Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Rot, Snot and Squirm

Rot, the Bravest in the World! by Ben Clanton

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I am not a fan of rot. You know, that decaying, moldy and yucky stuff. However, Rot, the Bravest in the World!  is not about the kind of rot that is “eeeewww gross!” but about a potato called Rot. And while I have not always been friends with author and illustrator Ben Clanton books (Rot, the Cutest in the World! and Narwhal and Jelly series to name a few), I did enjoy this latest adventure. There is humor in Clanton’s books that is not for […]

Randy Randy you’re a dandy!

Randy, the Badly Drawn Horse by T. L. McBeth

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I was looking at the description of the book Randy, the Badly Drawn Horse.  All it says is “Title has strikethrough on “badly drawn.” Is this all that T. L. McBeth’s book is? Just a book with the words “badly drawn” with a slash trough it? It does not even mention the fact that “badly drawn” is replaced with a red, capitalized BEAUTIFUL! It does not mention that Randy tells the story or the fact that Randy is well, less than a traditional looking horse […]

Stop draggin’ your feet and get to Where the Dragons Live!

Where the Dragons Live by Serena Geddes

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Where the Dragons Live is a sequel to another Serena Geddes book called Rosie and Rasmus. The dragon Rasmus says goodbye to Rosie, journeys to the land of dragons (the Island of Dragons to be precise) and cannot wait to make new friends. The problem is Rasmus is not like the other dragons. They roar, play rough, little mean, are big and tall, breath fire and tell him he is not a real dragon. But then again, what is a real dragon? And Rasmus learns […]

A semi-autobiographical debut novel that opens up a world

Like Vanessa by Tami Charles

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Like Vanessa is a sweet and realistic story of liking yourself, while finding your home, family and who you truly are. Tami Charles bases her character Vanessa on some of her own experiences making this an interesting combination of fact, fiction, history and contemporary issues. In 1983 Vanessa is a dark-skinned girl living in the inner city. Vanessa, her cousin, her beloved grandfather Pop-Pop and her father live in a small apartment. But they could not be farther apart if they live in a mansion. […]

When Pencil Met Purple Marker

When Pencil Met the Markers by Karen Kilpatrick

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Pencil should have stopped meeting writing tools after they meet Eraser. Karen Kilpatrick and the gang (Luis O. Ramos, Jr. and German Blanco) have created a new Pencil and Eraser picture book book (ages 4 to 7) with When Pencil Met the Markers. But this time the point of the story is that it is okay to “color outside the lines.” In fact, it is encouraged after the initial, “Oh no! You cannot do that! You cannot be different!” We also learn that you cannot […]

“I can remember how grown-up I felt then, and earlier, since about nine. Because we age one way, in one direction, every age we are is the most grown-up we’ve ever been.”

Animal: The Autobiography of a Female Body by Sara Pascoe

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Sara Pascoe is here for you. There is no stone she won’t turn over and no story she won’t tell, because she is going to use her embarrassments, misunderstandings, failures, and larks to help you learn. If you are looking for a medical textbook on what it means to be a human woman then go ahead and look elsewhere. If you want a smart and unflinching comedian to share her life story with you while looking back through biology, history, and cultural norms in order […]



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