boy learning that he is Gay and that’s okay. However, Damian Alexander’s approach makes Other Boys a fresh take on that story. The use of the wording/phrase “other boy(s)” is used throughout the book. Sometimes it is, “You are not like the other boys” and sometimes a bit more subtle, but it is there. Sometimes it is a half-compliment and others times and out and out insult. Both will make […]

Fern has her own personality as I have mine (see image….It is SO happily me)

Nerdy Corn by Andrew Root

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Fern is a unicorn. She is creative. She prefers building robots and coding to jumping though rainbows that shimmer or splashing in waterfalls. She likes chemistry and reading. Glitter is not her thing, but she is always a good friend and willing to lend a helping hoof to help others. Still the other unicorns tease Fern and call her a Nerdy Corn. Andrew Root has taken the theme of bullies and being yourself on a slightly different journey in Nerdy Corn. Fern, when she is […]

Once upon a school year a girl named Izzy had feelings and more

Izzy Kline Has Butterflies by Beth Ain

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cbr13bingo FREE In late June 2021 I started Izzy Kline Has Butterflies while sitting at a table, outside the local café which was closed, and I was eating a greasy piece of pizza from the shop up the road. But I figured the owners would not mind. I know them well enough, and it was not like I was being disrespectful while enjoying this treat. Besides, it was too nice to sit inside.  Therefore, it was only appropriate that I finish Beth Ain’s book sitting […]



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