Reviews – Page 47 – BookBunnies

The Book Bunnies review the books of 2023

At the end of last year, we decided to try something new and New-Year-ish and talk about all the books we had read through 2022. This year, we continue this new tradition and take a look at our reviews for 2023.

[2023 saw the bunnies read and review many books, both new and classic. You can find a full list here.]

The book bunnies review the books of 2023.

Sprinkles: Again, it is probably easiest for me to go over my reviews first, because as usual, I reviewed much fewer books than the two of you. I did enjoy all the books I reviewed though.

First, in October, I reviewed two children’s books about the mathematician Emmy Noether. This was right after the time I saw the one-woman play about her life, so I was very excited to talk about Noether and her life. I think my favorite among the two was Emmy Noether: The Most Important Mathematician You’ve Never Heard Of, written by Helaine Becker and illustrated by Kari Rust, and published in 2020. Rust’s illustrations are cute and sharp at the same time, and the cartoonish detractors of Noether are shown humorously while the severity of Noether’s challenges is not minimized. The math and physics connections of her work are explained with precise terms in what is still a totally comprehensible language, and the illustrations support these descriptions. All in all, I thought this was a neat book to introduce young people to Noether and her life.

Sprinkles is posing with Emmy Noether: The Most Important Mathematician You’ve Never Heard Of, written by Helaine Becker and illustrated by Kari Rust. — Sprinkles is posing with *Emmy Noether: The Most Important Mathematician You’ve Never Heard Of*, written by Helaine Becker and illustrated by Kari Rust.

Then in November, I reviewed Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost and Susan Jeffers, a beautiful picture book that takes the reader along for a ride through the woods of Robert Frost’s famous poem. I love this book and I love the poem, so it all worked out.

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

By the way I’d love to review more poetry books for young bunnies, so if any of our readers know of any, please send us your suggestions.

Finally in late 2023, I also reviewed a book called My Unfurling by Lisa May Bennett. This was a different kind of book, engaging with rather adult themes, so I felt it would not necessarily fit our blog, but Nicole Pyles was kind enough to have me write a guest post for her blog, World of My Imagination.

Marshmallow: I also reviewed a book with some mature content this year. Fun Home by Alison Bechdel is a graphic novel, a growing-up story of sorts, but it deals with a lot of challenging issues, more so than your average growing-up story.

S: True. I also just finished reading this book, and you are right, I agree, the book has a lot of mature content. You also read a handful of books directed at students older than yourself.

M: Yes, true. I reread How to Be a High School Superstar and How to Become a Straight-A Student, both by Cal Newport. I thought maybe I could get some good ideas as the new school year got going.

S: Makes sense to me. Caramel, you also read about school this year.

Caramel: Well, but mine is all fiction. I began to read the Spy School books.

M: Those are great books!

C: Yes, they are.

S: You have gone through the series rather fast, haven’t you?

C: Yep.

S: I know there are two more books in the series that you need to review, but so far, you reviewed all of the first nine books. Which one is your favorite?

C: It is hard to say. They are all so good!

S: Say you were traveling and needed to take only one with you. Which one would you take?

C: I’m not sure. Can Marshmallow take one too?

S: Sure.

C: Then I’d take Evil Spy School and Spy School At Sea. Wait, no. I’d take Spy School: British Invasion and Spy School Revolution.

S: I can see it is not easy to decide.

C: No, it is not.

Some of Caramel's favorite Spy School books. — Some of Caramel’s favorite Spy School books.

S: So was Spy School the most fun series you read this year?

C: Well, I did not really read a lot of other series this year. But I did read the Wayside School books, and those were fun too. Still Spy School books might be more fun.

S: I see. What else did you read this year that you liked?

C: I also read the new Wild Robot book, The Wild Robot Protects by Peter Brown, and the The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate. I liked both of those very much.

Two of Caramel's favorites this year were Wild Robot Protects and The One and Only Bob. — Two of Caramel’s favorites this year were Wild Robot Protects and The One and Only Bob.

S: Among the books you read this year, I think my favorite was Robot Dreams by Sara Varon.

C: I liked that book a lot, too. Though it was kind of a sad book. I wish it had been happier.

S: I know Caramel. How about you Marshmallow? What were some of your favorites from this year?

M: Probably my favorite for this year was Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng. I thought it was very moving and all around a great book. I also really enjoyed reading And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. I mean, I did not find it very comfortable as I was reading it because it got very tense, but once I was done, I could see that it was extremely well constructed.

S: She is good, isn’t she?

M: Yep. She is a classic, you could say!

One of Marshmallow's favorites this year was Agatha Christie's And then There Were None. — One of Marshmallow’s favorites this year was Agatha Christie’s And then There Were None.

Another of Marshmallow's favorites this year was Our Missing Hearts bf Celeste Ng. — One of Marshmallow’s favorites this year was Agatha Christie’s And then There Were None.

S: You also read a few other classics this year, right?

M: Yes. I read Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and Lord of the Flies by William Golding. They were both very good. I can see why they became classics.

S: Agreed!

M: I also read The Adventures of Tintin: The Calculus Affair by Hergé, Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories by Agatha Christie, The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton, and Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume, which are also classics to an extent.

S: How did you like those books?

M: I liked them alright, but they were not my favorites. I mean, I was glad to have read them, but there were other books I liked more this year.

S: I see. You did read mostly fiction again this year. But you did read a few works of nonfiction. Which ones of those did you like?

M: Well, besides Fun Home by Alison Bechdel, I read another autobiographical graphic novel, Dare to Disappoint by Özge Samancı. I also read The Murder of Emmett Till by Karlos K. Hill and David Dodson and Victory. Stand! Raising My Fist for Justice by Tommie Smith, which were both historical graphic novels. Last but not the least, I read and reviewed Doctor Who: The Encyclopedia by Gary Russell and The Secret Life of a Snowflake by Kenneth Libbrecht.

S: This might be the most fiction you have ever reviewed till now!

M: It really might. And I liked all of these books.

S: That sounds like a good year to me!

Some of Marshmallow's favorite nonfiction books this year. — Some of Marshmallow’s favorite nonfiction books this year.

S: How about you Caramel? Which nonfiction books did you like most?

C: Well, this year I read and reviewed The Cult of LEGO by John Baichtal and Joe Meno, Star Wars: Complete Vehicles – New Edition, Easy Aircraft Origami by Jayson Merrill, Star Wars Encyclopedia of Starfighters and Other Vehicles by Landry Q. Walker, Animated Science: Periodic Table by Shiho Pate and John Farndon, Invented by Animals by Christiane Dorion and Gosia Herba, Make Your Own Press-Out Spaceships by David Hawcock, Weird But True! 350 Outrageous Facts (Book 6) by National Geographic Kids, and The Big Book of Amazing LEGO Creations With Bricks You Already Have by Sarah Dees. And they were all really really good.

Some of Caramel's favorite nonfiction books this year. — Some of Caramel’s favorite nonfiction books this year.

S: I can see your pattern. Star Wars books, books about making planes and spaceships, books about animals and other facts, and books about LEGOs.

C: Yep. I guess I am that transparent.

S: It is not a bad idea to know what you like. But you also read two books that were sort of borderline between fiction and nonfiction. I am referring to How to Survive a Robot Uprising: Tips on Defending Yourself Against the Coming Rebellion by Daniel H. Wilson and Oliver’s Great Big Universe by Jorge Cham.

C: Yes, those are also very factful books. But if we are looking at factful books, we have to include Narwhalicorn and Jelly and A Super Scary Narwhalloween by Ben Clanton, too.

S: You are right. How could I forget the Narwhal and Jelly books!

C: I don’t know Sprinkles. Maybe you are getting tired.

S: Maybe I am. We have been talking about books for a while now. And it is getting late. So shall we wrap up this wrap-up of the year?

M: Yes. I am getting really hungry!

S: Okay, let us do that then. All in all, this was a really good year with lots and lots of good books, wasn’t it?

C: Yep.

M: Definitely! And we will continue to read and review many many more in the new year!

S: But we are taking off for January, like we have been doing every year. We should definitely mention that.

C: But we will be back!

M: In February. With many more great book reviews!

S: So happy new year!

C: And stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

The book bunnies, and new friend Red, wish all bunnies around the world a happy new year in 2024, with lots of good books and many friends, old and new!

Caramel reviews Spy School At Sea by Stuart Gibbs

Caramel has been reading and reviewing the Spy School books by Stuart Gibbs in order. After Spy School, Spy Camp, Evil Spy School, Spy Ski School, Spy School: Secret Service, Spy School Goes South, Spy School: British Invasion, and Spy School Revolution, he is now talking to Sprinkles about book nine: Spy School At Sea, first published in 2021.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, we are in book nine now. What is this one about?

Caramel: Ben goes on a cruise ship named Emperor of the Seas and stops Jessica Shang’s mom from blowing up the Panama Canal.

S: Ooh, we met Jessica earlier in Spy Ski School, way back in book four, right? And I think you had said that her dad was “an evil dude” but that Jessica was nice.

C: Yeah. Well, at least, she seemed nice.

S: Wait, what are you implying?

C: That’s not foreshadowing.

S: Big word for a little bunny. What do you mean Caramel?

C: She actually is not evil! I just said it to sound mysterious.

S: I see. I’m not sure if I buy that, but okay, I guess I have to read the books to figure out for myself. So back to this book. Ben dealt with Jessica’s dad before. And now it is time for her mom?

C: Yes. And Murray Hill also shows up.

S: Wow! I thought he was done.

C: Yeah, one would think, but apparently not. And Dane Bramage also shows up, which is quite something, because he had fallen down from the Eiffel Tower in an earlier book.

Caramel is reading Spy School At Sea by Stuart Gibbs. — Caramel is reading *Spy School At Sea* by Stuart Gibbs.

S: Alright, so we see quite a lot of familiar characters. Are there any new characters in the book other than Jessica’s mom?

C: Well, yes, we had heard about Jessica’s mom before, so she is not totally new, but we had not actually seen her, so there is that. But there are also other totally new characters. For example one of them is El Diablo, who is a drug lord.

S: Oh, that sounds really dangerous.

C: Yes, as usual, Ben gets into really dangerous stuff, over and over again.

S: And I guess you like that?

C: Kind of. But it is mainly because he always gets out of trouble in amusing ways.

S: So what did you like most about this book?

C: At some point, Ben manages to trick Murray into telling the truth. That was amusing.

S: Okay, so would amusing be one of the words you’d use to describe this book?

C: Well, I was thinking “hilarious” could do well too.

S: Alright. What other words would you use to complete your description?

C: Action-packed. And fast-paced.

S: Cool. So are we done with this series? Do you think you had enough?

C: No! Are you kidding Sprinkles? I have to read the last two books! And Marshmallow has almost caught up with me. I have to get moving!

S: Okay, you are right. There are two more books in the series. But your reviews for those will need to wait till February 2024.

C: The reviews can wait. But I can’t! I have to read the next book immediately!

S: Okay, okay, so let us wrap up this review, and then you can start the tenth book.

C: Exactly!

S: As we are wrapping this up, then, what would you like to say to our readers?

C: This is my last regular review for 2023. But we will do a recap post on Saturday. So stay tuned for that!

Caramel loved reading Spy School At Sea by Stuart Gibbs and can hardly wait till February 2024 to talk about the tenth book. — Caramel loved reading *Spy School At Sea* by Stuart Gibbs and can hardly wait till February 2024 to talk about the tenth book.

Marshmallow reviews Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston

Today Marshmallow reviews Amari and the Night Brothers, the first book in B. B. Alston’s Supernatural Investigations series, first published in 2021.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like books about magic, family, and friendship, then this might be the book for you.

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Amari Peters’s brother, Quinton, disappeared six months ago, and since then, everything seems to be going downhill. People at her private school bully her. She’s Black, of low-income, and is attending private school on a scholarship. Her peers, who are mostly rich and white, view her as a good target. Eventually, after a particularly vile joke about her brother’s disappearance, Amari pushes one of the girls bullying her. She immediately loses her scholarship as a result.

Later at home, Amari receives a mysterious delivery, which according to the delivery person is supposed to appear in her brother’s closet. There, she finds a ticking briefcase, which holds a nomination for a summer tryout for the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs. Amari’s brother Quinton was a genius who disappeared soon after graduating high school and finding a promising job. The family did not know what this job was, but now Amari has her suspicions, that it had something to do with this Bureau. So she figures this invitation is the best chance she might have of finding her brother.

Eventually Amari figures out that the Bureau manages the humans’ interactions with the supernatural world. There are different departments handling different types of magic, and there is apparently a whole world that regular folks like us do not know about. Now that Amari is initiated to this world, she learns that she does not quite fit in here, either. At the beginning of her training, she learns that her specific supernatural ability is deemed illegal.

Still Amari is determined, against all odds, natural and supernatural, to find out what happened to her brother. But she has many enemies, like the Night Brother and his devious assistant, who will fight to stop her.

Marshmallow is reading Amari and the Night Brothers by B. B. Alston. — Marshmallow is reading *Amari and the Night Brothers* by B. B. Alston.

Marshmallow’s Review: Amari and the Night Brothers is a great book for fans of Percy Jackson and Harry Potter. An unlikely hero, who finds her strength against all odds, in a world of magic that was unknown to her from the start, Amari is really a likeable character. What is more, the world B. B. Alston builds around her is very interesting. Even though some readers may indeed find parallels between this book and other popular series, the plot of this particular book is unique and most intriguing. I read it breathlessly and I was in the dark about the real explanations of some things until the very end. I kept having these “a-ha!” moments that kept turning out to be “oops!” moments. B. B. Alston seems to really know how to play with the reader’s mind.

I really enjoyed reading Amari and the Night Brothers, and I can’t wait to read the second book.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 100%.

Marshmallow rates Amari and the Night Brothers by B. B. Alston 100%. — Marshmallow rates *Amari and the Night Brothers* by B. B. Alston 100%.

Caramel reviews Spy School Revolution by Stuart Gibbs

As our readers know, Caramel has been reviewing the Spy School novels by Stuart Gibbs in order for the last few weeks. Today he talks to Sprinkles about the eighth book in the series: Spy School Revolution, first published in 2020.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, you have been reading and reviewing these Spy School novels for a while now.

Caramel: Yep.

S: I am afraid we won’t be done by the end of the year. Today we are talking about book eight, and next week we can talk about book nine. But then there are two more.

C: I guess we will talk about them in February.

S: I guess so. But are you reading anything else besides these novels these days?

C: Of course. Some new ones and some old ones. You know I like rereading things. For example yesterday I was rereading Star Wars: Complete Vehicles – New Edition.

S: Yes, I saw that. Okay, at least you are not limiting yourself to this one series. But I do understand that it is a very fun series to read.

C: Yep. Marshmallow is reading them too, now, and she really likes them.

S: I know, I heard her say that too. Okay so what is going on in this eighth book?

C: In this book, Ben fights the Croatoan, an evil organization.

S: I had not heard that word before. And WordPress really wants to change it to Croatian, but Croatoan apparently has its own meanings.

C: Yep.

S: So apparently the Croatoan were a native peoples and apparently the word “Croatoan” was found carved into a tree on an island which is supposed to have been the site of an early colony from 1590. Wikipedia says some people call that colony the Lost Colony. Do these come into play in the book?

C: Yep. In the book the Croatoan is an evil organization trying to blame the disappearance of that colony on the native people.

S: So the book is about the American colonies before the United States was formed?

C: No, it is happening today to Ben Ripley from the other books, but the evil organization apparently goes back to the time before the American Revolution.

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

C: I liked the part where Ben’s friends knock out Zoe.

S: I remember we met Zoe way back in the second book. But she was a friend of Ben. Why is it good that she is knocked out?

C: Well, I should probably not tell.

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

S: Hmm, okay let us put that aside then. I understand that there is some problem involving Erica?

C: Yes. There is an explosion and it turns out that she is the one behind it. So Ben’s friends and superiors begin to think she is working against the CIA.

S: What does Ben think?

C: He trusts Erica, and it turns out of course that she is not evil, she was just being blackmailed by the evil organization Croatoan.

S: Wait. Are we giving away too much information here?

C: Not really. We learn about Erica being blackmailed quite early in the book.

S: Phew, that’s good. So then Erica is in the book. Are there any new characters?

C: Yes. Agent Heather Durkee and Agent Nora Taco.

S: Who are they?

C: Well, they are both CIA agents. And Taco works for the Double Agent Detection Division, and Sprinkles, do you like anagrams?

S: I do! Some of my favorites are SILENT = LISTEN and DORMITORY = DIRTY ROOM. There are also two literary ones I like: HAMLET = AMLETH, EREWHON = NOWHERE. But why do you ask?

C: I don’t know if you noticed, but NORA TACO is actually an anagram for CROATOAN.

S: Hmm, that sounds suspicious.

C: Yep. Heh heh heh!

S: Okay, I think maybe there might be some spoilers coming, so maybe we should stop talking about this book.

C: Fine by me. I am already ready for the next book!

S: Can you describe the book using three to five words?

C: Amusing, adventurous, and page-turner.

S: That works! So let us wrap this up then. What would you like to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel loved reading Spy School Revolution by Stuart Gibbs and is ready for book nine. — Caramel loved reading *Spy School Revolution* by Stuart Gibbs and is ready for book nine.