Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

I’m With the Mariachi Band

Adela’s Mariachi Band by Denise Vega

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I decided that when I got an email from Charlesbridge (a publisher) I would read some of the twelve online picture book reader copies included. I ended up reading ten (one had been previously read, so technically nine). I didn’t read two because the covers didn’t “speak to me” but I saved the links in case they someday would. One of the reads was Adela’s Mariachi Band. Due in mid-August, this story by Denise Vega and illustrated by Erika Rodriguez Medina was not what I […]

The stories of two young men

Hands by Torrey Maldonado

Garvey in the Dark by Nikki Grimes

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I needed a short read or two. I found two, while terribly short looking, books that also felt like they would have some “meat” to them. And those books were Hands by Torrey Maldonado and Garvey in the Dark by Nikki Grimes. I was familiar with Grimes, as they are the author of Garvey’s Choice and others I enjoyed reading. But Maldonado was new. Hands looked like it would be a boxing book. And it is, somewhat. But really what the book is about are […]

Taking on the role of Isaac

Buzzing by Samuel Sattin

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Buzzing is more of a 3.5 as an averaged out score than either a 3 or a 4.  I enjoyed seeing the changes in the illustrations to show the emotions, feelings, and how our main character is reacting. This is clever and a unique way of helping us see the situation. However, I never felt any one character was overly fleshed out and none felt “real” and more of a bit of a cliché. At the same time there are a lot of good pieces […]

My addition is being feed with books to read

Hello Face by Aya Khalil

Can You Find Doug’s Dog? by Jane Caston

Firefly Galaxy by Sarah Nelson

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My bookdealer came through for me again. This time I had around a half dozen finished, real life, copies of titles (though all are officially due April 2024).  I will start with Hello Body! Hello Face! (or Hello Face! Hello Body! I’ve seen it both ways) as it was the one that slipped out of the package first, and since I had a few minutes, read first. However, the rest were longer, and as I was at work, wait I must!  Hello Face by Aya […]

The rom-com romp

Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang

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I was hesitant to start Lunar New Year Love Story for a few reasons: I am not a romance reader; I thought the use of Leuyen Pham as the illustrator was an odd choice; and as I like Gene Luen Yang, would I build this book up too much and it would not live up to my hype?  Well, I am still not a romance reader and the arc was not how I run my romance life, but it was fun and heartwarming. (Granted if […]

Dystopian romance and humanity

Heart Attack by Shawn Kittelsen

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Includes triggers. Not for under aged 14 (and even then, know your reader). I’m rating Heart Attack by Shawn Kittelsen, Eric Zawadzki and Mike Spicer a 4 for several reasons: It is a strong take on what is happening today. It is an interesting story about family (biological and found) and how friendships and love shapes us. It talks about how power and greed corrupts both good and not so good people. And we see how things are not perfect, but humanity does try to […]



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