Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Short and sweet, with great illustrations

The Dragon of Og by Rumer Godden

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Our 2025 read-aloud journey continues! I found this one thanks to a list along the lines of, “If you liked The Hobbit…” We read it in one afternoon (it’s very short), and both kids give it two thumbs up. The titular dragon has a lovely home under a pool in a river belonging to Lord of Tundergarth, a home found for him by his thoughtful mother. He is a shy, quiet dragon who eats only one bullock every 2 or 3 weeks, from the cattle […]

A good book for the right reader

Travel Light by Naomi Mitchinson

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When my daughter asked “Are there any girls in this story?” during our reading of The Hobbit, I set out to find a book with girls and dragons where the girl isn’t just along for the ride. I came across Naomi Mitchison. I wouldn’t be surprised if other Cannonballers are familiar with Mitchison, but I had never heard of her! She was an extremely prolific (over 90 books!) contemporary of Tolkein, who, among other things: …was able to write anywhere, which helped because – as […]

Young at Heart with Judy Blume

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume

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Reading Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume was a walk down memory. I read this for our Cannon Book Club Young at Heart meeting in April since it was the shortest! Alas, it took me a ridiculously long time to listen to the audiobook. I made the mistake of listening in bed when tired from work. I went right to sleep! Tales kicked off this popular book series about Peter and his little brother Fudge. Peter wants to hang out with his friends and have […]

I would like to join the Tea Dragon Society

The Tea Dragon Society by Kay O'Neill

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Dome’Loki introduced me to Kay O’Neill’s The Tea Dragon Society through her Cannonball Read review. The adorable cover won me over immediately. I was so taken with it that I impulsively supported the Chamomile plush Kickstarter campaign without ever reading the books. I couldn’t decide which dragon I wanted, so I simply ordered all of them with the first book. After several months, they finally arrived and made my day! This children’s book is the first in a series. It introduces us to Greta who […]

A Twist on a Classic Fairy Tale

Grounded: The Adventures of Rapunzel by Megan Morrison

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This is a review by the almost 11 year old in LanierHgts’ house, Lala. This book is the retelling of the Rapunzel story, more from the fairy tale than from the Disney movie, although it has some elements from the movie, like when Rapunzel adopts a frog (in the movie she has a chameleon).  It starts in the tower and then ventures beyond.  Rapunzel gets lured out of her tower by Jack (as in Jack and the Beanstalk), who is trying to fulfill a deal […]

Christmas Cannonball!!!

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson

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This is one of the only books that I re-read every year. It’s not December or Christmas until I sit down and read through this little book – and I still have the battered copy that I received as a gift in elementary school… 30ish years ago. It’s the story of a small town cookie-cutter, same-every-year, church Christmas pageant. The same sweet and innocent girl plays Mary every year, there are the shepherds in bathrobes, toddler angels, and traditional carols. But this year, the Herdman […]



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