Book Bunnies

Marshmallow reviews Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng

Today Marshmallow reviews Our Missing Hearts, a novel by Celeste Ng, first published in 2022. Sprinkles has also read the book and is asking her questions, while also taking notes.

Sprinkles: So Marshmallow let us start at the beginning. In your reviews, you always start by telling us who this book would be good for. So go ahead.

Marshmallow: This book would be a good choice for readers who enjoy realistic fiction. Or if you are interested in possible near-futures in the United States, especially dystopian ones, this might be the book for you.

S: Okay, I think that is a good start. Can you give us a brief summary of the plot?

M: Sure. So there is this kid whose mother ran away after her poem was used in controversial protests about this law called PACT.

S: Okay, so maybe let us stop there a bit. Tell us about the setting, and of course, PACT.

M: PACT stands for Protecting American Culture and Traditions Act. This law was, in the book, passed about ten years before the story starts. And it essentially allows the government to do things that are supposedly in the interest of preserving American culture. In reality, it is used to take children away from their families, if the families are not “American” enough. In this world, the law specifically targets Asian Americans, due to a fear of China.

S: The author may have been somewhat inspired by the USA PATRIOT Act that was passed after 9/11, and it was very controversial too, because many argue that it cut into people’s civil liberties. This PACT Act was passed after a different but very impactful crisis, right?

M: Yes, and in fact, in the book that crisis was called The Crisis. That left everyone very susceptible to xenophobia, and some people blamed China for all that went wrong, and then of course that distrust of China translated into a distrust of Chinese Americans and then spread all over to a distrust of all Asian Americans. So when the government began to remove children from the homes of some Asian American families, most of the other people remained quiet, believing that there should be a reason for the removal. And most people did not even know how many children were being taken away. The numbers and the full impact of the removals were downplayed by the media, and the families who dared to speak out were demonized.

S: But still there were some protests against the law and these removals, right?

M: Yes, and those are my favorite part of the book actually.

S: So tell us about them.

M: I liked the protests because they were so creative. For example, one involved a bunch of trees which were wrapped up with red yarn and small dolls representing the stolen children. And they were mainly emotional and only subtly political, so people would be more intrigued by them rather than immediately dismiss the message.

S: And that is where the title of the book comes in, right?

M: Yes. The poem that the main character’s mom wrote is called “Our Missing Hearts,” and the protestors took that as their motto, that they wanted their missing hearts to be brought back.

S: Okay, so let us get back to the main character and the plot then.

M: Yes, the main character is a twelve-year-old boy named Bird. Actually his legal name is Noah Gardner, but his mom Margaret Miu always called him Bird, but since she left, people are calling him Noah again. And she left because her poem became too visible with the protests, and Bird’s parents were worried that the government would take Bird away. The mother left so that Bird would at least be able to continue to live with his dad.

S: So the book starts with Bird getting a message which he believes is from his mom.

M: And it is full of cat drawings. And it triggers some memories, Bird is not sure why he knows it is from his mom, but he is sure it is from her. And that part is also very neat. but I cannot say more without spoilers.

S: I guess that is fair. Let us stop with the plot then.

Marshmallow is reading Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng. — Marshmallow is reading *Our Missing Hearts* by Celeste Ng.

S: Tell us a bit about the characters.

M: Well, there is Bird, who is the boy who is looking for his mom. And there is Sadie, a half-black girl who was removed from her family because they spoke out against PACT. The law is mainly targeting Asian Americans, but anyone who speaks up against it is also in danger. So Bird meets her at school, where she is sort of an outcast. Sadie is braver than Bird, and she becomes his friend. And then we also meet Bird’s parents. Margaret plays a big role in a large part of the book; she tells her story and we learn about the Crisis a bit more from her. But anyways, Margaret is maybe more timid than Sadie and her parents, and she ran away instead of fighting, but then again, running away meant that maybe her child would be able to stay with his dad, and it could also be seen as a brave sacrifice.

S: Agreed. So did you feel like you connected with these characters? Did you like any of them a lot? Did any of them make you angry or feel something strongly? Did they feel like real people?

M: I think they were all pretty well developed. I thought reading Bird’s perspective felt like I was seeing the world through his eyes, it was a pretty bad place, but anyways, very realistic. And when Margaret told her story, you could also hear her voice very clearly. So I think the author was very successful in creating very compelling and very realistic characters.

S: I agree with you, again. Okay, so I am guessing you liked this book? I certainly did, and that is why I suggested you read it, too.

M: Yea. I really liked it. I’d rate it 100%.

S: That is high praise coming from you, Marshmallow.

M: Yes, I think Our Missing Hearts is a really good book.

S: Okay, so how do we finish this review? What would you like to tell our readers?

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

Marshmallow rates Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng 100%. — Marshmallow rates *Our Missing Hearts* by Celeste Ng 100%.

Caramel reviews The Last Olympian: The Graphic Novel by Rick Riordan

While tidying up his books this weekend, Caramel happened to come across his copy of The Last Olympian: The Graphic Novel, by Rick Riordan, and just realized that he had not yet reviewed it for the book bunnies blog. As he had already reviewed the first four books in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, he thought it would be only appropriate if he also reviewed this fifth book. So today that is exactly what he is doing. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

The whole book bunny household loved reading the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan. Marshmallow reviewed the first three novels (The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, and The Titan’s Curse), and Caramel reviewed the graphic novel versions of the first four (The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, The Titan’s Curse, and The Battle of the Labyrinth).

Caramel reviews The Last Olympian: The Graphic Novel, by Rick Riordan, adapted by Robert Venditti, with art from Orpheus Collar, Antoine Dodé, and Chris Dickey. — Caramel reviews *The Last Olympian: The Graphic Novel*, by Rick Riordan, adapted by Robert Venditti, with art from Orpheus Collar, Antoine Dodé, and Chris Dickey.

Sprinkles: So Caramel you have reviewed the fourth book a little bit more than a year ago. So maybe let us start by reminding our readers what the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series is all about.

Caramel: Okay. The series is about Percy Jackson, who is a demigod, which means he is a half-god. Percy is the son of the Greek god Poseidon, and the whole series is about him and his friends trying to help save the Olympian gods from Kronos, who is a titan and wants to take them down.

S: Okay, I think this is a good overview. So what happens in this book?

C: Percy first tries to attack Luke’s ship, Princess Andromeda. You might remember Luke as the demigod who is working with Kronos. But there is an explosion, and one of their friends dies. Or actually, the friend sacrifices himself by blowing up the ship. Then Percy finds himself in Poseidon’s underwater palace, which is under attack itself. He is then sent to Camp Halfblood and then eventually goes home, too, to see his mom. Along the way he picks up Nico, who is the son of Hades, and they try to plan a new strategy.

S: I remember Nico. He also had a sister, right?

C: Yes, but the sister, Bianca, joined the Hunters of Artemis in Book Three, The Titan’s Curse. And then she died. Anyways, then, Percy bathes in the River Styx and becomes invulnerable except in one single point on his back. Then there is a big fight on a bridge, and then many many more fights, in Camp Halfblood, in New York City, by Olympus, and so on.

S: Yes, I remember reading this book and thinking that it was probably the most action-filled book in the series.

C: I agree with that.

S: But now that you are reminding me of the plot once more, I am thinking there were so many characters and so many places introduced through the series that it would be pretty hard to describe them effectively to someone who has not read the first four books. Would someone who has not read the first four books understand anything from The Last Olympian: The Graphic Novel?

C: No. I really don’t think so. As you said, there are a lot of characters and events from the first four books that you need to know to follow everything. It is best if you have read the first four books before this one. But they are all good books anyways, so why not read all of them? And in order?

S: I agree Caramel.

Caramel is reading The Last Olympian: The Graphic Novel, by Rick Riordan, adapted by Robert Venditti, with art from Orpheus Collar, Antoine Dodé, and Chris Dickey. — Caramel is reading *The Last Olympian: The Graphic Novel*, by Rick Riordan, adapted by Robert Venditti, with art from Orpheus Collar, Antoine Dodé, and Chris Dickey.

S: Okay so tell me a bit about the graphics. Looking over the book I see that it is pretty dark most of the time.

C: Well, a lot of the story is in the Underworld, or at night, or in the underwater palace of Poseidon, which was not too long, but you get the point. A lot of things happen in dark places.

S: I see.

C: The art is created by the same people, so the book looks quite similar to the others actually. Other than the whole being a bit too dark thing, of course.

S: I can see that. So did you know that Rick Riordan is publishing a sixth Percy Jackson book this fall?

C: Really? I did not know that. I want to read it, too.

S: Sure. But I think Marshmallow will want to read it first and review it too. And you like to review the graphic novel versions, but that will probably take a while. But The Lost Hero, the first book of the next series did already come out as a graphic novel. You might recall that Marshmallow reviewed that already.

C: I read that series, too. And I want to see the graphic novel version of it.

S: Maybe we will see if we can get you a copy, Caramel.

C: Yes, let’s.

S: Okay, Caramel. So as we are wrapping up this review, what three words would you use to describe The Last Olympian: The Graphic Novel?

C: Exciting, philosophical, well-concluded.

S: Hmm, I can see what you mean. The book does tie things up and finishes the series really well.

C: Yep.

S: What would you like to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed (re)reading The Last Olympian: The Graphic Novel, by Rick Riordan, adapted by Robert Venditti, with art from Orpheus Collar, Antoine Dodé, and Chris Dickey, and diving back into the world of Percy Jackson after so long. — Caramel enjoyed (re)reading *The Last Olympian: The Graphic Novel*, by Rick Riordan, adapted by Robert Venditti, with art from Orpheus Collar, Antoine Dodé, and Chris Dickey, and diving back into the world of Percy Jackson after so long.

Marshmallow reviews The Murder of Emmett Till by Karlos K. Hill and David Dodson

After reviewing a handful of historically motivated graphic novels (They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, The English GI by Jonathan Sandler and Brian Bicknell, and Victory. Stand! Raising My Fist for Justice by Tommie Smith), this week Marshmallow takes on yet another historical graphic novel. Today she shares her thoughts on the book The Murder of Emmett Till by Karlos K. Hill and David Dodson, published in 2020.

The review below describes some of the events from the book, which are cruel and terrifying, and as such, might not be appropriate for very young bunnies.

Marshmallow reviews The Murder of Emmett Till by Karlos K. Hill and David Dodson. — Marshmallow reviews *The Murder of Emmett Till* by Karlos K. Hill and David Dodson.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you would like to read a book about recent United States history or racial (in)justice, and if you appreciate graphic novels, then this might be the book for you.

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): On August 20, 1965, fourteen-year-old Emmett Till left his home to visit his mother’s uncle in Mississippi. There, Emmett was accused of whistling at and making lewd comments to a white woman. Emmett was kidnapped, tortured, and killed by the woman’s husband and his friends.

The murder of Emmett Till is a disgusting, horrible event that shows the evil act of lynching. In this book, historian Karlos K. Hill and illustrator David Dodson use the art of graphic novels to tell the story of Emmett Till. After the main story, the authors provide facts, dates, testimony, quotes, and images to teach about this tragic event.

Marshmallow is reading The Murder of Emmett Till by Karlos K. Hill and David Dodson. — Marshmallow is reading *The Murder of Emmett Till* by Karlos K. Hill and David Dodson.

Marshmallow’s Review: This book is a good way to teach and learn about Emmett Till’s murder. This is such a horrifying event that words cannot describe it. Emmett Till was a young boy who should not have been murdered; he should have lived a long, full life. His life was cut short so cruelly, and he was killed after being tortured. The torture and murder of Emmett Till must be taught to future generations to ensure that the disgust and horror we feel never goes away. Only if we remember such events can we hope to never repeat them again.

I liked how this book is both for reading and for learning. The first half of the book (“The Graphic History”, about 75 pages) is written in the format of a graphic novel that shows the events leading up to and after Emmett’s death. This part is divided into four chapters, one on the incident, the second on the kidnapping, the third on the murder, and the fourth on the trial and the aftermath.

The second half (another 75 pages or so) provides a broader context for the event, in three more sections, including a section titled “The Historical Context”, with subsections on lynchings and racial violence in the South, civil rights activism in Mississippi, and other similar topics. There is a whole section (“The Documents”) which includes photos and documents from the trial and beyond. Then there is a short “Conclusion” section which has some suggestions for further reading. Overall, there is a lot of evidence and even more background, which is educational and informational. In other words, the second half is almost similar to a textbook, while the first part is a graphic novel that describes the events in a chronological narrative.

I think this book offers a great way to teach older children and students about Emmett Till’s murder. The horror I felt when reading this book and the disgust of how a human being could do something so horrible to another person was real. This is a book about a dark topic and some of the worst facets of humanity. I would mostly recommend this to older bunnies, maybe 13-14 and up. However, since this is such a huge event in history, it is a valuable book to read and a good resource for knowledge.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 100%.

Marshmallow rates The Murder of Emmett Till by Karlos K. Hill and David Dodson 100%. — Marshmallow rates *The Murder of Emmett Till* by Karlos K. Hill and David Dodson 100%.

Caramel reviews Glork Patrol and the Magic Robot by James Kochalka

Today Caramel reviews Glork Patrol and the Magic Robot by James Kochalka, the third book in his Glork Patrol series, published in 2023. As usual, Sprinkles is asking questions and taking notes.

The book bunnies received this book as a review copy.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, you found another book with a robot in it!

Caramel: Yes, I have.

S: Tell me a bit about it. What is this book about?

C: Gonk and Baby Quackaboodle find a box on their door steps, and it turns out to be a little robot. Then Gonk’s father says it is his robot, and names it Glorkbot.

S: Those are some weird names.

C: The creatures with those names are even weirder. Each of them has three eyes. And Baby Quackaboodle is a very long snake with two arms and some funny hairdo which kind of looks like those flowers called birds of paradise.

S: Yes, and Gonk seems to be a pink walking mouth with three eyes and two teeth basically.

C: Yes. And he does not speak with correct English always. He says things like “Him don’t care about little robots”. So he is probably really young. His dad looks more humanoid, but he also has three eyes and three teeth. And he has a backpack who talks, named Super Backpack.

S: Dora the Explorer also had a talking backpack. It can be useful to have a talking backpack, no?

C: Yes. I could use it to help tell me exactly where my pencil box is. And if it has eyes, then it could tell me what is going on behind me.

S: Makes sense to me! So in this book, tell me, what happens with this little robot and the other characters?

C: Gonk and Baby Quackaboodle take Glockbot for a walk and then Gonk realizes it will do whatever it is told to do. So they tell him to dance, so fast that its battery runs out. Well at first they are not sure what happened, because the bot just falls down, but then the Magic Robot tells them that its battery is out.

S: Wait. What is the Magic Robot?

C: It is this big giant robot head that also has magic. Though I am not sure why a robot, which is mechanical, would need to use magic. And inside it is another! It’s kind of weird.

S: Well, the whole story is quite wacky, I’d say.

C: Yep.

S: But you love wacky, don’t you?

C: Yep, that’s me.

Caramel is reading Glork Patrol and the Magic Robot by James Kochalka. — Caramel is reading *Glork Patrol and the Magic Robot* by James Kochalka.

S: It turns out that this is actually the third story in the Glork Patrol series. And before those two books, there was another series called the Glorkian Warrior series, and even a video game. They all seem to feature Gonk’s dad. Apparently he is the Glorkian Warrior.

C: I want to read all those books too!

S: Why?

C: Because I liked these weirdos. And they have robots and space travel and all kinds of funky things. At least that is what it looks like when we read their descriptions.

S: Okay Caramel, we might look into some of these other books. I agree that these look right up your alley.

C: Yes, exactly.

S: So if you were to describe Glork Patrol and the Magic Robot by James Kochalka in three words, what would you say?

C: Colorful, hilarious, wacky.

S: Those describe this book well Caramel. It is really very colorful, isn’t it?

C: Yes, there is a lot of yellow, green, blue, pink, a little bit of brown for the ground, but the writing is very large and easy to read, and there is a lot of motion and some explosions! Glorkbot really looks like it is dancing!

S: You’re right. It actually does.

C: So yes, I liked this book a lot, and I want to read more about these weirdos.

S: Understood Caramel, I’m glad you enjoyed it so much. So let us wrap this review up then. What do you want to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel had a lot of fun reading Glork Patrol and the Magic Robot by James Kochalka and is curious to read more about these wacky characters. — Caramel had a lot of fun reading *Glork Patrol and the Magic Robot* by James Kochalka and is curious to read more about these wacky characters.