Book Bunnies

Marshmallow reviews Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

Marshmallow read Laurie Halse Anderson’s 2008 book Chains at school a few years ago. Today she revisits it for the book bunnies blog.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like books about history and life in the past, then this might be the book for you.

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Isabel Finch is a thirteen-year-old slave in America during the Revolutionary War. Since their parents died, Isabel has been the sole guardian and protector of her little sister Ruth, who has epilepsy and is deemed as “simple”.

Upon the death of their “owner” Mary Finch, Mary’s nephew Robert Finch claims Isabel and Ruth to be his property. Isabel knows for a fact that Mary’s will included setting the two sisters free. However, as a slave, she has no autonomy, and her voice is completely ignored.

Robert Finch sells the sisters to Mr. and Mrs. Lockton, who are absolutely horrid people. Mrs. Lockton in particular turns out to be physically and mentally abusive; she beats and berates Isabel. Mrs. Lockton is probably the worst character in the book. However, almost everyone treats Isabel as less than human.

The Locktons are Loyalists (people who are loyal to Britain) and discuss their beliefs and plans (with fellow Loyalists) openly in front of Isabel because they view her as something similar to furniture. Curzon, the slave of a Patriot, offers her a deal; the Patriots will help her get her freedom if she spies on the Locktons and reports to them. Initially, Isabel wants to stay out of the political unrest, but later decides to assist the Patriots.

Even though Isabel tries her best and is stronger than possibly imaginable, Ruth is sold away by Mrs. Lockton after she has a seizure (which makes Mrs. Lockton think she is possessed by the devil). And even though Isabel tries to help the Patriots, she learns that no one is truly on her side and struggles to find her sister again.

Marshmallow is reading Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson. — Marshmallow is reading *Chains* by Laurie Halse Anderson.

Marshmallow’s Review: This beautiful, heartbreaking story is the beginning of the author’s Seeds of America (or Chains) trilogy. In Chains, Laurie Halse Anderson, through the eyes and the words of Isabel, shows the horrific, repulsive nature and effects of slavery, and the story represents the struggles that a slave during the Revolution may have faced.

I think Chains is a very important book to read because everyone must be able to comprehend how and why slavery was such a terrible thing. This book shows the truth of this part of American history and does so without glossing over anything. In particular, we see the American Revolution in a new light, one where slaves are fighting to survive and get their freedom in a whole war of their own. This book should probably be required reading for students learning about the Revolutionary War, American history, or slavery.

The harshness of the world Isabel is living in and the sheer weight of all that she has to endure makes her one of the strongest characters I’ve ever read about. The love and care she has for her sister makes the plot particularly heart wrenching and the book an emotional roller coaster.

This book is appropriate for ages 7 and up. There are moments of violence depicting the physical abuse that is inflicted upon Isabel and gruesome descriptions (like worms in food), but all of it is needed to properly represent the time period and the nature of slavery. I think a mature elementary school student would benefit from this book, giving them a deeper understanding of what this time period was like for slaves.

As I said above, this book is part of a trilogy, and even though the ending is somewhat satisfying, I definitely want to read the next two books in the series now.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 100%.

Marshmallow rates Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson 100%. — Marshmallow rates *Chains* by Laurie Halse Anderson 100%.

Caramel reviews The Great Texas Dragon Race by Kacy Ritter

Caramel loves dragons and has read and reviewed several books about them for the book bunnies blog through the years. Today he talks to Sprinkles about a new book about dragons: The Great Texas Dragon Race by Kacy Ritter, published in 2023. As usual Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

The book bunnies received this book as a review copy.

Caramel reviews The Great Texas Dragon Race by Kacy Ritter. — Caramel reviews *The Great Texas Dragon Race* by Kacy Ritter.

Sprinkles: Can you start by telling us a bit about the book?

Caramel: This is a fiction book about a thirteen-year-old dragon rider named Cassidy Drake and her dragon Ranga.

S: I can see it is fiction! So this is a girl who is riding a dragon, and from the title, I am guessing that there is a race involved.

C: Yes. She wants to participate in the Great Texas Dragon Race and then she tries to win it.

S: I see. So the story is actually taking place in this continent, and there is still a place named Texas. But I don’t think there are dragons in our Texas.

C: No. I said it was fiction!

S: I see. Okay, I’ll be quiet. Go on.

C: So Cassidy’s family owns a dragon ranch, and Ranga is one of their dragons. It is like an animal shelter, except for dragons.

S: Kind of reminds me of The Menagerie.

C: Yeah, except that everyone knows about dragons in this book. In The Menagerie, the magical creatures were kind of a secret to most people.

S: Okay. So are the dragons magical here too?

C: Yes. They can breathe fire and they can fly. Of course. But they don’t talk. They are like giant dogs, like big friendly pets. Well, not all of them are friendly. But Ranga is.

S: I see. So tell me a bit more about the race. Is it common for young people like Cassidy to race in it?

C: No. I think she is the youngest. But she really wants to do it because her family needs the prize money. It is a lot of money.

S: I see. So does Cassidy face some obstacles trying to get into the race and then while in the race?

C: Yes, exactly.

Caramel is reading The Great Texas Dragon Race by Kacy Ritter. — Caramel is reading *The Great Texas Dragon Race* by Kacy Ritter.

S: So tell me a bit more about the book. Who is narrating the story?

C: Cassidy herself is narrating. So it is all in first person. And it is all in present tense.

S: Oh, that probably makes things sound more urgent and exciting, right?

C: Yes it is very exciting.

S: So would “exciting” be one of your words to describe the book?

C: Yes. So I’d describe it as “an exciting adventure with dragons”.

S: It sounds like this was just the right fit for you!

C: Yup. I wish the author would write more about Cassidy and Ranga.

S: I am sure you would read that book too.

C: Yup.

S: I think you really enjoyed this book. You grabbed it from my paws as soon as it arrived and then you did not put it down until you finished. So did you like Cassidy? Did you like Ranga? Would you have liked to fly with them?

C: I liked them, but I am not sure I’d fly with them. It can be dangerous for a little bunny. They also don’t seem to be the safest flyers in the world. But they are the fastest!

S: Hmm, are you telling me that they win the race?

C: No. I am not spoiling anything. Don’t push me!

S: Okay, I won’t. So maybe we should wrap things up. What would you like to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel loved reading The Great Texas Dragon Race by Kacy Ritter and hopes that there will be more books about these characters. — Caramel loved reading *The Great Texas Dragon Race* by Kacy Ritter and hopes that there will be more books about these characters.

Marshmallow reviews Fun Home by Alison Bechdel

Today Marshmallow reviews Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel, published first in 2006. Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: I know you enjoy reading graphic novels, Marshmallow, so I thought this book might be right up your alley. Let us talk about it. Can you tell our readers first what the book is about?

Marshmallow: The book is about Alison Bechdel herself, who is a cartoon artist. The story is about her growing up and figuring out her sexual orientation and coming out to her parents.

S: That is a pretty serious topic.

M: It is. But it is not all. There is also the fact that her father is also gay, and she eventually figures this out and wants to feel close to him, similar to him.

S: So why is the book called Fun Home?

M: Because her family is running a funeral home, and when they talk of the business, they jokingly call their home the fun home.

S: Is the book funny?

M: I did not think that was the main point of the book. It is essentially a memoir, the artist coming to terms with her sexuality and her family.

S: So the themes seem to me to be more appropriate for older bunnies, would you agree?

M: Yes, probably high school or above. There is some somewhat explicit sexual content, and there is some mention of drug use as well. Caramel wanted to read it too, but I think he might not yet be ready for it.

S: Hmm, I see. Did you know that the book was banned in some places because it was deemed to be immoral?

M: I could imagine. A lot of books about different sexual orientations seem to bother a lot of people.

Marshmallow is reading Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel. — Marshmallow is reading *Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic* by Alison Bechdel.

S: Did you know this book was made into a Broadway musical?

M: It says so on the cover of the book. So we looked it up and found some of the songs. It apparently won lots of awards! I also remember that Alison Bechdel appeared in a Simpsons episode we saw recently, the one where Lisa and Marge write a graphic novel called Sad Girl.

S: Yes, that is true. And the Bechdel test was mentioned in that episode, too, do you remember? Do you know what the Bechdel test is?

M: Wikipedia says that it is “a measure of the representation of women in film and other fiction. The test asks whether a work features at least two women who talk to each other about something other than a man. The requirement that the two women be named is sometimes added.” That Simpsons episode talked about that too.

S: It is a neat idea, isn’t it?

M: And kind of sad that it is a thing actually.

S: Agreed. Anyways, back to Fun Home. All in all, I am glad you read this book, and we got to talk about it. It is an important book in many ways.

M: I can appreciate that. But I do think it is not very suitable for young bunnies.

S: I get it. So if you were to rate it what would you rate it as?

M: I’d rate it 90%. It is well written, well drawn, and tells an important story. But it is not quite appropriate for young bunnies, and parents and other adults responsible for young bunnies should read it before sharing with their young ones.

S: Fair enough. So let us wrap up this review. What would you like to tell our readers?

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

Marshmallow rates Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel 90%. — Marshmallow rates *Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic* by Alison Bechdel 90%.

Caramel reviews Easy Aircraft Origami by Jayson Merrill

Today Caramel reviews Easy Aircraft Origami, a book by Jayson Merrill first published in 2020. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, tell us a bit about this book.

Caramel: So this book has fourteen different planes that you can make that are supposedly easier than some other possible origami.

S: I hear a “but” coming.

C: Yep, you do! So the book says the projects are easy and for “less experienced folders”, but some of them are actually hard. Marshmallow is the most experienced origamist in our home, but even she had difficulty with the Razorback, which looks really cool, but I don’t really know how it flies because I still have not been able to make one.

S: Hmm, I see. So some of them are really hard. But why are we reviewing this book then? Did you at least make some of the planes?

C: Well, I tried to make some of them. For example I tried to make Hex, but I failed several times on my own. Then we made it together, you and me, and then it worked!

S: Yes, we had to be a bit careful and so on, but we did make it in the end. And it flies really well, doesn’t it?

C: But it was hard to fold the paper that many times.

S: I think our paper was a bit thick. If we had used thinner paper, maybe it could have been easier.

C: I guess. But we used a pretty large paper, and it was thick, but it folded well. And the plane is big, too, so I am happy with the paper.

S: No problem then, as long as you are happy!

Caramel is reading Easy Aircraft Origami by Jayson Merrill. — Caramel is reading *Easy Aircraft Origami* by Jayson Merrill.

S: So it seems to me that even though some of the projects are hard, you are probably not giving up on the book any time soon.

C: No, I’m not. The Hex flies so well that I am thinking I want to make all of them. But I might need help.

S: I know. Marshmallow and I can help you if you want.

C: That would be good.

S: I saw that among the fourteen projects there are two which are circular; they do not look at all like paper planes.

C: Yes, they are called Stratus and Cirrus. They kind of look like frisbees.

S: I thought they looked like UFOs.

C: I guess that works too. If someone saw them flying and didn’t know what they were, they would really be UFOs. Unidentified Flying Objects, get it?

S: Yep. Do you know what Stratus and Cirrus are?

C: No.

S: They are types of clouds.

C: I did not know that.

S: This page describes the cirrus clouds as “wispy, feathery, and composed entirely of ice crystals”. Apparently they occur higher in the atmosphere and are often “the first sign of an approaching warm front or upper-level jet streak”.

C: That is interesting. What about stratus clouds?

S: The page says that stratus clouds show up in the lower levels of the atmosphere, closer to the ground, and they are “uniform and flat, producing a
gray layer of cloud cover which may be precipitation-free or may cause periods of light precipitation or drizzle”.

C: I knew that clouds looked different from one another but I did not know that the different kinds had names. That’s cool!

S: I agree! But so these two circular ones are named after clouds. Does that make sense to you?

C: Yes. Because maybe the names mean that they will go high as the clouds.

S: We can only hope! So it is about time to wrap up this review Caramel. What would you like to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel has enjoyed reading Easy Aircraft Origami by Jayson Merrill and is planning to make many of the aircraft projects in it in the coming weeks. — Caramel has enjoyed reading *Easy Aircraft Origami* by Jayson Merrill and is planning to make many of the aircraft projects in it in the coming weeks.