Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

No strikes, but a ball

Fox Point's Own Gemma Hopper: (A Graphic Novel) by Brie Spangler

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I enjoyed Fox Point’s Own Gemma Hopper: (A Graphic Novel) more than I thought, yet, not as much as I had hoped. The idea of “only having value is when you play baseball (but not actually, of course),” was the point, but not fleshed out enough to make you believe it. Plus, the father’s “apology” to Gemma at the end is only because now he has “two baseball players in the family” so now he’ll “step up” and “help my daughter. Who, by the way, […]

Probably the way I found this book was more interesting to me than the book

Marigold and Rose by Louise Gluck

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Honestly, I am not really sure what I read.  Marigold and Rose by Louise Gluck is not in my usual wheelhouse. First it is an adult book, not a kids book and second, it is a mixture of unusual prose poetry and a regular novel. Go ahead and call me unsophisticated if you wish. I’m good with that. Not every book is meant for everyone and not everyone is meant for every book. I would say that the book has two main layers to it. […]

The American dream has a few sleepless days

Parachute Kids: A Graphic Novel by Betty C. Tang

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CBR15Passport, Own (the reader copy, but due early April)   There is a lot going on within the covers of Parachute Kids: A Graphic Novel. This book is loosely based on some of the experiences author Betty C. Tang and the experiences of others like Tang had. And thankfully they did not happen all to one person, because as I said, a lot happens. We see the kids left to their own devices, scammed out of money, issues with language, issues with racism and even […]

Caution: Baby does more than Bite.

Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage

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Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage book is a highly recommended book. It is on lists of great thrillers. Banned books to read. And even for book groups. However, I am not totally a hundred percent sure why. I learned after starting it, several people had a variety of “not liking” comments. One person could not finish it. Others felt that while it was worth the read, but felt a few other titles were stronger. This mixed batch of love and eh was what I felt. […]

Home is where your mother, you and your seven siblings are

Home in the Woods by Eliza Wheeler

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Home in the Woods is not an easy book to read. This is because of several factors. The first is that the emotions of the story (the father’s death, the family leaving their first home, the poverty of the family) might make a sensitive reader uncomfortable. Eliza Wheeler presents the story tastefully, but modern children are probably not aware of the Great Depression and how it devastated the country. However, despite that, it is a lovely story of triumph and overcovering obstacles. The second issue […]

Prince Sebastian would like to introduce you to himself, Lady Crystallia

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

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The Prince and the Dressmaker most likely was pretty cutting-edge when it came out last year. We were started to talk about sexual identity and gender fluidness and the issues that come from that. Using the graphic novel format also is a bit different. But this publishers imprint seems to be the one to go to for cutting-edge stories in this usually more approachable format. However, a year later, having a young man dress in woman’s clothing as sometimes he feels male and sometimes female, […]



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