Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

The answer is because We are AWWWWEEEESOOOME!

Why We Need Aunts. by Gregory E. Lang

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The title is:  Why We Need Aunts. The author is Gregory E. Lang. The illustrator is Lisa Alderson. It was read via an online reader copy. It is due in September 2025. Yes, dear reader, one must wait until Fall 2025 to learn why Lang thinks we need aunts and how Alderson has decided to illustrate that. I will say that the number one reason one needs an aunt is that we are AWESOME! We spoil you. We give great hugs. We know the fun […]

Great for the Holidays and Any Days

The House Without Lights: A glowing celebration of joy, warmth, and home by Reem Faruqi

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I don’t think I saw The House Without Lights: A glowing celebration of joy, warmth, and home by Reem Faruqi and illustrated by Nadia Alam on my online reading site. If I had, I didn’t remember seeing and/or saving it. But one day I had an email that said, “Here is a book we are promoting and we hope you consider reading it.” I said, “Why not?” and I found an online copy. That is not where this book journey ends though. I will be […]

A long review with a lot of thoughts

Transitions: A Mother's Journey by Elodie Durand

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I used to book mentor a kid that came to my store. He was smart, but mentally and physically young. One day I learned he wanted to go by “James” not “Jamie” anymore. Why? You see, his neighbor “Bob” left one day and when he came back, she was “Jamie” and (hopefully) she was happy. Now, since “James” was a kid, it is expected that he wouldn’t understand this. After all, transgendered people were not in the mainstream as they would be even a few […]

Freshman Blues

How It All Ends by Emma Hunsinger

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How It All Ends by Emma Hunsinger is a coming of age story that we know: Girl has trouble fitting in during high school. She is not ready for the trials of being a teen. But, the thing is, she isn’t really a teen. She should be an 8th grader. She should be having homeroom, going to Six Flags, starting a first crush; not having to deal with boys who think interrupting their English teacher is funny. Doing group projects with a boy (thankfully she […]

Fun with Signs

Begin One Way: A Children's Book of Road Signs by Ioana Stoian

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Recently I had the opportunity to read a book by Ioana Stoian. When I started to look for other books by them, I located the title Begin One Way: A Children’s Book of Road Signs (illustrated by Sophia Vincent Guy). At first, I was thinking how could anyone do a fun or interesting book about road signs? It had been done before; and honestly, it was a bit dull. However, while I am not jumping up and down saying this is the best book ever, […]

Love, Kindness, Danger

The Girl Who Sang: A Holocaust Memoir of Hope and Survival by Estelle Nadel, Bethany Strout and Sammy Savos

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“There are very few survivors left, and I want the world to know that there was a Holocaust” The Girl Who Sang: A Holocaust Memoir of Hope and Survival is a short graphic novel, but has a lot packed in. Estelle Nadel, Bethany Strout and Sammy Savos created an informative, quick story about how one girl survived during wartime, a girl who was lost and how she found her voice when all seemed to be the end of the world.  There are uncomplicated illustrations supporting […]



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