Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Anda one book; anda two book; anda three!

The Eidi Bag by Shazia Afzal

The Jellyfish Bus by Suhyeon Lee

What if Marty Doesn’t Like My Party? by Katie Arthur

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Three books I enjoyed, but am not really able to give a full review to each individual are below. This is because if you try to write up a “full review” you just end up telling the story. And then, you, the reader of this review, will not want to read the actual books!  (Each one was read via an online reader copy.) Starting with The Eidi Bag  by Shazia Afzal and illustrated by Shiva Delsooz, we have a book (currently available) that dives into […]

Friends and differences

Don't Invite a Bear Inside for Hanukkah by Karen Rostoker-Gruber

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Don’t Invite a Bear Inside for Hanukkah by Karen Rostoker-Gruber and illustrated by Carles Arbat was exactly what I expected it to be. With that said, it is cute, funny and shows the values of the season. I wish I had found it before today (the first day of Hanukah), but it will work for the other days of the celebration, and for next year as well. We have a young child decorating for the holiday. They see a bear outside and though the narrator […]

Family, faith and More

Almost Sunset by Wahab Algarmi

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Almost Sunset by Wahab Algarmi is a relatable story of trying to balance it all, but with the addition of being a Muslim which many readers (strong 8 to 12-13) might not be familiar with. Overall, things are sweet, fun and informative. However, my score of a 3 is more of a 3.5 as there were a few things I would have liked to know more about and a few arcs in the story were not my favorite.  The cover gives you how the illustrations […]

Great for the Holidays and Any Days

The House Without Lights: A glowing celebration of joy, warmth, and home by Reem Faruqi

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I don’t think I saw The House Without Lights: A glowing celebration of joy, warmth, and home by Reem Faruqi and illustrated by Nadia Alam on my online reading site. If I had, I didn’t remember seeing and/or saving it. But one day I had an email that said, “Here is a book we are promoting and we hope you consider reading it.” I said, “Why not?” and I found an online copy. That is not where this book journey ends though. I will be […]

Does Santa Celebrate Christmas?

Santa's First Christmas by Mac Barnett

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Santa’s First Christmas by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Sydney Smith is not a new idea (how does Santa celebrate/does Santa celebrate Christmas), but the way they present it is fun and clever. Maybe it was not WOW but I chuckled. After all, if the elves won’t let Santa eat the cookies for You-Know-Who who comes tonight, HOW will they get eaten?  You see, one Christmas Eve the elves decide (after many years of watching Santa work all year, work all that one night, sleep […]

The other parts of faith

On a Chariot of Fire: The Story of India’s Bene Israel by Erica Lyons

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Due to recent world events, I have tried to find books that show another side to the people involved in these conflicts. In my search I have found several books, including an Ukrainian folktale, such as a counting book from Palestine and books on Judaism or the people. And one of those that I recently found was, On a Chariot of Fire: The Story of India’s Bene Israel by Erica Lyons, (currently available, read via an online reader). I cannot say a lot about the […]



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