Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

The man who invited a dance style

Juba: A Novel by Walter Dean Myers

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CBR15Passport I own Based on true events of a little-known dancer of the pre-Civil War era, Juba: A Novel by Walter Dean Myers is a story of race and fame. This is the story of the man who invented modern tap dance. There is a mixture of humor and seriousness to the text as well as the overall tone. There is some language used (the N word and “racoon” without the “ra”) and talk of violence that happened (in the south and even north) therefore, […]

Hawaiian culture and nonbinary identities

Ho’onani: Hula Warrior by Heather Gale

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Ho’onani: Hula Warrior is and is not hard to talk about. But after you say a young dancer finds her place in her society and the male hula troupe at school by being herself, you have said it all. I mean you can say how her family (but not her sister) supports her choice of being nāhū (not wahine (female) or kane or kāne (I have found both spellings) (male) but in between) and how that came about, but that takes away from the story […]

The Spanish Dancer

Dare to Love by Jennifer Wilde

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Mary Ellen is a girl from Cornwall, deserted by her lover. Elena Lopez is a dancer, glamorous and wild, the mistress of musicians and kings. Dare to Love tells the story of her journey from one to the other. Jennifer Wilde is the pseudonym of T.E. Huff, who wrote under this name during the 1980s. Though I’ve some Wilde books on my TBR, this is the first I’ve read, and I think the one that was most ripped from history, for Elena is clearly based on Lola […]

For the Girls who’ll be the Women

Bedtime Ballet by Kallie George

Stella Keeps the Sun Up by Clothilde Ewing

Pineapple Princess by Sabine Hahn

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When you have three picture books that are at best a “three each” you cannot say much about them beyond the usual what they are about, quick something about the illustrations, and if you liked it or not. But due to the fact March is Women’s History Month, these three are books you want to add to your Girl stories. Each one has delightful illustrations. They are cute, fun, and while familiar, there are modern touches to make them new and fresh. Bedtime Ballet by […]

My dad isn’t a vampire but my mom was (almost) a lumberjack

Lumberjackula by Mat Heagerty

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We know the story presented in Lumberjackula by Mat Heagerty: a child wants to please his parents by doing what they want him to do; however, he does not want to do exactly what either wants for him as neither choice is the right fit for him. He has a need, a need to DANCE! But when your mother is a lumberjack and your father a vampire, you must decide which side you are on. Or do you? Of course, there are lies (Jack tells […]

“Sylvia did reach her dream of becoming a ballerina. And it all started with one determined girl with one library book from one bookmobile.”

Ready to Fly: How Sylvia Townsend Became The Bookmobile Ballerina by Lea Lyon & A. LaFaye, Illustrations by Jessica Gibson

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We’re gonna start off today’s review by (potentially? I don’t think I’ve talked about this here before) learning a new thing about NTE: I used to be a dancer. Before my body decided that anything that required even standing was completely out of the question (so from age 3-15, basically), being a dancer was a major part of my identity. I danced five days a week – tap, ballet, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, & pointe. Pointe was – by far – my worst class (I had […]



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