Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

I’m not telling a lie, cherry trees and paper airplanes can make friends

Cherry Blossom and Paper Planes by Jef Aerts

by Leave a Comment

I was really enjoying Cherry Blossom and Paper Planes until the end. This was when something felt “off” about the story. I am honestly not sure what it was, but a second reading might be needed to see what was missed. Otherwise, Jef Aerts created a very lovely story about two friends who must adapt their friendship in a special way when one moves. Text and illustrations by Sanne te Loo are lyrical and delightful. The art is deep, soft, rich and bold, and ties […]

“When given the choice between being right and being kind, choose kind.”

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

by Leave a Comment

3.5 stars Official book description: August Pullman wants to be an ordinary ten-year-old. He does ordinary things. He eats ice cream. He plays on his Xbox. He feels ordinary – inside. But Auggie is far from ordinary. Ordinary kids don’t make other ordinary kids run away screaming in playgrounds. Ordinary kids don’t get stared at wherever they go. Born with a terrible facial abnormality, Auggie has been home-schooled by his parents his whole life, in an attempt to protect him from the cruelty of the […]

This Box Contains One Genuine Pet Rock

Swing It, Sunny by Jennifer L. Holm

by Leave a Comment

I read the Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm Sunny series of graphic novels out of order. The good thing for the adult reader is that they should be able to pick the story up regardless of where you start. However, for the aimed audience of ages 10 to 14 (maybe ages 8/9 for the stronger reader as there is some context that might be a bit “much” for the sensitive reader) it probably is best to read them in order. Therefore, first up is […]

Try not to be too crabby that this does not come out until August

Crabapple Trouble by Kaeti VanDorn

by 4 Comments

Due to the cover of Crabapple Trouble I was worried this might be some really bad acid trip. That fear continued when, I noticed heads did not always meet body in the illustrations and later, heads literally roll away after “popping off” of their bodies. I am assuming kids will be okay with Kaeti VanDorn’s realistic-abstract-unique characters which are sentient fruits and vegetables. But I can see some adults being unnerved by them. After all, the characters are Farmers which technically farm themselves (the lemon […]

When the city’s fate rests in the hands of enemies: Parts 2 & 3

The Nameless City V02 The Stone Heart by Faith Erin Hicks

The Nameless City V03 The Divided Earth by Faith Erin Hicks

by Leave a Comment

The Nameless City is a trilogy that (if you are like me) should probably be read back-to-back. I was lucky and able to read all three with little break between one and two (and two and three the same day). Yet, a few things I had to backtrack and try to remember, “Okay who are you again?” or “What did you do?” However, the reader aged 10 to 14 should have no difficultly remembering everything. And thankfully, all three are out so regardless they can […]

Bad a##, Kick a## and all around one damn good read

Suncatcher by Jose Pimienta

by Leave a Comment

Some plot point spoilers. I figured that Suncatcher would be about music and some sort of hard rock. Instead about being about “just music” it is about music (punk/hard rock/independent/and as it is set in Mexico, the cultural influences of the era), perfection, the obsessions we allow ourselves and the ghosts that haunt us. All the reviews I have seen seem to take the character Beatriz literally: her grandfather’s soul is literally trapped in his guitar; she is literally being haunted by him and the […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo