Book Bunnies

Caramel reviews Spy School Goes North by Stuart Gibbs

Today, Caramel is finally ready to talk about the eleventh and currently last book in Stuart Gibbs’ Spy School series: Spy School Goes North, first published in 2023. As usual Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

[Before diving into this review, readers might like to check out Caramel’s reviews of the earlier books in the series: Spy School, Spy Camp, Evil Spy School, Spy Ski School, Spy School: Secret Service, Spy School Goes South, Spy School: British Invasion, Spy School Revolution, Spy School At Sea, Spy School: Project X.]

Caramel reviews Spy School Goes North by Stuart Gibbs.

Sprinkles: So, Caramel, we are finally at the last book of the series, right?

Caramel: Hopefully not for long.

S: I know you want the author to write more books in this series, but for now, this is the eleventh and last book.

C: Yes, unfortunately.

S: But do not sound so glum. The book is good, no?

C: Yes, of course. But I wish it never ended. I wish there was another one.

S: I can see that. And maybe there will be a twelfth book soon. But let us focus on this book right now. So what is this book about?

C: Ben and his friends including Cyrus Hale, who is Erica’s grandpa and a very good spy, are all training up north in Alaska.

S: Oh, so that is the going north part. I was wondering if it would be Canada.

C: Nope. It is not Canada. It starts in Alaska and then it goes over to Russia.

S: I see.

C: So a Russian spy kidnaps Cyrus, and Ben and his friends have to save him. And along the way there is a lot of spy stuff about U.S. and Russia.

S: I see. I wonder if it is historically accurate at all.

C: Well, Alaska was owned by the Russians, and the United States bought it from them, so that part is accurate. I don’t know about the spy stuff of course. They do mention KGB, the Soviet secret service.

Caramel is reading Spy School Goes North by Stuart Gibbs.

S: So is Ben finally dating Erica in this book?

C: Yep. I think they are boyfriend and girlfriend at this point.

S: I see. Does that make the book too mushy?

C: No. It is just as funny as before. For example, Ben does not speak Russian well and there is a lot of funny misunderstanding and miscommunication with the Russian spy. Obfuscate the jitterbug, for example.

S: I am not sure what that means.

C: Neither is Ben. And I am quite sure that was not what the Russian guy was trying to say.

S: I can see how that can be hilarious in some contents, but aren’t they all in mortal danger?

C: Yes, but I read enough Spy School books to know that Ben and friends will get out of this alive. So I can just enjoy the book.

S: Makes sense to me. Do you think these books are getting somewhat too similar or formulaic?

C: No. I mean yes, in each book Ben is facing mortal danger and in each book he figures out some way out of it. But other than that, I think Stuart Gibbs keeps us on our toes, he always comes up with new ways to make things exciting and fun.

S: That is good. So you still like this series?

C: Yes!

S: Okay, so if you were to describe this book using three to five words, what would they be?

C: Funny page turner, as always. That’s five words.

S: Yes, that will do nicely.

C: So can we wrap this up so I can begin to reread the book?

S: Sure Caramel. Let us do that. What do you want to tell our readers as we end this review?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel loved reading Spy School Goes North by Stuart Gibbs and now does not know what to do with himself as there is as of yet not a twelfth book in the series.

Marshmallow reviews Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

Today Marshmallow reviews Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett, published in 2023.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like books about faeries and magic, or if you enjoy stories set in a different time period, then this might be the book for you.

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Despite being the youngest tenured professor at Cambridge, Emily Wilde is a rather curmudgeonly scholar. Her world is much like ours was during the 1800s, with one small difference: faeries are real. Emily Wilde studies these faeries and has spent many years of her life working on an encyclopedia about faeries from all over the world. The last area to finish is a small town, far up north, named Hrafnsvik. There, Emily is going to gather the evidence she needs to wrap up writing the world’s first encyclopedia about faeries.

Emily doesn’t particularly care for the townsfolk; she’s not a people person. She would rather sit alone, surrounded by books, than suffer through awkward social interactions. All she needs and wants is to complete her study of the natural fae of Hrafnsvik. Unfortunately, the arrival of Wendell Bambleby throws a wrench in her plan.

Emily’s relationship with Wendell is complicated. He annoys her for reasons she can’t explain, despite him never doing anything to upset her. Rather, Wendell is constantly trying to befriend Emily, who has no intention or use for friends. Additionally, Emily doesn’t trust Wendell. And she’s not going to let him impede her investigation of the faeries in the forest and the faery in a seemingly haunted house.

If there is one thing that is clear in this story world, it is that these faeries are not benevolent or friendly. Instead, they view humans as pets at best, and at worst, as worthless creatures to torture and torment. But Emily isn’t scared. With her knowledge and skills in the field of fae, her trusty dog Shadow, the occasional help of the villagers, and her annoying companion Wendell, Emily is ready to venture into the unknown.

Marshmallow is reading Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett. — Marshmallow is reading *Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries* by Heather Fawcett.

Marshmallow’s Review: I think Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries was a very intriguing book. I really liked the world-building. In particular I liked how the author built a world much like the 1800s, but added a sprinkle of fae magic. The surroundings felt very authentic and real, and the similarities with our world made the story more credible.

I think the characters were also interesting. The main character is a little bizarre, but seeing this world through her eyes added a lot to the story. The book is written as if it is the personal diary of Emily Wilde. The author includes many references to other scholars’ academic papers and past research on faeries (which, I think, are all fictional). That was cool and helped build on and add to the world the story is written in.

The author speaks through a very analytical and academic voice and uses a lot of big words. I would say that I have a fairly wide vocabulary, but some of these words stumped me, so I would suggest having a dictionary handy. However, these words are not frequent enough to impede the reader’s comprehension of the text.

I was a little confused on some parts of the plot and some of the narrative threads. However, I think everything all came together at the end in a cohesive and satisfying way. The story is overall quite fantastical and yet fulfilling.

Even though Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries does not end in a cliffhanger, there is apparently a second book with Emily and Wendell in it, and I am looking forward to reading it. If it is anywhere close to this one, I am sure I will enjoy it too.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 95%.

Marshmallow rates Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett 95%. — Marshmallow rates *Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries* by Heather Fawcett 95%.

Caramel reviews Spy School Project X by Stuart Gibbs

Caramel’s last few reviews in 2023 were the many Spy School novels by Stuart Gibbs: Spy School, Spy Camp, Evil Spy School, Spy Ski School, Spy School: Secret Service, Spy School Goes South, Spy School: British Invasion, Spy School Revolution, and Spy School At Sea. Today he is back at it again, talking to Sprinkles about the tenth book, Spy School Project X, first published in 2022.

Sprinkles: So Caramel you just could not resist, and you had to go back to these Spy School novels, no?

Caramel: Yes. Exactly.

S: Okay, so this is book ten. What happens in it?

C: Ben is the center of a targeted conspiracy.

S: That does not sound like anything too different from the other books.

C: The details are important though. For example you need to know about Project X.

S: So tell me about it.

C: Project X is a project of Murray Hill, Ben’s long-time nemesis. He is trying to get revenge by getting all evil people around the world together to get rid of Ben.

S: What does the X stand for?

C: Not sure.

S: In algebra X stands for the unknown, maybe it is something like that? Or as a Roman numeral, X is 10, and this is the tenth book. Maybe that is it?

C: Not sure. I think Murray calls himself X in social media.

S: I see. It makes sense. Okay, tell me more.

C: Murray is determined to get Ben so he puts a price on his head. So a lot of people are trying to kill him. And on top of that, everyone who believes in conspiracy theories is after him too. Because somehow people begin to think he is a lizard person, because Murray spreads a rumor about that.

S: Oh like that wild conspiracy theory about lizards dressed as humans running human governments. I see. Pretty contemporary I suppose.

C: Yep.

Caramel is reading Spy School Project X by Stuart Gibbs. — Caramel is reading *Spy School Project X* by Stuart Gibbs.

S: Are there any new characters in this tenth book?

C: No, I don’t think so. At least not any important characters.

S: So then there must be a lot of other characters we have seen before?

C: Yes. Essentially everyone we have seen before. Erica is there. His best friend Mike too.

S: I see. What did you like about this book most?

C: When Ben shoots watermelons from a boat.

S: That is a funny image. Is that why you like it?

C: Yes. He was using one of those big boats with a big fan in the back. And he threw a watermelon to the fan, and it threw the fruit very far. I’m not sure if it would work in real life, but it was certainly funny.

S: Totally. Okay Caramel, let us do a quick summary recap. Can you describe Spy School Project X using three to five words?

C: Action packed, funny page-turner.

S: Those will work! Does this book make you want to continue to read the rest of the series?

C: Of course! But unfortunately there is only one more book left.

S: True.

C: Maybe the author will write another one this year. He published one almost every year for the last decade. So I plead to you Stuart Gibbs, please write book twelve!

S: I am not sure he reads our blog but I sure appreciate your enthusiasm Caramel. So let us wrap this up so you can start book eleven. What do you want to tell our readers?

C Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel loved reading Spy School Project X by Stuart Gibbs and is eager to move on to book eleven. — Caramel loved reading *Spy School Project X* by Stuart Gibbs and is eager to move on to book eleven.

Marshmallow reviews Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

In her second review for 2024, Marshmallow talks about Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds, first published in 2017, and awarded the Newberry Honor in 2018.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you are interested in reading books about family, gang violence, growing up against significant challenges, and morality, then this might be the book for you.

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Will’s brother, Shawn, was just shot in front of him. They live only a couple blocks away from the territory of the Dark Suns, a dangerous local gang, and Shawn had gone into their territory to get a special soap for their mother’s eczema. Will is sure that he knows who is responsible for his brother’s death: Riggs. And he is going to make sure that Riggs pays for it.

See, Will lives in a hard, tough neighborhood. There are gangs, shootings, murders, and violence regularly. And everyone follows the Rules. Shawn, in fact, was the one who taught them to Will:

Number 1: No crying,
Number 2: No snitching,
Number 3: Get revenge if someone hurts your loved ones.

Will is determined to follow the Rules. He sure is not going to cry or “snitch” to the police, but he is going to try to get revenge on Riggs. He takes his brother’s old gun (which is fully loaded except for missing only one bullet) and heads out of his apartment on the eighth floor, to get to where he thinks Riggs is as soon as possible. He gets on the elevator and presses “L”, for lobby.

Unfortunately for Will, it is a long way down and the elevator stops at each level, a person getting on at each. What is more, these are not normal people. These are dead people who Will knew. First, it’s a friend of Shawn. Next, it’s Will’s old friend who was shot at a playground with him. And so on.

Each person Will meets in this short elevator ride that takes the whole book is important to him in some way. His mindset, originally so focused on revenge, starts to loosen. Once the elevator reaches the last floor, will Will continue with his plan or will he make a different choice?

Marshmallow is reading Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds. — Marshmallow is reading *Long Way Down* by Jason Reynolds.

Marshmallow’s Review: I think that Long Way Down is a very successfully written book, in more ways than one.

I, personally, do not always love books written in verse; I sometimes find it hard to discern the plot and I feel like it limits character growth. Before this book, Starfish by Lisa Fipps was the only such book I really appreciated. So when I started reading this book and realized it was in verse, I was a little disheartened. However, I feel like this book was very successful in all the categories most good novels excel in. The narration through Will’s eyes and voice worked well, the characters introduced came across quite clearly, and the events unfolded effectively. The free-style though structured poetry added to the feeling of confinement in an elevator.

Both the plot and the premise of Long Way Down are most intriguing; the whole book takes place in the course of one fateful elevator ride as conversations unfold in front of Will. I do want to warn readers that there is a cliffhanger at the end of the book, and this is not part of a series. However, the journey to that point is worth it. The author did not leave things hanging just for the sake of it of course; the end makes the reader think hard about what will happen next and process the message of the book even more carefully. I can see this book successfully paired with The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton in important discussions young people can have about gangs and violence.

If it is not clear already, let me say explicitly that I think Long Way Down is important for bunnies of all ages to read. There is some slang used, and of course the weight of gang violence might make the book a bit inappropriate for the youngest bunnies. But for bunnies reading middle grades books, it is an important (and quick, breathless) read. Will’s story makes you realize the harsh reality of gang violence if it is not your own actual reality. Many people, pop culture, and the media glorify gangster culture, but this book shows what happens to the people who are affected.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 100%.

Marshmallow rates Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds 100%. — Marshmallow rates *Long Way Down* by Jason Reynolds 100%.