Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Human Tornado

Not Really Buddies (Buddy and Bea) by Jan Carr

Tiny Tornadoes (Buddy and Bea) by Jan Carr

by Leave a Comment

They look adorable on the cover. Two kids ready for adventure. I figured there would be bumps, but nothing like they actually had. Not Really Buddies (Buddy and Bea) by Jan Carr and illustrated by Kris Mukai had more bumps than a Three Stooges movie. The character of Buddy has a lot going on. First, is his name, Buddy. I am assuming that is what he is called and not his birth certificate name, but that is what we are told his name is (after […]

Bình learns the game of life

Enlighten Me by Minh Lê

by Leave a Comment

Enlighten Me is a mindfulness/meditation graphic novel for the 10 and up crowd. There is a little bit of a social theme added with the racism the school bully directs towards the narrator, but the idea is how to deal with the emotions and a situation that triggers and not necessarily this particular situation. The entire book is mostly in “thought bubbles” as the narrator and his family are at a silent retreat, and therefore, unable to talk once there. But to allow the teachings of […]

Authentically Charlie

Curlfriends V01: New in Town by Sharee Miller

by Leave a Comment

I like reader copies. You get to find a good story about friendship, fitting in and being yourself before the final book comes out. And you can decide if the characters are relatable, and for what ages (such as ages 10 and up for Curlfriends V01: New in Town and yes, it is relatable), and see that the illustrations are clever, quirky and fun. You find out that Sharee Miller, while dealing with some serious themes (the fitting in, making friends when you think it is hard […]

Living up to your infamous family heritage

Shelley Frankenstein! V01 CowPiggy by Colleen Madden

by Leave a Comment

Do you want a book where your main character has a “loud personality” and is a big sister, and is a person who does not realize that people do not like to be scared (not even a little bit) most of the time (if not all the time)? Then you probably want to read the graphic novel, Shelley Frankenstein! V01 CowPiggy by Colleen Madden. There is a cute sister/brother relationship, and the historical aspect is amusing (yes, THOSE Frankenstein’s are the ancestors of Shelley and […]

Empowered by his faith

Salat in Secret by Jamilah Thompkins-Biegelow

by Leave a Comment

I was not sure what to expect from Salat in Secret. I figured it would be more of a story about a boy who is picked on, teased, even harassed, when he prays, so he then hides doing it. Instead, we start out in Jamilah Thompkins-Biegelow’s story with the narrator, Mouhammad, hiding his praying. He is now seven, and old enough to have his own Salat rug for prayers. But he wonders how people might react to him, as he has seen how the community […]

It’s not nice to spy on people hiding in the woods

What We Saw: A Thriller by Mary Downing Hahn

by Leave a Comment

cbr15bingo: Nostalgia: For the days when I first read this author, a young kid with no adult problems! When I was asked who my favorite author was as a kid, usually I would say Mary Downing Hahn. I had others (Walter Dean Myers, R. L. Stine, Christopher Pike, to name a few), but she was always one. Then, as an adult a gal I met via pen palling said she liked her too, so we bonded over our like of this author.  And when I […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo