Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Sing or dig?

Song of the Court by Katy Farina

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Song of the Court by Katy Farina is a cute story about being true to yourself. It might be a bit sugary sweet for some (probably mostly adults and/or older readers), but for the ages six to eight crowd, and if the reader is more “girly” in their tastes, it is right up their alley. There are princesses, music, gardening, best friends, and a lot more. The illustrations are bold, but not necessarily to extreme. Farina makes them in an anime format, that has hints […]

When defeating monsters and saving princesses is not enough

The Flower of the Witch by Enrico Orlandi

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Do you want a good story about “becoming a man” but one that might be bit more modern than you are used to? In which “becoming a man” might not mean what we think at first? Then you should try The Flower of the Witch by Enrico Orlandi (and translated by Jamie Richards). And while I try not to start on a less-than-positive note, I will say the language was a little stiff at first. But soon your reading ear should fall into the pattern […]

And what little girls are made of

Blancaflor, the Hero with Secret Powers: A Folktale from Latin America: A Toon Graphic by Nadja Spiegelman

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While focusing on one story in Blancaflor, the Hero with Secret Powers: A Folktale from Latin America: A Toon Graphic you will see multiple stories come together due to the collective ideals of storytelling around the world. This version of Blancaflor by Nadja Spiegelman and Sergio Garcia Sanchez highlights the Latin influences of this wonderfully illustrated story of women’s strengths and hidden talents which we see unfolding to save the prince/her love. The story is simple, Blancaflor is the daughter of ogres. Her father gave […]

This isn’t your father’s Jungle Book…..

Sengi and Tembo by G. Falco

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FYI: I have some not fort his book images becaue I can and I like them! If Animal Farm and A Tale of Two Cities created a book together, the graphic novel Sengi and Tembo by G. Falco (or Giuseppe Falco) probably would be the results. Rebellion, status quo, life, and the ultimate equalizer death all come together in a dark, somewhat comedic commentary on not only how things should be but can become. Sengi is a young mouse that quickly learns the dangers of […]

Worth the hype!

The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen

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The Magic Fish By Trung Le Nguyen   I knew this book had won awards going in, but I wasn’t really sure what to expect.  Whatever awards this got, it most definitely deserved!   Going in, I knew that it was about a Vietnamese boy, Tíển, struggling to find the words to come out to his parents, while bonding with them over fairy tales.  But it is so much more than that.  It is a story about family and immigration and survival.  It’s about acceptance […]

For the night is dark, and full of terrors

Through the Woods by Emily Carroll

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4.5 stars CBR13 Bingo: Shelfie In five creepy stories ranging from the historical to more recent times, writer and artist Emily Carroll gives us her take on proper spine-tingling fairy tales. Accompanied by her absolutely beautiful art, the tales are all the more chilling because of the illustrations. This absolutely qualifies as a graphic novel, or probably more accurately a graphic short story (or fairy tale) anthology. Some of the stories are short, some are longer, all managed to truly unnerve me, while also entertaining […]



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