Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Halloween is not just in October for this reviewer

Luna and the Witch Throw a Halloween Party by Aubrey Plaza, Dan Murphy, and Hannah Peck

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This picture book Luna and the Witch Throw a Halloween Party, is a Halloween story. As it says so in the title, but also because it is a book about celebrating Halloween with a party. But I would read Aubrey Plaza, Dan Murphy, and Hannah Peck’s story any time of the year, as it is also about the right way to go about making friends. It is silly, funny and hopeful. It has a little information about adapting things to fit a wider variety of […]

What is a detective’s favorite fruit? Clue-berries.

Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast V07 Whodonut?: A Holiday Mystery by Josh Funk and Brendan Kearney

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Josh Funk and Brendan Kearney had me at Miss Maple and lost me at gummy bugs! Okay, well, they didn’t lose me, just made me pause. But then they had me again at Elvis Parsley.  This seventh addition to the Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast series, Whodonut?: A Holiday Mystery is a fun, cute and different holiday story. While the “Who Dun-it” aspect and the idea of the last book in a series is not new, the way Funk and Kearney presents things is […]

The community of solstice

Winter Solstice Wish by Kate Allen Fox and Elisa Paganelli

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I am not jumping up and down and saying Winter Solstice Wish by Kate Allen Fox and illustrated by Elisa Paganelli (currently available, but I read via an online reader copy) is the best solstice book ever, but I am jumping in to say this is a nice and slightly different approach to the subject. What I have seen for solstice books tend to show more winter scenes and events done to celebrate the seasonal moment. When we find the shortest day of the year, […]

It lost originality points, but makes up for it with important representation points

Pride by Eric Huang and Amy Phelps

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I have several places where I can review a book. One of them has a list of points the book could hit. One of those is Originality. And here is where Pride by Eric Huang and illustrated by Amy Phelps loses points. No, this book is not original. We have other books out there on the subject of pride, on the subject of celebrations, and expression of family. Therefore, why purchase/read this book? Well, if nothing else, the illustrations are really fun. But the way […]

Don’t pass on these Passover books

An Invitation to Passover by Rabbi Kerry Olitzky, Rabbi Deborah Bodin Cohen and Mariia Kolker

Why On This Night? : A Passover Haggadah for Family Celebration by Rahel Musleah and Louise August

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Both of the Passover books in this review are from February 2024, however, I still had online reader copies of both. The first, An Invitation to Passover by Rabbi Kerry Olitzky, Rabbi Deborah Bodin Cohen and illustrated by Mariia Kolker was read in full, while the second, Why On This Night? : A Passover Haggadah for Family Celebration by Rahel Musleah, and Louise August was skimmed. With that said, both seem to be really good Passover stories. Olitzky’s story is a younger introduction to the […]

The moans and groans coming from me were from narrowing down the images I wanted to us

Skeleton Bones and Goblin Groans  by Amy E. Sklansky and Karen Dismukes

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I enjoy poetry, but I prefer children’s poetry to adult poems (unless the poetry is a bit more straight forward and not too “fancy”). In Skeleton Bones and Goblin Groans  I figured it would be either overly spooky, or overly silly. Now, it never really got too spooky (but it does mention a vampire having a bite) but it is silly. For the most part it never gets overly silly, but it is silly. You read about skeletons, ghouls, and more. The rhyming and humor […]



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