Marshmallow reviews Hoot by Carl Hiaasen

Today Marshmallow reviews Hoot by Carl Hiaasen, published first in 2002 and awarded a Newberry Honor in 2003. Sprinkles read the book, too, and is asking questions to Marshmallow and taking notes as they go along.

Marshmallow reviews Hoot by Carl Hiaasen.
Marshmallow reviews Hoot by Carl Hiaasen.

Sprinkles: So Marshmallow, let us start with an overview of the book. What is the book about?

Marshmallow: It’s about this boy named Roy Eberhardt who has recently moved to Miami, Florida. One day while he is on the school bus, he sees a strange boy running outside without shoes. And the book is about him trying to find out who that boy is.

S: That sounds like the beginning of a good mystery. Would you say this is a mystery story?

M: Yes. It takes a while for Roy to figure out who that boy is and what is going on with him.

S: And then, the book is not yet over, though, right?

M: There is a second mystery in the book. There is a second narrator, besides Roy, who sees some other events happening, and he is also trying to figure out just what is going on. This one is a police officer named David Delinko.

S: And the two events end up being intertwined, right?

M: Yes. And things are tied in and resolved quite well at the end.

Marshmallow is reading Hoot by Carl Hiaasen.
Marshmallow is reading Hoot by Carl Hiaasen.

S: It sounds like you enjoyed reading this book Marshmallow.

M: Yes, I did. I thought the two mysteries being related was really neat, like a typical Nancy Drew story. Or like in the FunJungle series.

S: And I know you really liked both Nancy Drew stories and all the FunJungle books. So that is a compliment, coming from you!

M: Yes. I especially thought the plot was very interesting.

S: You wanted to add “bullying” to the tags for the post. Why is that?

M: Because there is an older boy at school who bullies Roy, and that is actually why Roy comes to notice the running boy. And then the bullying is related to how things evolve and are resolved, too.

S: The bully gets his comeuppance, right?

M: Yes, but I don’t want to give too much away.

S: I know. Okay, let us not say much more about that then. What else do you want to tell us about this book?

M: When you interview Caramel about books, you ask him for three words to describe the book. So I think three words that could describe this book are animal-friendly, fast-paced, and mystery. Or maybe I’d describe the book as “animal-friendly, fast-paced school mystery”. That’s not three words, but then again, I am not Caramel.

S: That makes sense to me, Marshmallow. And that is a good description of this book. We did not say much about the animal-friendly part but I suppose our readers might guess that from the title.

M: Yes, “hoot” is the sound owls make. So the readers might already guess there will be some owls somewhere.

S: Yes, I think that is quite reasonable. We rabbits may not like owls much, but the owls in this book are cute and lovable. Right?

M: Yes. They are nothing like Mr. Ocax in Poppy. They’re more like Rufus in Of a Feather.

S: Okay, Marshmallow, I think it is time for us to wrap up this review. What would you rate this book?

M: I’d rate it 95%. It is a good read and the two mysteries keep you wanting to read it fast.

Marshmallow rates Hoot by Carl Hiaasen 95%.
Marshmallow rates Hoot by Carl Hiaasen 95%.

Caramel reviews How To Break A Dragon’s Heart (Book #8 of How to Train Your Dragon Series) by Cressida Cowell

Caramel is on a roll, reviewing all the books in Cressida Cowell’s How To Train Your Dragon series one by one; you can check out his reviews of  How To Train Your DragonHow to Be A Pirate,  How To Speak DragoneseHow to Cheat a Dragon’s Curse, How to Twist a Dragon’s Tale, A Hero’s Guide to Deadly Dragons, and How To Ride A Dragon’s Storm if you wish. Today he is reviewing the eighth book titled How To Break A Dragon’s Heart. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Caramel reviews How To Break A Dragon’s Heart (Book #8 of How to Train Your Dragon Series) by Cressida Cowell.
Caramel reviews How To Break A Dragon’s Heart (Book #8 of How to Train Your Dragon Series) by Cressida Cowell.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, this is book 8. What do you want to tell us about it?

Caramel: There is a big storm and Camicazi gets lost. So everyone in Berk begins to look for her.

S: So is the book about Hiccup and his friends trying to find Camicazi before it is too late.

C: Yes. First they find her ship which is destroyed completely, and they are really worried. They think she must be somewhere on Broken Heart Bay, which is supposedly haunted.

S: Oh, that name sounds like it is related to the title; how to break a dragon’s heart.

C: Not really.

S: So what is that supposed to mean? Which dragon’s heart are we talking about being broken?

C: It is Furious’s heart. He is a huge dragon, and he was a blood brother of an ancestor of Hiccup’s and when Hiccup’s relative (and namesake) was killed, the dragon’s heart broke.

S: Oh, that sounds like we will find out a lot more about Hiccup’s family history in this book, right?

C: Yes.

Caramel is reading How To Break A Dragon’s Heart (Book #8 of How to Train Your Dragon Series) by Cressida Cowell.
Caramel is reading How To Break A Dragon’s Heart (Book #8 of How to Train Your Dragon Series) by Cressida Cowell.

S: So you have been enjoying these How To Train Your Dragon books Caramel. Is this eighth book as good as the previous ones?

C: Yes. But it is a bit sadder. But we do meet Alvin the Treacherous again. He had been swallowed up by a giant dragon and going into a volcano, but somehow he survived all that.

S: That was a bad guy, right?

C: Of course. He is one of the villains of this book. And he is also a cousin of Hiccup…

S: So we are back to that family history again. What three words would you use to describe this book? Try to come up with new words if you can.

C: Sad. I never used that before. And, believable bad guys.

S: Hmm, that is not quite a single-word descriptor but it will do. What would be your third word to describe the book?

C: Strange reunions?

S: Hmm, that is a bit mysterious. I’m intrigued…

C: You should read it! Seriously!

S: Hmm, I might just do that… Well did you read the next book yet?

C: No.

S: You know Marshmallow has already reviewed that. So you need to read books #9 and #10 and review that tenth book next for us.

C: Happy to do so!

S: That’s great! So what do you want to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel loved reading How To Break A Dragon’s Heart (Book #8 of How to Train Your Dragon Series) by Cressida Cowell, and is ready for book #9 and whatever follows.
Caramel loved reading How To Break A Dragon’s Heart (Book #8 of How to Train Your Dragon Series) by Cressida Cowell, and is ready for book #9 and whatever follows.

Marshmallow reviews David Massie and the Quantum Flux by Andrew M. Nehring

Today Marshmallow is reviewing a recently published book by Andrew M. Nehring: David Massie and the Quantum Flux. She received this book as a review copy and appreciated the opportunity to read it.

Marshmallow reviews David Massie and the Quantum Flux by Andrew M. Nehring.
Marshmallow reviews David Massie and the Quantum Flux by Andrew M. Nehring.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like books about school, or if you enjoy science fiction and adventure stories, then this might be the book for you.

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): David Massie has been having the same dream for the last two months. In his dream, he is standing in the dark. A strange slithering sound comes from behind him, but in the distance there is a glow. A ghostlike girl reaches out for him, but then he falls down to Earth while everything around him shatters.

At school, a bully named Mike tells David that if David allows him to cheat during an upcoming test, he won’t “beat him up”. David gives him wrong answers and Mike punches him. The principal worries about Mike hurting David further and so asks David’s friend Rory to walk him home. On their way back home, a dark, armored figure presses some buttons, and a purple sphere of light envelops David, barely touching Rory; however neither of them notice.

The next morning, when David wakes up, he notices that the radio announcer is acting strangely, making many religious statements. His parents are dressed in priest-like robes. Everyone he meets is somehow different from how they used to be, and everyone is extremely religious. The only other person who notices this is strange is Rory.

David Massie’s brother Morgan, who had disappeared five years ago on a stormy night, had talked to David about different realities and had been working on a way to travel between them. David and Rory realize that they must have jumped through different realities. David promises he’ll fix it.

Marshmallow is reading David Massie and the Quantum Flux by Andrew M. Nehring.
Marshmallow is reading David Massie and the Quantum Flux by Andrew M. Nehring.

The next morning, everyone has to work in construction, including children. School is just labor now. The following morning, the radio announcer is speaking German. When the radio announcer stops in mid-sentence, David notices a man in his room who is wearing blue armor. When David talks to him, the man is surprised that David can see him because he had just stopped time. He tells David that he is a Time Cop David is glad that someone has come to fix the switching realities, and he asks the officer for his badge. The officer says he doesn’t have one but his ID is CP1399457. David decides to call him CP.

David and CP now have to try to find a way to fix the realities, but the mysterious, dark-armored figure is following them. Through his adventure, David uncovers more about his brother, both good and bad.

Marshmallow’s Review: I think that David Massie and the Quantum Flux is a good science fiction book. It is the first book of a new series, The David Massie and the Corrupted Light Chronicles, and as a result, the ending is a bit of a cliff hanger, but the book is still satisfying on its own.

I think that the author created an interesting world with realistic characters. The way they travel through different realities reminded me of a classic I reviewed before: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. Also a missing brother is somewhat similar to the missing dad in that book and how Meg tries to save his brother is similar to how David Massie is looking for his brother. However this is definitely a different story and I am not sure how things will turn out (though I have some guesses). It will be interesting to see what David Massie does in the following books.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 95%.

Marshmallow rates David Massie and the Quantum Flux by Andrew M. Nehring 95%.
Marshmallow rates David Massie and the Quantum Flux by Andrew M. Nehring 95%.

Caramel reviews How To Ride A Dragon’s Storm (Book #7 of How to Train Your Dragon Series) by Cressida Cowell

Last week, Caramel reviewed the sixth book, A Hero’s Guide to Deadly Dragons, of Cressida Cowell’s How To Train Your Dragon series. Today he continues the trend with the seventh book: How To Ride A Dragon’s Storm. As usual Sprinkles is asking questions and taking notes.

Caramel (together with friend Mr. Balloon) reviews How To Ride A Dragon's Storm (Book #7 of How to Train Your Dragon Series) by Cressida Cowell.
Caramel (together with friend Mr. Balloon) reviews How To Ride A Dragon’s Storm (Book #7 of How to Train Your Dragon Series) by Cressida Cowell.

Sprinkles: So we are now on to the seventh book of the How to Train Your Dragon series. Caramel, tell us what happens in this one.

Caramel: Hiccup and his friends get kidnapped by two Raptortongues and are taken to the American Dream 2, a ship made by the Hysterics.

S: Wait, who are the Hysterics? What is a Raptortongue?

C: Hysterics are another tribe and they are enemies of the Hairy Hooligans. We saw them in earlier books. Raptortongues are a type of dragon. Here is a picture of what they look like.

S: Hmm, so Hiccup is in trouble yet again!

C: Yes, isn’t he always?

S: It seems like it. Okay, tell me more about the book.

C: The Hysterics are trying to get to America, and the Romans are around, too. I’m not sure that makes sense timewise, but plotwise it works pretty well.

S: I know what you mean. Wikipedia tells us that Vikings were most active in raiding other European locations from the 8th century to the 11th century. And the Western Roman Empire had already ended by then. Wikipedia tells us they declined and fell from power around the fifth century. But the Eastern Roman empire survived, and we know them today as the Byzantines. Still those could not be the ones our Vikings in these books are interacting with. So I agree with you. Timewise things are a bit off. But oh well.

C: Well, I did not know any of this, but I sort of thought there was something wrong with the timeline. Then again, Romans don’t show up in this book. They only show up in How to Train Your Dragon, How to Be a Pirate, and in How to Speak Dragonese.

S: Then why did you bring them up?

C: I just thought of them, because they are also bad guys that keep showing up, like the Hysterics.

Caramel and Mr. Balloon are reading How To Ride A Dragon's Storm (Book #7 of How to Train Your Dragon Series) by Cressida Cowell.
Caramel and Mr. Balloon are reading How To Ride A Dragon’s Storm (Book #7 of How to Train Your Dragon Series) by Cressida Cowell.

S: So what three words would you use to describe this book?

C: Funny, adventurous, and apparently historically inaccurate.

S: Well, it is fiction after all. And there were no Romans in this one, so maybe we can ignore that part?

C: Sure. I now want to read the back of the book to our readers:

UH-OH-UH-OH-UH-OH, thought Hiccup as the Raptortongue folded back his wings, preparing to land on deck. The barbarians let out a cheer as the Raptortongue let Hiccup go, and laughed wildly as he sprawled on the deck, with Camicazi and Fishlegs being dropped beside him. “COME BACK AND FIGHT LIKE VIKINGS, YOU COWARDLY BATS!” shrieked Camicazi, in a twist of fury at being kidnapped by the Raptortongues, and their new captors only laughed more.

S: That is a good introduction to the story Caramel. I can see it made you want to dive right in and read all the way through.

C: Yup.

S: So are you planning to read the next one now?

C: Yes! And I will review it for the blog too.

S: That sounds good. So let us wrap this up then. What do you want to say to our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel (and Mr. Balloon) loved reading How To Ride A Dragon's Storm (Book #7 of How to Train Your Dragon Series) by Cressida Cowell, and reviewing it for you.
Caramel (and Mr. Balloon) loved reading How To Ride A Dragon’s Storm (Book #7 of How to Train Your Dragon Series) by Cressida Cowell, and reviewing it for you.