Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

This was a fun surprise!

Fence: Striking Distance by Sarah Rees Brennan

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This is an original novel based on C.S.Pacat’s Fence comic series, illustrated by Johanna The Mad. This YA novel came to me courtesy of fellow Cannonballer CoffeeShop Reader, who sent it as part of the 2020 Holiday Book Exchange. I know she has reviewed the original series of graphic novels upon which it is based, and I just want to say again THANK YOU FOR THIS! I had never heard of the series or this author before, but I am definitely in for the follow […]

So excited now that the zoos are open again

Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell

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This is once again an old favourite, and in this particular instance an original from my childhood.  I’m honestly impressed that it managed to make it through three of us, and that my parents saw fit to keep it. I do love a lift the flap book, as anyone who’s read my previous reviews will know, even if they sometimes cause me issues with my inability to lift the things.  Thankfully as this is an old copy, none of the flaps sat flat so I […]

The Prodigal Son returns

Prodigal Son by Greg Hurwitz

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I started reading this series by Greg Hurwitz in either 2019 or 2020.  I’m afraid I can’t actually tell you which one it was as they’ve merged together in my memory.  I was given one of the later books in the series and enjoyed it enough to go back to the beginning and start the series from scratch. I would classify the books as similar to the Jack Reacher novels by Lee Child.  Evan Smoak was trained to be a government assassin before it all […]

Unexpected Misogny

Where's Mr Dog by Ingela P. Arrhenius

Where's Mr Duck by Ingela P.Arrhenius

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I have combined these two books into one review as they form part of a series of, I think five books, although I have yet to read the others.  They follow the tried and tested formula of lift the flap books, but instead of using easily destroyed cardboard flaps, that can apparently test adults to the point of swearing, they use felt instead.  I have to praise whoever made that decision because its an excellent choice.  No matter how hard Toby tried to pull it, […]

The very tired child

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

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This one is a favourite from my childhood that I had been looking forward to sharing with Toby and we finally got a chance to read it this week.  Sensing an opportunity pre-nap for a quick read, things started off well.  The iconic illustrations took my sister and I straight back to childhood and seemed to entrance Toby to the extent that he sat quietly in my sister’s lap as she turned the pages.  At the halfway point he appeared fully invested but this was […]

“Silence warps everything.”

The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys

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I think I’ve mentioned this before, but I have a PhD in history, specializing in the USSR, and back in the day, I taught courses like Western Civ and the 20th Century. I thought I knew my European history pretty well, but a YA novel just showed me a glaring gap in my knowledge. The Fountains of Silence is set in Spain, 1957, and it revealed to me how unaware I was of the oppressive fascist regime that existed in Spain until the death of […]



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