Book Bunnies

Marshmallow reviews National Parks of the U.S.A. by Kate Siber and Chris Turnham

Marshmallow loves everything beautiful, and today she picked a beautiful book to talk about: National Parks of the U.S.A., written by Kate Siber, illustrated by Chris Turnham, and first published in 2018. Sprinkles was intrigued by the book and therefore is asking questions and taking notes along the way.

Marshmallow reviews National Parks of the U.S.A., written by Kate Siber and illustrated by Chris Turnham. — Marshmallow reviews *National Parks of the U.S.A.*, written by Kate Siber and illustrated by Chris Turnham.

Sprinkles: So Marshmallow, you picked a really beautiful book for today’s review. Can you tell us a bit about it?

Marshmallow: If you like the wilderness or at least you enjoy being outdoors, and especially if you are in the U.S.A. and want to know more about its many national parks, then this might be the book for you.

S: It also seems to be a great book for folks who might just want to look at a pretty book.

M: Yes, I agree. It is really a pretty book. Every page is beautifully illustrated. Even though the illustrations seem to be using a limited color palette, focusing mainly on oranges, browns, and greens, each page is distinct and well designed. The limited color scheme actually works really well.

S: Okay, so we both agree that this is a beautiful book to look at. So let us get to the content of the book next.

M: As you can tell from the title, the book is about the national parks in the U.S.A. They are organized more or less geographically. It goes from the east, to the central U.S., then to the Southwest, then to the Rocky Mountains, then to the West. And finally there is a section on Alaska and then the tropics. For each of the regions there is an introductory page or two, and then they focus on some specific parks from the region and talk about the geographic formations, and the flora and fauna found in there.

Marshmallow is reading National Parks of the U.S.A., written by Kate Siber and illustrated by Chris Turnham. — Marshmallow is reading *National Parks of the U.S.A.*, written by Kate Siber and illustrated by Chris Turnham.

S: Did you find some parks that you want to visit some day?

M: Yes, several actually. We have not been to most of these yet. And I think it would be great if we could go to at least some of them.

S: True. Our country has so many beautiful national parks to visit. We have been to a few state parks but not to any of the national ones yet.

M: Maybe we can go on a rabbit-road trip and see some of them.

S: That would be lovely Marshmallow! Did you know that the idea of national parks is relatively new? The first one in the U.S. is the Yellowstone National Park, which only became a national park in 1872. And today many countries around the world have reserved land in similar ways.

M: I did not know that before we found that Wikipedia article; it is very informative. But my book is also very informative. For example did you know that glaciers are not “massive stationary blocks of ice”, but instead are “rivers of frozen water that flow down mountains”? I learned that when I was reading about the Glacier National Park.

S: That is cool!

M: And apparently rangers in the Badlands National Park say that “you have only 500,000 years to visit before the spires and the hills [of the park] wash away from rain and wind”.

S: Sounds like the author has a playful voice.

M: Yes. I really liked her voice. She is playful and friendly and makes the reader want to see all these places.

S: I’d say that is a successful book! How would you rate it?

M: I’d rate it 100%.

S: I knew it! Okay, this is a good time to wrap this up. What would you like to tell our readers?

M: Stay tuned for more amazing reviews from the book bunnies!

Marshmallow rates National Parks of the U.S.A., written by Kate Siber and illustrated by Chris Turnham, 100%. — Marshmallow rates *National Parks of the U.S.A.*, written by Kate Siber and illustrated by Chris Turnham, 100%.

Caramel reviews Evil Spy School: The Graphic Novel by Stuart Gibbs and Anjan Sarkar

Over the course of the last few months, Caramel has read and reviewed all the extant books of the Spy School series by Stuart Gibbs. He has also reviewed the graphic book versions of the first two books in the series. Spy School: The Graphic Novel and Spy Camp: The Graphic Novel, both illustrated by Anjan Sarkar. Today he finally got his paws on the third and latest graphic novel version for the series, Evil Spy School: The Graphic Novel, and read it in one sitting so that he could review it right away. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Caramel reviews Evil Spy School: The Graphic Novel, written by Stuart Gibbs and illustrated by Anjan Sarkar. — Caramel reviews *Evil Spy School: The Graphic Novel*, written by Stuart Gibbs and illustrated by Anjan Sarkar.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, you have already read and reviewed Evil Spy School, the original version of this book. Why were you so excited to get this one?

Caramel: Because it is a graphic novel and I like graphic novels. A lot.

S: I can see that! Usually graphic novels are a bit shorter than the original version, but this book feels really heavy.

C: Yes, it is heavy. It is still smaller than the original, I mean it has less content, and fewer words and pages, but the pages are really thick. I mean, it is a graphic novel on a really nice, shiny paper. And it smells really nice.

S: I see. I like that smell too. The pages being thick and high quality paper would of course make the book heavy. Do you like the illustrations?

C: Yes. The illustrator is the same person as the one for the other two graphic novel versions, so it fits. The characters look the same as they did in the other books.

S: That is good. So can you remind our readers what the main plot is in this book?

C: So Ben Ripley is the kid spy from the other books. He is now thrown out of the spy school and Joshua Halal shows up in his middle school and asks him to join the evil spy school, the spy school that is owned by the SPYDER folks. Remember SPYDER is an evil spy organization.

S: Oh yes I remember that. And does Ben end up joining?

C: Yes, because he is hoping to bring down evil spy school and even SPYDER so the original spy school will take him back.

S: Oh, I remember it now!

C: It turns out that –

S: Wait, I think you are about the give away some plot twist!

C: Oops. Okay I won’t.

Caramel is reading Evil Spy School: The Graphic Novel, written by Stuart Gibbs and illustrated by Anjan Sarkar. — Caramel is reading *Evil Spy School: The Graphic Novel*, written by Stuart Gibbs and illustrated by Anjan Sarkar.

S: Let us talk about something else instead. So you have already read all eleven books in the series.

C: And so far only three graphic novels!

S: Yes. Are you hoping that the other books will also come out as graphic novels?

C: Yes!

S: But you also want Stuart Gibbs to write a twelfth book.

C: Yes. Of course. And I am hopeful that maybe there will be a twelfth year by next year.

S: Possible. The first eleven did come out more or less at a pace of one a year.

C: Yes. Exactly.

S: Okay, so let us wrap up this review then. Can you describe the book in three to five words?

C: Hilarious, action packed, and spy-full.

S: Again, I think you are making up a word there, but I guess that is alright.

C: Well, I think it is a word now.

S: Alright. Works for me too. What do you want to tell our readers as we close?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel loved reading Evil Spy School: The Graphic Novel, written by Stuart Gibbs and illustrated by Anjan Sarkar, and recommends it strongly to any bunnies who enjoyed the original Spy School books. — Caramel loved reading *Evil Spy School: The Graphic Novel*, written by Stuart Gibbs and illustrated by Anjan Sarkar, and recommends it strongly to any bunnies who enjoyed the original Spy School books.

Marshmallow reviews Amari and the Great Game by B.B. Alston

Last year, Marshmallow reviewed Amari and the Night Brothers by B. B. Alston. Today she reviews the second book in the series: Amari and the Great Game, first published in 2022. Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: So Marshmallow, you have just finished this second book in the series. Was it what you were expecting?

Marshmallow: Well, yes and no. I liked the book very much, and I thought the plot was really good, but I was not expecting a cliffhanger for the end!

S: Hmm, so maybe that means we will have to get a hold of the third book when it comes out.

M: Yes.

S: Okay, let us go back to the beginning. Tell us a bit about this book.

M: Well, this is the second book of the Supernatural Investigations series, so readers need to have read the first book or at least my review of it. But the main character is still Amari Peters, but in this book she has some new enemies.

S: Okay, so maybe tell us a bit about the plot.

M: Amari is excited to continue her summer program in the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, which specializes in hiding and protecting the supernatural world from the rest of the human world. Kind of like the Ministry of Magic from the world of Harry Potter.

S: What you are saying reminds me a bit of The Menagerie, too.

M: Yes, a bit.

S: Alright. Tell me more.

M: So Amari is training to become an agent for the Department of Supernatural Investigations. And she is a junior in her second year, in this book. The book starts with her cracking open a fortune cookie which tells her to look out for unseen dangers. Then there is a time freeze, all of Georgia is frozen in time for a short period of time, everyone except Amari is affected. But then most but not all of Georgia unfreeze, and of course that is a problem.

S: Is that the main problem of the book?

M: Yes, the congress is stuck and the prime minister and the major leaders are all stuck in time. So of course in this power vacuum, some bad people take the lead. And then Amari gets kicked out of the Bureau.

S: So a lot happens all at once.

M: Yes. And so Amari and her friends will have to solve the mystery of who froze the congress in time and also try to avoid getting punished by the evil people who take over.

Marshmallow is reading Amari and the Great Game by B.B. Alston. — Marshmallow is reading *Amari and the Great Game* by B.B. Alston.

S: Sounds like a lot.

M: Yes, but Amari is smart and she is also a magician. She is the most magical person known in the history of the Bureau, so she has all that going for her.

S: So again, kind of like Harry Potter again, no?

M: Yes, but here being a magician is bad, and everyone blames the magicians for the time freeze.

S: So she has to hide her magic a bit?

M: Yes, and that is not the only issue. Her brother is still under a curse and is in a coma. And Amari wants to save him especially because his condition is worsening.

S: So tell me what the great game is in the title.

M: There is a hidden organization of magicians called the League of Magicians, and they are trying to use their powers for good despite the animosity that they face from others. The League wants Amari to be their leader and she declines because she is young and she does not want power of that sort, but then when the League makes the same proposal to a bad magician, Amari has to compete against him to make sure he does not get that power. That is the Great Game. The two magicians competing.

S: Kind of like the games in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire?

M: Yes, but this is not just a game between schoolchildren competing for a championship trophy. The winner gets more than just bragging rights. They get to lead the League of Magicians to war or to peace.

S: I see. So a lot more is at stake.

M: Yes. And Amari is not quite like Harry. Harry is impulsive and does not take advice really well. Amari does not have many adults to trust, so she does what she thinks is necessary.

S: So do you like her as a character?

M: Yes. She is smart and strong-willed. But I have to say this world is kind of limiting. I mean, your skills and your future are more or less determined from birth, and the moment you touch the crystal ball which determines your superpower. And if you have too much magic, then you are a magician, and that is viewed as bad by many people. People label the magicians the UnWanteds, along with some other people whose ancestors were on the wrong side in a long-ago war. Essentially the book world is mirroring our world, where some people are othered based on things they cannot control.

S: So even though this magical world is quite different from ours, it is also similar?

M: Yes.

S: That sounds like a good book to me.

M: Yes. I have to say though that I am disappointed that it ends in a cliffhanger. The next book is not coming out till the end of the summer!

S: Well, maybe you will just have to read other books till then.

M: Probably.

S: Okay, if you were to rate this book…

M: I’d rate it 100%.

S: Great! So let us wrap up this review then. What would you like to tell our readers?

M: Stay tuned for more amazing reviews from the book bunnies!

Marshmallow rates Amari and the Great Game by B.B. Alston 100%. — Marshmallow rates *Amari and the Great Game* by B.B. Alston 100%.

Caramel reviews Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky: The Graphic Novel by Kwame Mbalia

Both of the little book bunnies love reading books by Rick Riordan, and both enjoy graphic novels. So Caramel jumped on the opportunity to read and review the graphic novel version of Kwame Mbalia’s Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, published in 2022 as part of the “Rick Riordan Presents” series. Today he is talking to Sprinkles about this neat book.

Caramel reviews Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky: The Graphic Novel, written by Kwame Mbalia, adapted by Robert Venditti, and illustrated by Olivia Stephens. — Caramel reviews *Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky: The Graphic Novel*, written by Kwame Mbalia, adapted by Robert Venditti, and illustrated by Olivia Stephens.

Sprinkles: Okay, Caramel, can you tell us a bit about this book?

Caramel: Yes. The book is about a kid named Tristan Strong. Tristan’s best friend Eddie dies in a bus accident, so Tristan goes to Alabama to stay with his grandparents for a bit.

S: Okay, so what happens in Alabama?

C: In the middle of the night, a baby named Gum Baby comes into his room and steals Eddie’s journal. That was the last thing Tristan had of Eddie, so he does not want to lose it. So he pursues Gum Baby and punches something called a Bottle Tree, and so opens up a hole into another world.

S: So is that how he “punches a hole in the sky” as the title says?

C: Yes, because he punches a hole in the sky of this other world.

S: Hmm, that is really interesting! Tell me more about this other world.

C: All the African folk tales are real and they exist on that other world.

S: So it is a world of African mythologies.

C: Yes, African and African American.

S: I see. So Tristan goes into this world and …

C: So he tries to mend the world he kind of broke, but he also meets a lot of interesting characters. There is Anansi the storyteller and Nyame, the sky god. And there are folk tale heroes, like John Henry and Brer Rabbit.

Caramel is reading Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky: The Graphic Novel, written by Kwame Mbalia, adapted by Robert Venditti, and illustrated by Olivia Stephens. — Caramel is reading *Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky: The Graphic Novel*, written by Kwame Mbalia, adapted by Robert Venditti, and illustrated by Olivia Stephens.

S: Some children might have read or heard about these characters before, but I think you met them only in this book, right?

C: Yes.

S: So was it a book full of strange characters you did not recognize? Or did the author and the illustrator introduce them to you effectively?

C: Yes! I think they both did an amazing job. I think I got a really good sense of them just by reading this book. Of course if I knew about them beforehand, maybe the book would be even more fun. But it was great fun all the same.

S: So I think fun would be one of your words to describe the book then?

C: Yes. I really like how it ends too. It ends with a bang, I liked it, but also they left a door open for a followup. And I think there are two more books about Tristan.

S: Yes, I saw that too. But I am not sure those are in graphic novel form. Would you like to read them?

C: Sure, I would.

S: Okay, then Caramel. Tell me how you would describe the book in three to five words.

C: Fun, funny, and action-packed.

S: I can see it! I flipped through the pages. The pictures are very dynamic and there seems to be a lot of action.

C: Yes!

S: Okay, then, let us wrap up this review so we can figure out how you can move on to the next book in the series. What would you like to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky: The Graphic Novel, written by Kwame Mbalia, adapted by Robert Venditti, and illustrated by Olivia Stephens, and eager to read more. — Caramel enjoyed reading *Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky: The Graphic Novel*, written by Kwame Mbalia, adapted by Robert Venditti, and illustrated by Olivia Stephens, and eager to read more.