Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Nancy Drew for the New Generation……and 2nd Bingo!

Pepper's Rules for Secret Sleuthing by Briana McDonald

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One of my MFA cohorts just published her debut novel, and of course, I had to buy it. Pepper’s Rules for Secret Sleuthing is a middle-grade story about our hero, Pepper, who’s gone with her father to help settle the estate of a late family relative. However, when they get there, Pepper notices some strange behavior from her own aunt and a few facts that don’t seem to add up. With the help of a neighborhood boy and unexpected assistance from her cousin, Pepper tries to […]

The kids are alright

Dress Coded by Carrie Firestone

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I finished this lovely novel and immediately downloaded it to my tween’s Kindle so she could read it, too. (She did not. I regret every time I try to make her read something and she insists on choosing her own reading material. It’s the worst.) Dress Coded opens with Molly Frost interviewing her classmate Olivia for a podcast. Olivia is currently the most hated girl in 8th grade. See, Olivia was busted for a dress code violation and in doing so, lost the entire class […]

“Every Time Something Doesn’t Happen, It Means Something Else Can”

What If A Fish by Anika Fajardo

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While I’m not usually a reader of middle-grade fiction, this debut novel came across my Facebook feed, as one of my cohorts from my MFA program was its editor! I bought it immediately and was so charmed by this adorable story. What if A Fish follows Little Eddie Aguado, an eleven-year-old Colombian American who feels neither Colombian or American. As he struggles to find his place in the world, he comes across a fishing medal owned by his late-father that sets him on an adventure […]

This book is going to be so good for so many kids. I wish it had been around when I was growing up.

Rick by Alex Gino

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This is a sweet book, but it’s not as good as its companion novel, the award-winning George. George does what all great books do, and transcends its genre. It was written for young middle grade readers, but because it was so well-written and so personal, and developed the character of Melissa so beautifully, it just felt like a good story, all the while it was also teaching kids about what it means to be trans, and emphasizing themes like empathy, friendship, and kindness. Rick has […]

Fierce heroine, creative aliens, and space adventure with bonus review from Ysakitty!

Starsight by Brandon Sanderson

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When I finished reading Skyward,I did not intend on getting the sequel right away, as there were already books in the house waiting to be read.  However, once I was done with the book my 6th grader tore through it and then my husband followed quickly thereafter.  So the next time I went to the bookstore, the sequel, Starsight, came home with me.  (Note: this was written before lock down happened in California)  It is an excellent follow up to Skyward but one thing annoyed me, Starsight is […]

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

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

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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 […]



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