grandmother – Cannonball Read 17

Choose Your Own Adventure for the younger crowd

Choose Your Own Adventure: The Ghost on the Mountain (Dragonlarks) by Kyandreia Jones

November 14, 2024 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

I don’t know about you, but I used to enjoy the Choose Your Own Adventure books as a kid/pre-teen. They were easy and even back then I liked that quick read. That mystery of where your choice would take you. Now they were not my main genre for reading and I moved onto other books, but I always held a small space in my heart for them. And as a bookseller I found them again, but again, I don’t need to read. But I found […]

The Abuela, the Grandson and the Parrot

Squawk of Spanish by Gabriella Alderman

March 22, 2024 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

I have read several books about “not speaking language X” and the troubles it causes with family and/or friends. This time, in Squawk of Spanish, we have a young boy, Max, who cannot speak Spanish well (he has trouble with his rolling Rs), but that’s okay, his grandmother’s parrot does! So when the two (abuela and grandson) bake together, between the three of them, they have their routine down and get the job done. But when the parrot has decided to not to come home […]

Science & Nature & Grief & Love

With a Butterfly’s Wings by Pilar Lopez Avila

July 7, 2022 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

This is a sweet, but also somber, story of a grandmother and granddaughter and how they interact while observing the world around them. It is a picture book of how a grandmother teaches a grandchild how to view the world, explore the world, and to appreciate nature and the animals and plants that reside in it. This is a poem and love letter. On the pages of With a Butterfly’s Wings we see how secrets, appreciation and love are passed along and how even when […]

I’m a little bit of Iveliz

Iveliz Explains It All by Andrea Beatriz Arango

June 10, 2022 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Iveliz Explains It All is a modern story about coming to terms with depression, grief, growing up, reaching out for help and all that is in between. It is relatable even to adults who have gone through the issues or are even currently going through the issues Iveliz must deal with. While best for ages 10 and up, even someone who is going through issues or for friends of those dealing with these issues will enjoy. Afterall, it is just a good, story. This book […]

I might have a little Punky in me

Punky Aloha by Shar Tuiasoa

April 25, 2022 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Punky Aloha was a book I found in an email newsletter from the publisher. I then looked it up on a site where we can order and find book information and occasionally, a full reader copy. And Shar Tuiasoa’s book was there with a reader copy link I could use. I was blown away by how adorable Punky Aloha was. There she was in her big glasses, her piled-high hair and her impishly sweet smile. I was hoping Punky would not be a “bratty kid” […]

A controversial question with the answer of a good book

Jo Jo Makoons: The Use-to-Be Best Friend by Dawn Quigley

May 26, 2021 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

One of the most controversial questions you can ask about characters of a book is, “Why is your character X?” (Fill in the blank: gay, black, Muslim, etc.). But it is an important question. Why does you character have to be X? OR: Why do they have brown hair or green eyes? Why are they tall or short? Why are they male, female, or non-binary? Why are they an alien, a dog, a robot or a farting penguin? What does that piece of information do […]

Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

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