Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Misfortunes is an understatement

The Many Misfortunes of Eugenia Wang  by Stan Yan 

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TITLE:  The Many Misfortunes of Eugenia Wang AUTHOR / ILLUSTROR Stan Yan Read via an advanced reader copy DUE September/late October 2025    Review: This is an interesting coming of age story with a potential supernatural element. I mean potential because is a ghost really talking to Eugenia, or is it just a normal fear manifesting itself? There are modern pieces that are mixed with the tradition of a Chinese family. And as Eugenia starts to become a teenager, she questions some of her mothers […]

I forgot  to take a photo of the book I had, so borrowed from internet, but that’s ok as it’s the book itself that really matters

Drawing from Memory by Allen Say

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The publisher description of Drawing from Memory by Allen Say:  Caldecott Medalist Say (“Grandfather’s Journey”) presents a stunning graphic novel chronicling his journey as an artist during World War II, when he apprenticed under Noro Shinpei, Japan’s premier cartoonist. But that does not scratch the surface. He was a young child during the war, dealing with a father who thought artists were shiftless and would never make anything of themselves. He was dealing with the war, his parents divorce, living with his seemingly judgmental grandmother, […]

They adorably find you when you need them

Adorable Empire: A Graphic Novel by Laura Terry

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Adorable Empire: A Graphic Novel by Laura Terry is a nice solid 3. The story is not new (magical animals, being yourself, divorce, complicated family and friends relationships), but it is nice (I will repeat this word) and has a few points that keep it new for someone who has read a lot of this theme, but also does not deter a newbie to the flock of coming of age books. There are nice illustrations that are not WOW, but not blah either. Overall, it […]

To those of us who get the hiccups

A Cure for the Hiccups by Jennifer E. Smith

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I love that the author’s dedication is to the person who eats raw carrots and gets the hiccups afterwards. I thought  I was the only one that happened to.  So, this proves books help represent all of us in our times of need! And, oh, yeah, it also really helps if you have the hiccups, too.  This is a book that is fun, funny, clever, and deals with more than just  the hiccups. Seriously, A Cure for the Hiccups by Jennifer E. Smith and illustrated […]

Mom’s ups and downs

My Mom Is Like a Kite by Lisl H. Detlefsen

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While mental health issue stories are not new, even in children’s books, Lisl H. Detlefsen makes a fresh and creative work in My Mom Is Like a Kite. I assumed that the Mom in question would probably have highs and lows, but I did not expect them to be as serious as they are. I assumed this would be a lighthearted story about feelings, one that says even adults are happy, sad, scared, etc. You know, real emotions. This is partly because Nathalie Dion’s illustrations […]

Cool drink of love

Zamzam for Everyone: Sharing Water at Hajj by Razeena Omar Gutta

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I was going to cut back on the number of reviews I did this year, but then well, books happened! Books like Zamzam for Everyone: Sharing Water at Hajj by Razeena Omar Gutta and illustrated by Bassent Dawoud (due January 2026, read via an online reader copy). There are several books on the Islamic faith for the younger crowd. However, they are mostly repetitive and hit the “big events” and there is nothing wrong with that, but I needed something different and I found it […]



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