Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Kiki Kicks her Anxiety

Kiki Kicks by Jane Yolen

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Jane Yolen, inspired by her granddaughter, Ariel Stemple (coauthor), own journey of self-confidence and overcoming her fears, is coming out in mid-October 2023 with the picture book Kiki Kicks. As many of my future publication book reviews, I found this as an online reader copy. The story is straight forward with the sister half of a brother-sister twin duo, finally decides she is ready to try the martial arts that her mother and brother practice.  Of course, like many young kids, she wants to fly […]

Important freckles

Emma’s Freckles by Sarah Wallace

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CBR15Passport book from other country (dream sequence, story is from/character is from): I am a proud of Irish decent gal (also I am a good American mix of other, but mostly I claim Irish, as we know a I-am-assuming-only-two great-grandparent came over from Ireland). So, when I saw Emma’s Freckles on Edelweiss, I was excited I did not have to wait until March 2023 to read. However, Sarah Wallace, you have a great idea, but I probably should have waited. You see, the idea of […]

A heartwarming story about poop

I Eat Poop: A Dung Beetle Story by Mark Pett

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You might not want to recommend this book out loud in a group of mixed company as you will get a few looks, giggles, and teasing. I Eat Poop: A Dung Beetle Story is your “kid eats an odd food, is afraid he will be teased like (you will learn as we go along) his ex-best friend, and the lesson he learns about being himself.”  This time it is just with a dung beetle and other creatures. There is kid humor, and at the end […]

Oh Olive…

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

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I picked this up because it kept coming up in CBR14 reviews. After researching it a little bit, it seems that it is hugely popular. I was intrigued to find out what made it more than the average romcom-type romance. Plus I was very curious to find out whatever it has to do with ReyLo. Olive, a struggling biology grad student, kisses a random guy in her lab, her intent being to show her best friend that she has completely moved on from her ex […]

Another Delightful Middle-Grade Graphic Novel Wins My Heart

Twins by Varian Johnson and Shannon Wright

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Twins is a fun read and one I have now owned two copies of, so I am hanging on to this one so I don’t have to buy a third! Maureen and Francine have always been together in the same class but now, as they enter middle school, they’ve been separated in all but two classes. Maureen, who is shyer, wants them to be in the same classes, but Francine seems thrilled to have time away from her twin. Maureen also has the added misery of […]

Relatable awesomeness

Frizzy by Claribel A. Ortega

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I will start with a controversial statement. I am not always a fan of the drawn natural hair look. For me, it does not “translate” well to the page. I feel something is lost from the “real look” verses the “page look.” However, in Frizzy Rose Bousamra really pulled it off. Marlene (our heroine) and her natural look is amazingly done. And Claribel A. Ortega’s story is equally wonderful. Now, I am not a Dominican middle school girl who has the same self-esteem issues s […]



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