Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

A desi retelling of Austen’s Emma

Kamila Knows Best by Farah Heron

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Kamila has a pretty great life – a job she loves, friends she adores and who adore her, a wonderful dog, and of course Rohan, her childhood friend who’s always been by her side. Nothing needs to change. Right? Right? I adored this book. Partly because I love Austen’s Emma and enjoyed picking out its echoes here, but what sold me most on this book are the characters. Kamila is a heroine I loved rooting for, one who felt authentic with her joy and her […]

“A sound can move anything if it’s strong enough.”

Song For a Whale by Lynne Kelly

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Iris has always had a slight connection to whales, because she was named in honor of one. The day she was born, a whale beached itself in their hometown, and her family named her the same name scientists gave the whale, as its life left the world when hers began. But Iris’s connection to these creatures truly clicks when her teacher shares a video about a very unique whale, called Blue-55 by scientists, sometimes called the loneliest whale. Blue-55 is a hybrid breed, and sings […]

“They don’t tell you that hurt travels at light-speed too.”

Nyxia by Reintgen, Scott

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Emmett Atwater is one of ten disadvantaged teens who have been recruited by super-corporation Babel for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: To travel into deep space to newly discovered planet Eden and mine its incredibly versatile and valuable material: Nyxia, an element that has seemingly endless possibilities (it can be manipulated into weapons, into a power source, into smoke, and much more).  Eden is inhabited, and Babel’s first mission there was deadly – the inhabitants of Eden (humanoid aliens) slaughtered most of an Earth crew, except for […]

It’s like you’re a mirror/my mirror staring back at me/oooooh!

Otherbound by Duyvis, Corrine

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(Blame “It’s Gonna Be May” on my Timberlake quote) Nolan Santiago suffers from frequent blackouts. His family has been desperate to find the medication that will ease his daily and frequent epileptic fits. But the reason nothing is working is because Nolan isn’t having fits. When Nolan closes his eyes – even when he merely blinks – he is in another world, and in another life. Amara has been a servant on the run for most of her life. She was pulled from the palace […]

Don’t hide your light under a bushel, darling.

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling

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(Title quote is from Bertolt Brecht’s Mother Courage) Aven Green has a pretty great life as a middle schooler in Kansas.  She plays on the soccer team, has a wonderful group of friends, is a creative writer, and plays the guitar. She also has no arms. She was born without them, though if anyone asks about it (and boy do they), she always has a wild tale to tell them about where they went and how. But her life is about to be upended: her […]

“Men of action, above all those whose actions are guided by love, live forever.” – Jose Marti

The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora by Pablo Cartaya

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Arturo Zamora and his family are tight — and I mean the whole family.  He and his extended family all live in the same apartment complex. The heart of the family is his Abuela, who still manages her restaurant “La Cocina” which she and her late husband opened when they emigrated here from Cuba. Her daughter is the master chef, but Abuela makes her daily rounds, greeting every customer — and her love and attentiveness is half the reason the restaurant is always packed (the […]



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