Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Do you mind giving me notice when the Apocalypse is about to hit? I need to arrange for a babysitter. Thanks!

Swashbucklers by Dan Hanks

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Yes, there are a lot of plot point holes and flowing issues and missing information in Dan Hanks novel, Swashbucklers. But (pause) I do not care. This was a funny, easy to read, but need to give a bit of attention to, warped ride. Part fantasy, part adventure, part horror, and a lot of humor cover the pages of this novel. Our hero (question mark) Cisco comes back to his hometown 30-odd years after that Halloween and the “gas leak” which he knows was not […]

Get the scooper, ’cause I got the scoop on a robo-dog and its girl

D-39: A Robodog’s Journey by Irene Latham

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I am not really a dog person, but something about the idea of D-39: A Robodog’s Journey was grabbing. Maybe the androgenous look of the character on the cover or the fact it was a robot dog and as far as I could remember I had never read a book with a robot dog. Maybe because it was free. But what kept me reading this novel by Irene Latham was two main things: first it was done in a poetic prose manner. But it was […]

There’s space for more than one friendly ghost

Gilbert the Ghost by Guido Van Genechten

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Just in time to grab for your littles for spooky season -> Gilbert is an adorable ghost, who doesn’t really know how to ‘ghost’. And when he tries to learn, he just can’t get it right. And he… kind of doesn’t want to be spooky and scary and learn to shout BOOOO and haunt people & places. So when Gilbert is exiled to the abandoned tower, instead of learning to be scary in isolation, he instead makes a kitty cat friend named Meow, cleans and […]

Much Better, but with a*

My Friend Has Autism by Amanda Doering Tourville

The Children's Guide to Autism by Fiona Reeves

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In direct contrast to my last post, I’m here to discuss two more books that address Autism and Autistic people in much more relatable & respectful terms, and that can definitely go on my resource guide, even though neither of them is brand spanking new, either. First up, the pretty factual The Children’s Guide to Autism, which was published in 2015. It uses very clear language to discuss some of the strengths and weaknesses of Autistic people, and only ventures in to stereotypical portrayals once or twice. […]

I mean, 95% Over… that explains a lot.

Meet The Overs & The Unders: An Activity Book to Help Children Understand Their Sensory Needs by Jackie Brown

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This is a really good, simply written introduction to sensory issues and needs. Great explanation of what Over & Under responsive to sensory input means & entails. Gives kids a chance to figure out where they fit for each specific system – Vestibular, Visual, Auditory, Tactile, Olfactory, Gustatory, Proprioceptive, & Interoceptive – and plenty of examples of how an Over/Under feels in each situation. I do wish it had some strategies for how to best accommodate these kinds of needs in different situations, but I […]

But what about Penn?

Crash by Jerry Spinelli

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One night, having had some milk tea right before bed (wrong decision) and also reading The Underground Railroad past bedtime (a good decision), I could not sleep.  I’m not sure why, but my heart was beating too fast and I felt anxious.  Maybe it was the tea.  So I went to the kids’ bookshelf and picked up a book I had not yet read to maybe distract me and calm me down. John “Crash” Coogan is a typical boys’ boy.  His parents are busy working […]



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