Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

A Poignant Blend of Myth and Survival

Dear Medusa by Olivia A Cole

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This is the kind of story that burrows into your heart and scrapes you raw in the best way. Alicia’s story is relatable in the worst ways, but I love the community and friendships she’s able to develop and the strength she finds over the course of her journey. Last year, the school’s beloved science teacher raped Alicia, but she hasn’t been able to tell anyone, especially because he is so beloved by the entirety of the school. But holding her pain and rage and […]

Messy, grief-filled story

The Minus-One Club by Kekla Magoon

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Oof, this book is messy and emotional. At it’s center The Minus-One Club is a story of grief and finding your way forward after the death of a loved one, but it is also a story of friendship and identity. Kermit just lost his sister after a drunk driver hit her car head-on, and now he has to go back to school and try getting back to “normal.” But he finds an anonymous note in his locker inviting him to a secret meeting, where other […]

Fantastic Jewish mythology middle grade!

The Ring of Solomon by Aden Polydoros

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I love Aden Polydoros’ books and when I saw he had a middle grade I was so excited. His books hit a very special place for me, and Ring of Solomon continues that trend. Zach and his younger sister, Naomi, find an old ring at the flea market and plan to get it for their mom for her birthday as she collects Judaica, but when they realize they can use the ring to communicate with animals, Zach decides to keep it for himself. He’s been […]

A story of finding yourself

The Long Run by James Acker

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The Long Run is such a great story of two young boys finding their way and finding themselves along the way. Sandro is invisible in so many ways and he’s learned to protect his softness by keeping to himself, especially as his dad and brothers like to “pick on him” in a way that crosses from affectionate into toxic. Bash is having trouble deciding who he is and who he wants to be outside what those around him expect, and in the process has been […]

I do love the cover of this book, especially paired with the title. It makes me laugh.

The Feeling of Falling in Love by Mason Deaver

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This was a cute story and well written, but I didn’t connect to it emotionally as much as I did with Deaver’s first book, I Wish You All the Best. Deaver still plays with themes of gender nonconformity and coming of age while queer and discovering your sexuality and gender identity, but their main character is a much more difficult and complicated person (read: kind of an asshole). This is also a romance, though as with their first book, the main character’s emotional growth is […]

The most surreal collection I have ever read

Gods of Want: Stories by K-Ming Chang

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I picked up this book for a couple of reasons. One, I really enjoy short story collections. Two, I read a short blurb about this book about that described it as spanning the space between magical realism and fantasy which totally piqued my interest. It was available as an audiobook from my local library, so I checked it out. Typically when I read a collection of short stories, I like to review the collection as a whole as well as give a brief review of […]



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