Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time
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I was probably the target audience for this book when it was written, 25 years ago. But I still love it today.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

January 31, 2024 by genericwhitegirl Leave a Comment

“Your words are kindling, twigs covered in wax, soaked in lamp oil, sticky with tar. Your breath is a match, scratching along sandpaper… Whisper break the silence, one word, then two…with every word spoken a loud victory. The words burst into flames, the silence, broken.” This imagery from the novel’s foreward was so powerful and poetic, and the story hadn’t even started yet! But what a great story it is, and beautifully told – even though one doesn’t think of freshman year of high school […]

Filed Under: Fiction Tagged With: Fiction, Laurie Halse Anderson, Laurie Halse Anderston, skootchyknees, speak, The Blist, YA, Young Adult

genericwhitegirl's CBR16 Review No:3 · Genres: Fiction · Tags: Fiction, Laurie Halse Anderson, Laurie Halse Anderston, skootchyknees, speak, The Blist, YA, Young Adult ·
Rating:
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Family dysfunction at its worst

The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward

January 10, 2023 by genericwhitegirl Leave a Comment

This was a quick, fulfilling read and based on it, it makes me want to read Catriona Ward’s other novels. The House on Needless Street is her most recent, published in 2021. It’s one of those books that you’re better off going into blind, which kinda makes for a tough review, but I’ll do my best. Suffice to say, there’s a murder and the story revolves around it. It’s a story told from multiple viewpoints, including a cat’s. And I have to tell you, when […]

Filed Under: Fiction Tagged With: Catriona Ward, skootchyknees, The Blist, the last house on needless street

genericwhitegirl's CBR15 Review No:1 · Genres: Fiction · Tags: Catriona Ward, skootchyknees, The Blist, the last house on needless street ·
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*Almost* Twenty years later and still a Potter head!

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K.Rowling

March 31, 2020 by genericwhitegirl Leave a Comment

This is the second installment of the illustrated Harry Potter books. I love reading these books with my 7-year old son. They have just enough illustrations to keep him interested from page to page, especially since this is an unabridged version of the books. There are even a few extras, like this page: Not only is it relevant to the story, but it offers a little bit of extra information for those who can’t get enough of the wizarding world. In this story, we meet […]

Filed Under: Fiction Tagged With: children's fiction, Fiction, genericwhitegirl, harry potter and the chamber of secrets, J.K. Rowling, The Blist, young adult fiction

genericwhitegirl's CBR12 Review No:7 · Genres: Fiction · Tags: children's fiction, Fiction, genericwhitegirl, harry potter and the chamber of secrets, J.K. Rowling, The Blist, young adult fiction ·
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Predictably informative and surprisingly interesting

The Library Book by Susan Orlean

March 22, 2020 by genericwhitegirl Leave a Comment

Susan Orlean, is a woman of many hats. She is a staff writer for the New Yorker and author of many books and articles, including The Orchid Thief. Apparently she is also a con artist, because she somehow convinced me to continue reading a book about libraries to the last page. In the same vein, The Library Book just might cross as many genres as hats worn by Susan. First The Library Book is non-fiction. Orlean educates us about libraries in general – including their […]

Filed Under: Non-Fiction Tagged With: genericwhitegirl, non fiction, Susan Orlean, The Blist, the library book

genericwhitegirl's CBR12 Review No:6 · Genres: Non-Fiction · Tags: genericwhitegirl, non fiction, Susan Orlean, The Blist, the library book ·
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· 0 Comments

Books for kids, better left read by kids

Dinosaurs Before Dark by Mary Pope Osborne

Dolphins at Daybreak by Mary Pope Osborne

Ghost Town at Sundown by Mary Pope Osborne

Tonight on the Titanic by Mary Pope Osborne

March 14, 2020 by genericwhitegirl Leave a Comment

These are short, easy to read fantasy novels for children about a brother and sister who can travel anywhere a book is set via their magic treehouse. There is a little bit of subplot connecting one book to another (specifically the first 28 – yes you read that correctly – involve the Morgan LeFay missions where the mystical Morgan tasks the siblings with various errands). But my 7-year old son and I skipped books and found them readable without much confusion. Here’s a summary of […]

Filed Under: Fiction Tagged With: Children's Books, dinosaurs before dark, dolphins at daybreak, Fiction, genericwhitegirl, ghost town at sundown, mary pope osborn, Mary Pope Osborne, The Blist, tonight on the titanic, Young Adult

genericwhitegirl's CBR12 Review No:5 · Genres: Fiction · Tags: Children's Books, dinosaurs before dark, dolphins at daybreak, Fiction, genericwhitegirl, ghost town at sundown, mary pope osborn, Mary Pope Osborne, The Blist, tonight on the titanic, Young Adult ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

Seriously, Patrick is the worst

February 22, 2020 by genericwhitegirl 2 Comments

This was a book that my third grade teacher read to our class every day after we got in from lunch. I remember how we listened to my teacher’s every word about Omri, a boy who is gifted a magical medicine cabinet that brings plastic toys to life. We couldn’t wait until the next day to realize the resolution of each chapter’s cliffhanger. So it seemed a great choice to read to my 7 year old son. But would a second reading, more than 30 […]

Filed Under: Children's Books, Fantasy Tagged With: genericwhitegirl, Lynne Reid Banks, The Blist, the Indian in the Cupboard

Genres: Children's Books, Fantasy · Tags: genericwhitegirl, Lynne Reid Banks, The Blist, the Indian in the Cupboard ·
Rating:
· 2 Comments
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