Reviews – Page 161 – BookBunnies

Marshmallow reviews How to Steal A Dragon’s Sword (Book #9 of How to Train Your Dragon Series) by Cressida Cowell

Marshmallow and Caramel are both into the How to Train Your Dragon series by Cressida Cowell these days. This week Marshmallow reviews one of her favorites in the series: How to Steal A Dragon’s Sword (Book 9).

Marshmallow reviews How To Steal A Dragon's Sword (Book 9 of the How to Train Your Dragon series) by Cressida Cowell. — Marshmallow reviews *How To Steal A Dragon’s Sword* (Book 9 of the How to Train Your Dragon series) by Cressida Cowell.

Marshmallow’s quick take: If you like books about dragons and Vikings then this might be the book for you.

Marshmallow’s Summary (with spoilers): Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, heir to the Throne of the Hairy Hooligans is not what you would expect a Hero to be like. He is very bad at almost everything and even worse, his cousin, Snotlout, a big bully whose main victim is Hiccup, is good at everything. Hiccup’s only talent is sword fighting and he is a complete catastrophe in everything else. Hiccup’s best friend, Fishlegs, is not any better than Hiccup is, he is worse. Hiccup and Fishlegs are both basically an embarrassment to the Hairy Hooligan tribe. But Hiccup does have a talent for coming up with “fiendishly clever plans”.

In the second book of the series, How to Be A Pirate, Hiccup makes an enemy named Alvin the Treacherous who will try to kill Hiccup and become king of the Wilderwest. Even though the reader can tell that the obvious king of the Wilderwest is Hiccup, the Vikings are not sure that he is the king of the Wilderwest. Alvin the Treacherous and his mother, a witch named Excellinor, have been trying to kill Hiccup for the past few years. If Alvin became king, he would try to kill all the dragons instead of trying to negotiate with them.

It just so happens that in the eighth book of the series, How to Break A Dragon’s Heart, Hiccup releases a dragon named Furious who hates all humans (because he had a bad relationship with a human) and so is now out to find and kill all humans and for once and for all exterminate all humans. So now in this ninth book of the series, not only Alvin the Treacherous is out to kill Hiccup but there is also Furious’ rebellion, called the Red Rage, to deal with. The only person who can save the human race is the king of the Wilderwest.

To determine who is the king of the Wilderwest, the witch Excellinor challenges everyone to have a sword fighting competition. The king of the Wilderwest will save them from the terrible rebellion of dragons who are trying to kill all people, children and adults alike.

Marshmallow's favorite page of How To Steal A Dragon's Sword. — Marshmallow’s favorite page of *How To Steal A Dragon’s Sword*.

Hiccup wins the sword fighting competition. He gets first place, his father gets the second, and Alvin the Treacherous gets the third place. Hiccup then is crowned king but then the witch Excellinor reveals the Slavemark that the Wanderers stamped him with. The Slavemark is the ultimate mark of shame and so he is eliminated and the witch says that Hiccup’s father should be eliminated too because he is Hiccup’s father and so Alvin the Treacherous is crowned King of the Wilderwest. How will Hiccup stop Alvin from trying to kill all dragons?

Marshmallow’s Review: The book How to Steal a Dragon’s Sword(#9) is a very good book that makes you want to read the tenth book of the series. Of course you might want to read the previous eight books of the series first. But you might still enjoy this one even if it is the first How To Train Your Dragon book you ever read. The cliffhanger at the end is infuriating and makes you need to know what happens next. The author wrote a book which is a very funny read that everyone will enjoy.

Marshmallow’s rating: 95%

Marshmallow rates How To Steal A Dragon's Sword 95%. — Marshmallow rates *How To Steal A Dragon’s Sword* 95%.

Caramel reviews Penguin and Pinecone: A Friendship Story by Salina Yoon

Caramel is already reading some chapter books, but he still loves picture books (even though last week he just reviewed a book that has no pictures!) This week he reviews one of his favorites: Penguin and Pinecone: A Friendship Story by Salina Yoon. Sprinkles is taking notes and asking followup questions as usual.

Sprinkles: Caramel, what do you want to tell us about this book?

Caramel: It’s a friendship story and I really like it.

S: What is it about exactly?

C: There is a penguin who finds a pinecone, and asks his grandpa what is wrong with him. His grandpa says it’s too cold for the pinecone.

“It’s too cold here,” said Grandpa. “Pinecone belongs in the forest far, far away. He can’t grow big and strong on the ice.”

So then Penguin takes the pinecone to the forest. He sets off on a journey.

S: That sounds sophisticated Caramel! And very funny. You like to use such phrases! Ok, then what happens?

C: He leaves the pinecone in a special place in the forest, on a bed he makes.

Penguin made a cozy nest out of the softest pine needles he could find.

S: So where is the friendship?

C: At the beginning of the story where Penguin finds Pinecone, they become friends. They play together, so much!

S: He even knits a scarf for the pinecone, doesn’t he?

C: Yes. I’m going to look at that page again. Hmm, that’s cool! Penguin knits an orange scarf for Pinecone. He has an orange scarf himself.

S: So now both friends have matching scarves, that’s cool! Do you ever wear matching things with friends?

C: Let me think. Sometimes I wear matching things with Marshmallow!

S: That’s right! Ok, let’s get back to the book. So Penguin takes Pinecone to the forest but then the forest is too hot for him. So he has to go back home, right?

C: Yeah. But then he misses Pinecone. And then he goes back to find him.

S: Does he find him?

C: Yup, but I won’t tell you the big awesome surprise! At least a surprise for Penguin!

S: Yes, that part is really neat. I wonder if our readers can guess what happens in the end… But we can probably give away the main moral of the story, right? It’s all the way at the end…

C: Yes!

S: So what is the moral Caramel?

C: Ok, I will read it:

When you give love … it grows.

S: That is a sweet idea, isn’t it?

C: It is a sweet story! Actually it’s an awesome story!

S: I know. You have read it several times already, no?

C: I have no idea how many times I have read it really.

S: So you recommend this book?

C: If I were Marshmallow I’d give it 100%!

Caramel loves reading and rereading Penguin and Pinecone: A Friendship Story by Salina Yoon. — Caramel loves reading and rereading *Penguin and Pinecone: A Friendship Story* by Salina Yoon.

Marshmallow reviews Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

Marshmallow enjoys reading stories that take familiar fairy tales and twist them in various ways to see what will happen. See her reviews of School for Good and Evil: Quests for Glory and School for Good and Evil: A Crystal of Time by Soman Chainani, and A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz. Below she reviews another such book: Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine, first published in 1997 and awarded a Newberry Honor in 1998.

Marshmallow’s quick take: If you like books that twist classic fairy tales like Cinderella and Snow White, then this might be the book for you.

Marshmallow’s Summary (with spoilers): Ella of Frell has a big secret. She has to do everything that everyone tells her to. Lucinda, the fairy, gave Ella the “gift” of obedience when she was a baby. The “gift” of obedience makes Ella do everything that anyone tells her to do. If someone told her to cut off her own head, she would have to do it.

Anyone could control me with an order. It had to be a direct command, such as “Put on a shawl,” or “You must go to bed now”. A wish or a request had no effect. I was free to ignore “I wish you would put on a shawl,” or “Why don’t you go to bed now?” but against an order, I was powerless. If someone told me to hop on one foot for a day and a half, I’d have to do it. And hopping on one foot wasn’t the worst order I could be given.

But soon her mother dies and she is left without a mother and with a father who she thoroughly dislikes. During her mother’s funeral, she meets a prince named Charmont. They become friends. Then Ella meets Dame Olga and her horrific daughters. And even worse her father marries Dame Olga whose two daughters, Hattie and Olive, start treating Ella badly. Hattie soon discovers that Ella needs to obey orders and so then Dame Olga, Olive, and Hattie start treating Ella like a slave. (Sounds like Cinder-Ella, with her evil stepmother and step-sisters, doesn’t it?)

The rest of the story intertwines parts of the standard Cinderella fairy tale (she does lose her slipper at a palace ball) with some new ideas (the fairy who “gifted” her with obedience, for example). In the end there is love and happiness, so there it is quite like a fairy tale. But I won’t tell you how things get resolved. You just might have to read the book (or watch the movie, I guess…)

Marshmallow’s Review: This is a very good book that makes you think about how we are so lucky to be able to say no. If a fairy had given me the “gift” of obedience, it would be very bad if I could not say no to an order such as to cut off my head. It must have been scary to be in constant danger. If someone found out that you had to listen to any thing that anybody tells you to do. (Now that I’m thinking about it, maybe Ella could have asked someone to order her to not listen to commands unless she wanted to. I wonder if that would have worked.)

Ella Enchanted is a great book that makes you think about how we can just say no. Ella is a fifteen year old who acts normally and is not as flawless as in the fairy tale Cinderella. The characters, Lucinda, Hattie, and Olive are really quite despicable and are easily disliked. (I really disliked Hattie and Lucinda sometimes.)

Marshmallow’s rating: 95%

Marshmallow rates Ella Enchanted 95%. — Marshmallow rates *Ella Enchanted* 95%.

Caramel reviews The Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak

Caramel and Marshmallow have been reading The Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak this past week, and they cannot put it down. Caramel explains why below. Sprinkles is taking notes and asking followup questions.

Sprinkles: What’s the deal with this book Caramel?

Caramel: It’s an awesome book!

S: What do you mean? First of all, what is it about?

C: It’s about a kid making their parent into a monkey. And other funny things.

S: What do you mean?

C: The kid is supposed to ask an adult to read the book out loud. The words of the book are so silly, and the adult has to say them all!

S: For example …?

C: Ok let me read to you a bit.

Yes, I am a monkey. Also I am a robot monkey.

And here is another one:

glug glug glug my face is a bug … I eat ants for breakfast right off the ruuuuuug!

And then there is this one:

My only friend in the whole wild world is a hippo named Boo Boo Butt!

Caramel is rereading one of his favorite pages in The Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak. — Caramel is rereading one of his favorite pages in *The Book With No Pictures* by B.J. Novak.

S: And the adult is supposed to read all of this out loud?

C: Yep! It’s so funny! The whole book is full of such silly jokes.

S: And the adult is basically forced to make a fool of themselves… Right?

C: Yep.

S: Is it also fun to read on your own?

C: Yep. I laughed so much saying silly things out loud! It was so funny!

S: So why is the book titled The Book With No Pictures?

C: Because there are no pictures in the whole entire book! But the book doesn’t need any pictures. It’s awesome with or without any pictures.

S: So if you were to illustrate this book Caramel, what kinds of pictures would you add?

C: A robot monkey, ants on rugs, a monkey eating ants off the rug, a hippo named Boo Boo Butt, a robot monkey with a blueberry pizza for a head… Hmm. I want pizza now. I really want some pizza…

S: You want a blueberry pizza?

C: No. But I can also eat blueberries…?

S: Hmm. Let us get back to the book. This seems like a good transition book for kids, right? A parent who wants to encourage their kid to try and read books with not too many pictures might end up getting this for them. And then …

C: Then they would learn their lesson! Ha ha ha!

S: They would pay the price — not only of the book but also of the deed! They would need to read it out loud for their kids and then I bet the kids would be rolling on the ground laughing, listening to their adult saying things like “my best friend is a hippo named Boo Boo Butt!”

C: Ha ha ha! Boo Boo Butt! Why don’t you read this book to me Sprinkles?

S: Hmm… I’m detecting a setup here…

Caramel loves reading and having adults read The Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak. — Caramel loves reading and having adults read *The Book With No Pictures* by B.J. Novak.