Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

How a storm made friendship

The Shelter: Deluxe 5th Anniversary Edition by Celine Claire

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I read via an online reader copy the fifth anniversary edition of The Shelter that is due in mid-October 2023.  I am not sure what might be new about this Celine Claire story, but I do know that somehow, I missed it when it first came out. Granted, I am not thinking this is the best book ever, but it is a solid book with equally strong illustrations by Qin Leng. The idea is an old story with a theme of giving to others, sharing […]

Matthew McConaughey wrote this

Just Because by Matthew McConaughey

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The book Just Because is a very Matthew McConaughey type book. His more laid back, modern take on things come out on the pages. He has several “just because” statements. Just because I told a lie, does not make me a liar. Or just because I have the gold (the biggest package) does not mean I won. Or just because I am in the race, does not me I am ready to go (the runner’s shoe is untied).  However, as I am myself and I […]

Parent Trap meets Freaky Friday without the magic but lots of music

Mirror to Mirror by Rajani LaRocca

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Awhile back I found a reader copy by Rajani LaRocca called Mirror to Mirror. I was interested in it due to the diverse characters and the prose poetry format.  However, as I started reading (at lunch) it was going slowly, and I put it aside. I picked it up months later and was able to finish it finally. It was mostly worth the wait. I say mostly, as for me, there were a few bumps. I was not a fan of some characters, and a […]

Two communities diverged, but come together in the woods

In the Dark by Kate Hoefler

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One of the interesting pieces of In the Dark is that it is not what it seems. And once you go farther into Kate Hoefler’s book than the cover you see that. The idea is that two voices are saying how “bad” the other is, due to their differences and the lack of knowledge by the other party. But if you watch closely, you see that things are not always dark, especially with the forest, which we are told the “witches” live. And as we […]

The girls with the nature names

The Wishing Flower by A. J. Irving

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I will start off my review of The Wishing Flower with a slightly controversial observation. While, yes, this book is about a queer child and her feelings acceptance, understanding, and the want for a friend, you can adapt this to also show it is “just” about a child who is a bit shyer, who does not really fit in, but in the end does find a place to fit because she found a friend; that she found someone who accepts her for herself. And in […]

Voice personal boundaries

Connor Kissed Me by Zehava

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CBR15Passport, author Sometimes a book about consent is not overly realistic. Or at least, I should say it is not like I have or other people I know have experienced. Of course, someone could be harassing you regularly, or assault you/touch/act towards you in an aggressively/uncomfortable manner, but most of the time the actions are “innocent,” but inappropriate. And Connor Kissed Me takes more of that approach. The story (coming mid-September 2023) that Zehava created is simple. Connor kisses Miriam. She does not want to […]



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