Book Bunnies

Marshmallow reviews Dare to Disappoint by Özge Samancı

Today Marshmallow reviews the autobiographical graphic novel Dare to Disappoint by Özge Samancı, first published in 2015.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like graphic novels or if you enjoy reading books about growing up in general, then this might be the book for you.

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Özge Samancı grew up in Izmir, Turkey (in late 1970s and early 1980s). Ever since she was very young, she was obsessed with the idea of going to school and loved the school uniforms. Her family’s house was across the street from her older sister’s elementary school, and everyday, Özge and her mother would wave at the sister who was at school. Özge longed to be on the other side, waving back home from behind the school fence. Finally, when she started to go to elementary school, she idolized her first-grade teacher (Turkey did not have a kindergarten grade at the time). But one day, after talking about a bizarre incident on the television, Özge was beaten by her teacher with her pink ruler. Her entire class was punished as well. Özge was confused as to what she or any of her other classmates had done.

As Özge grew older, the political tension in Turkey increasingly impacted her family and her family’s life and lifestyle. Knowing that education was a way for her to gain a steady, stable life, Özge set her mind up to enter a prestigious public high school. She, along with her sister, studied obsessively so they could do well in the test that would determine their high school placement and (practically) the rest of their academic lives.

When she began attending college, Özge found herself drawn to art, theater, and other creative endeavors. However, her father wanted her to study more practical and pragmatic fields like engineering or medicine. Eventually, Özge faced a decision: do what her father wants her to do or live a life of uncertainty on her own terms. Read to find out how she resolved this issue…

Marshmallow is reading Dare to Disappoint by Özge Samancı. — Marshmallow is reading *Dare to Disappoint* by Özge Samancı.

Marshmallow’s Review: Dare to Disappoint is an interesting and entertaining book. It describes a young person’s search for her own artistic and creative identity in the context of a loving but perhaps somewhat rigid family. It also offers insight as to what life was like for a young child in Turkey in the 1980s. It was especially interesting for me to see the many details of life in a different time and different place than what I have experienced so far.

I liked reading Dare to Disappoint. The author’s voice is down to earth and relatable. The plot and storyline of the book are easy to understand and follow. This is a graphic novel, and the illustrations are really cute, but also detailed and expressive. Color is sparse, but well distributed. Additionally, photos of 3-D objects are inserted and sort of interwoven with the author’s drawings. Today Samancı is a media artist who also teaches at a university. It was cool to read about her earlier life in this format and have the opportunity to learn about her path to finding her own artistic voice.

Though the illustrations are vivid and cute, and the author voice is friendly and accessible, Dare to Disappoint may not be appropriate for very young bunnies. My only concern is that at some point, the author is physically attacked and is almost sexually assaulted, which might be too scary for some younger readers. But other than that, I think that the book tells a beautiful and very personal story, and bunnies of all ages can appreciate the tale of an artist’s childhood and growing up into her own.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 100%.

Marshmallow rates Dare to Disappoint by Özge Samancı 100%. — Marshmallow rates *Dare to Disappoint* by Özge Samancı 100%.

Caramel reviews Spy Ski School by Stuart Gibbs

Caramel has already reviewed the first three books of the Spy School novels by Stuart Gibbs. Today he is talking about the fourth book, Spy Ski School, first published in 2016. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking followup questions.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, here we are, and you have yet another Spy School book in your paws.

Caramel: Yep.

S: So tell me, what is this one about?

C: In this book, Ben becomes an actual agent for the CIA and stops a bad person from setting a bomb off in Oregon.

S: Wait, Ben is still a kid though?

C: I know. But he still becomes an agent.

S: I am not sure that is terribly realistic.

C: Well, nobody said anything about realistic. That is why it is called fiction, Sprinkles!

S: Okay, okay, you are right. So there will be some unexpected things happening. So tell me, are there any new characters in this book?

C: Yes. Dane Bramage, Jessica Shang, and Leo Shang.

S: Okay, so who are they?

C: Leo Shang is an evil dude; he is a Chinese salesman. Jessica is his daughter but she is not at all evil. And she becomes friends with Ben. And she has a crush on him.

S: Okay, so wait, does the book get too mushy?

C: No. you know I would not like it if it did.

S: Right. Okay, so who is Dane Bramage?

C: He is a bodyguard; he guards the Shangs. His name looks like Brain Damage.

S: Yeah, I can see that! So is Leo Shang the main baddie in this book?

C: Yes, but Murray Hill, the main bad person from the first book, Spy School, also shows up.

S: Okay. So what is the ski school part about?

C: Ben goes to a ski school in Oregon to infiltrate the evil network.

Caramel is reading Spy Ski School by Stuart Gibbs. — Caramel is reading *Spy Ski School* by Stuart Gibbs.

S: What did you like about this book most?

C: The time where Ben knocked Murray out.

S: Why?

C: Because it serves him right!

S: I see. So there is a lot of violence in these books?

C: I guess.

S: I suppose that could be expected. After all, these books remind me of the adventures of James Bond. One of our readers even suggested that SPYDER could be analogous to SPECTRE, the international crime syndicate in many of the Bond stories.

C: I have not watched enough Bond movies to agree or disagree.

S: That was a very diplomatic answer Caramel! Anyways, let us get back to Spy Ski School. Can you describe it using three to five words?

C: Intense, funny, and suspenseful.

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

C: Yes, of course. I have to get my paws on the next book!

S: Okay, okay. So let us wrap this up then. What do you want to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel has loved reading Spy Ski School by Stuart Gibbs and cannot wait to get his paws on the fifth book of the series. — Caramel has loved reading *Spy Ski School* by Stuart Gibbs and cannot wait to get his paws on the fifth book of the series.

Sprinkles reviews Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost and Susan Jeffers

Readers have already seen several books reviewed on this blog which had poetry as a significant theme. See, for example, Marshmallow’s reviews of How to Find What You’re Not Looking For by Veera Hiranandani and Starfish by Lisa Fipps. However, we have only reviewed one full book of poetry so far (A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein); that is, if we do not count the humorous BrainJuice American History: Fresh Squeezed! by Carol Diggory Shields. Today, we finally begin to remedy this situation. Below, Sprinkles writes about a book that the book bunnies household read together many times with much joy: Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, an illustrated children’s book presenting the famed poem of Robert Frost with the same name, published first exactly a hundred years ago, in 1923.

[If you have any recommendations of poetry books and such for young ones, please let us know. Sprinkles is planning to put together a more extensive post on poetry in the near future, and your input would be much appreciated.]

Sprinkles reviews Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, written by Robert Frost and illustrated by Susan Jeffers. — Sprinkles reviews *Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening*, written by Robert Frost and illustrated by Susan Jeffers.

A lot of people read or hear about the American poet Robert Frost some time in their school years. And, originally published in 1923, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” might be his most famous poem; it is so famous that it has its own Wikipedia entry! Especially the last stanza:

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

has inspired and held the imagination of many people since then.

The simple words and sentences used through the poem make it quite accessible, and the iambic tetrameter (where each line of the poem is made up of four syllable-pairs with one emphasized and the other not) as well as the simple rhyme scheme used (AABA BBCB CCDC DDDD) make it melodic and easy to recite. So it is a natural choice for the text of a children’s book. The book I am writing about today is just that: Frost’s poem makes up the whole text, and the illustrations by Susan Jeffers complete the rest.

First published in 1978, the book uses a two-page spread for more or less every pair of lines from the poem. So you often get a full picture for each complete sentence of the poem.

Sprinkles is reading Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, written by Robert Frost and illustrated by Susan Jeffers. Here she is looking at the two-page spread where the narrator of the poem is saying, "But I have promises to keep." — Sprinkles is reading *Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening*, written by Robert Frost and illustrated by Susan Jeffers. Here she is looking at the two-page spread where the narrator of the poem is saying, “But I have promises to keep.”

The pictures, illustrated by the established illustrator Susan Jeffers, are mostly black and white, with only a few color touches on each. The sparse coloring directs our attention to the quiet and serene whiteness of the snowy woods. The way the poem is spread out through the pages allows us to read it more slowly and savor it.

The poem is lovely, and it is a joy to share it with young bunnies. In today’s busy world, we often miss out on finding those moments of joy in little things, like reading a well-worn poem with a young one.

Some might like to hear the poet read it himself:

Robert Frost reads “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” – from YouTube.

I also like this version, read by Susan Sarandon: https://vimeo.com/172768932. Someone uploaded a version to Youtube, too:

Susan Sarandon reads “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” – from YouTube.

Sarandon reads the poem most exquisitely. And at the end of this video there are a few children describing what they think poetry is. So it is definitely worth a watch.

Incidentally, this second video was created as part of a larger project focusing on introducing young ones to classical poetry. You can find some more information about it here: http://www.amyschatzproductions.com/classical-baby-im-grown-up-now-the-poetry-show. Another one of my favorites from this series is “How Do I Love Thee?” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, read, I think, by Gwyneth Paltrow:

“How Do I Love Thee?” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, read, I think, by Gwyneth Paltrow – from YouTube.

No matter how much I like these videos however, I still prefer reading poetry together with little ones myself. Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, written by Robert Frost and illustrated by Susan Jeffers, gave me many opportunities to snuggle with one of my little bunnies and read it together. My copy was secondhand at least, and it was already somewhat worn out when I held it in my paws for the first time. The book has led to many joyful times nonetheless. I encourage all other adult bunnies who love poetry to find ways of sharing it with your little ones.

Sprinkles encourages all adult bunnies who love poetry to check out books like Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, written by Robert Frost and illustrated by Susan Jeffers, which can help some of our favorite poems come to life for our little ones. And she would love to hear any recommendations of poetry books and such for young ones if you have any. She is hoping to put together a more extensive post on poetry in the near future, and your input would be much appreciated. — Sprinkles encourages all adult bunnies who love poetry to check out books like *Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening*, written by Robert Frost and illustrated by Susan Jeffers, which can help some of our favorite poems come to life for our little ones. And she would love to hear any recommendations of poetry books and such for young ones if you have any. She is hoping to put together a more extensive post on poetry in the near future, and your input would be much appreciated.

Caramel reviews Evil Spy School by Stuart Gibbs

Caramel is going through the Spy School novels by Stuart Gibbs one by one and reviewing them for the book bunnies blog. Today he is talking to Sprinkles about the third book: Evil Spy School, first published in 2015.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, here we are, talking about yet another Spy School book.

Caramel: Yep, this is the third book. I think there are a few more.

S: I think there are eleven in all so far.

C: So I have eight more to go.

S: Yes, that sounds about right. I don’t think these later books have the graphic novel versions just yet.

C: I don’t think so. But as soon as those show up, I will need to review those too.

S: I can see that. Okay, so this third book is called Evil Spy School. Why? Can you tell us a bit about what this book is about?

C: Ben is thrown out of his original spy school and so he enters SPYDER’s school.

S: Wait, isn’t SPYDER the evil organization that Ben was fighting against earlier?

C: Yes.

S: So why is Ben changing sides?

C: Well, they kicked him out of the other school.

S: Wait. The CIA was behind the original Spy School. So who is behind SPYDER?

C: It’s a secret.

S: I see. Are there any new characters?

C: Yes. There are at least two people that are new: Ashley Sparks and Nefarious Jones are the ones I remember.

S: Okay. So who are those?

C: They are both students at the evil spy school. Nefarious Jones sits on the couch all day playing video games, and he is not a very nice person really. Ashley Sparks was kicked out of the Olympics so decided to turn evil. I am not sure I totally got her reasoning, but she seems a bit weird. She actually seems to enjoy being evil.

S: I see. So does Ben become friends with these people?

C: Yes and no. But I am not going to say much more because otherwise I will give away some of the plot.

Caramel is reading Evil Spy School by Stuart Gibbs. — Caramel is reading *Evil Spy School* by Stuart Gibbs.

S: What did you like about Evil Spy School most?

C: The fact that Ben figures out the plot again.

S: Why?

C: Because I think that this was a good ending to the mystery.

S: Hmm, I see. I guess you cannot say much more without giving more away. So how about describing the book? How would you do that it using three to five words?

C: Action packed, funny, and spy-full.

S: That sounds like the book just hit the spot for you. Did it also make you want to continue to read the rest of the series?

C: Yes yes yes! I am ready for book four!

S: Okay, then, let us wrap this up so you can dive right into that one. So what do you want to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading Evil Spy School by Stuart Gibbs and is ready for book four! — Caramel enjoyed reading *Evil Spy School* by Stuart Gibbs and is ready for book four!