Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

When AIDS crashed the party

The Other Pandemic: An AIDS Memoir by Lynn Curlee

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CBR15Passport Different genres (Nonfiction as memoir)   Holy Flying Monkeys!  The Other Pandemic: An AIDS Memoir was not what I expected. My first thought was, “Um…do we really need a book about AIDS? Didn’t we already “do that?” But then I realized two things, first it was a memoir and not a factual book (my bad) and second, especially as I got into it, I realized that yes, we really do need this book. This is not a book about AIDS, but about Lynn Curlee […]

Don’t be ashamed of yourself

Ashamed by Steven Lundle

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Ashamed is an interesting coming of age story. It is set before the narrator, Jeremiah, knows his truth/is question the truth about his sexuality. The book is based on author, Steven Lundle, and his experiences, but fictionalized as well. However, I think it is “closer to home” than he is admitting, as Jeremiah’s voice is personal. It is also, an interesting commentary on the fundamental Christian upbringing of Lundle. Overall, this story is a chapter in fourteen-year-old Jeremiah’s life. He is coming to terms with […]

Diverseness for the younger crowd.

Rainbow: A First Book of Pride by Michael Genhart

Hair Twins by Raakhee Mirchandani

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What do you do when you want to show diverseness to your child, but they are not ready for some big, non-fiction encyclopedic knowledge book? You grab a picture book. And the below titles are perfectly diverse in that fun picture format. Rainbow: A First Book of Pride was originally from 2019. Therefore, it is just an introduction to the rainbow flag with none of the “extras” we see today. It is a way to show how the GLBTQ+ community is not separate, but part of […]

Elliot had a rough few days

The Witches of Silverlake Volume One by Simon Curtis

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I am not familiar with the author or illustrator of this graphic novel but was familiar with Legendary Comics YA the publisher with the reading of Championess by Kelly Zekas making this my second CBR15Passport author unknown. The Witches of Silverlake Volume One is a 3.5 rating but rounded up to a four as there is potential and it is not really a 3. However, there are a few bumps where things do not flow smoothly and/or jump to “the next scene” without warning, or […]

Getting to know you

Jacob's School Play: Starring He, She, and They by Ian and Sarah Hoffman

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We have dealt with what clothes one can wear, and what bathroom we should use, now we are dealing with people and their pronouns in Jacob’s School Play: Starting He, She, and They by Ian and Sarah Hoffman. Jacob’s classroom is putting on a play, and in typical kid fashion we have the “I am excited I am going to be this character” and the “You are a sheep. No ram. But isn’t a ram just a male sheep?” conversation. And the “He has three […]

Gilbert Baker and a Grand ol’ Flag

Sewing the Rainbow: A Story about Gilbert Baker by Gayle E. Pitman

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Sewing the Rainbow: A Story about Gilbert Baker is good introduction for older children. Baker was a young man who lived in a gray world, especially after his art supplies and drawings were taken from him. He was a young man that was drafted, but who would not shoot a gun no matter what names he was called. And he was a man who knew how to put his glittery, wonderful, colorful self out there. And how to represent the community he was part of. […]



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