Reviews – Page 57 – BookBunnies

Caramel reviews Star Wars Encyclopedia of Starfighters and Other Vehicles by Landry Q. Walker

Readers of this blog probably already know that Caramel is a big Star Wars fan. As such, he has already reviewed three books related to this ever-growing movie franchise: 5-Minute Star Wars Stories by LucasFilm Press, A Jedi You Will Be by Preeti Chhibber and Mike Deas, and Ultimate Star Wars: New Edition by Adam Bray, Cole Horton, Patricia Barr, Daniel Wallace, Ryder Windham, and Matt Jones. Today he is talking about yet another book about this alternative universe: Star Wars Encyclopedia of Starfighters and Other Vehicles, written by Landry Q. Walker, and first published in 2018. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Caramel reviews Star Wars Encyclopedia of Starfighters and Other Vehicles, written by Landry Q. Walker. — Caramel reviews *Star Wars Encyclopedia of Starfighters and Other Vehicles*, written by Landry Q. Walker.

Sprinkles: I suppose it is time to talk about yet another Star Wars book. Right Caramel?

Caramel: Yep.

S: So let us get started. Tell us a bit about this Encyclopedia.

C: It is about the many many ships and other vehicles in the Star Wars universe.

S: So right up your alley, then, no?

C: Yep. I like robots, I like space ships, and I like this book!

S: I am glad you enjoyed reading it. Can you tell me a bit more about the book? How many pages is it? Are there lots of pictures in it? How is the content organized?

C: Wait, that is too many questions.

S: Okay, so I will ask one at a time. How many pages is it?

C: It is 205 pages long.

S: It looks much thicker to me! Maybe the pages are made of thick paper?

C: They are made of thick paper, true.

S: Okay, so tell me about the pictures. Are there lots of pictures in the book?

C: Yes. On every page there are about four pictures.

S: Are they drawings or photographs?

C: They look like photos.

S: But some of these things probably do not exist, no? So maybe some are computer generated?

C: Well, even if the ships do not really exist in our universe, they must have models. So the pictures could be the photos of the models.

S: I see. That makes sense.

C: And some of the images are about ships and vehicles in one of the animated series, so those are more like drawn, by hand or by computer.

S: I see.

Caramel is reading Star Wars Encyclopedia of Starfighters and Other Vehicles, written by Landry Q. Walker. — Caramel is reading *Star Wars Encyclopedia of Starfighters and Other Vehicles*, written by Landry Q. Walker.

S: So how is the content organized? I mean, are there chapters, sections, parts?

C: There are sections on separate types of ships. Like air, land, water, and space. Of course the space vehicles section is the longest.

S: I see. So when you open a page, what do you see?

C: On each page there is a different vehicle. There are some pictures of it and then there is some writing.

S: What kind of information is available on each vehicle?

C: They write about who uses that vehicle, what are its specifications, like how it works, how fast it goes, what kinds of weapons it might have, and so on.

S: So can you tell me some of your favorites? If the book is split into four types of vehicles, tell me your favorites in each category. So what are your favorite air, land, water and space vehicles?

C: Hmm, let me think a bit. For land, it is either an AAT, MTT, or the AT-M6.

S: Well, that does not mean anything to me.

C: AAT is Armored Assault Tank. MTT is Multi-Troop Transport, and AT-M6 is All-Terrain MegaCaliber 6. It is essentially orbital bombardment cannon on the back of a bigger vehicle called an ATAT.

S: Hmm, that is too many acronyms for me. Also a lot of war machines. Are there no peaceful vehicles in the book?

C: Definitely. There are cargo ships, carrier crafts, freighters and so on.

S: Hmm. Let us move on then. What is your favorite water vehicle?

C: The Bongo! TriBuibble Bongo. It is peaceful! It is a small semi-organic submarine that is unarmed.

S: Why do you like it?

C: I think it is interesting. You can find some pictures and some more information on them here.

S: Those do look cool! Apparently they are each unique because they are made individually.

C: Yep. They are cool. I also like the Kamino Submarine.

S: Why do you like that one?

C: It looks neat!

S: Okay. So tell me your favorite air and space vehicles now.

C: Well, it is kind of hard to pick a single space ship, because there are a lot of them that I like…

S: But if you had to choose one…

C: A Fang Fighter! It has a great capacity to make turns that are impossible for other ships. You can see a picture here.

S: I see. That could be quite useful. How about your favorite air vehicle?

C: I like the TIE Striker. But maybe my favorite is the Fang Fighter. It is a space ship but it can also fly in air!

S: That totally makes sense Caramel. Okay, this has been a rather long review. So let us start wrapping it up. I know that you told me that reading this book made you feel peaceful. Can you explain why?

C: Because I like reading about star ships and thinking about other worlds and space and such.

S: That is cool Caramel. Thank you for sharing. So I think we can count peaceful as one of your three descriptive words for this book then.

C: I would add “colorful” and “shipful”!

S: That last one is not quite a word but I will not argue.

C: Please don’t.

S: Okay, so I have a feeling you will be reading and rereading this book for a while, no?

C: Yes!

S: So what do you want to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel loved reading Star Wars Encyclopedia of Starfighters and Other Vehicles, written by Landry Q. Walker, and plans to continue to read and reread the book several more times in the foreseeable future. — Caramel loved reading *Star Wars Encyclopedia of Starfighters and Other Vehicles*, written by Landry Q. Walker, and plans to continue to read and reread the book several more times in the foreseeable future.

Marshmallow reviews The Wayfaring Journeyman by Ingo Milton

Today Marshmallow reviews The Wayfaring Journeyman: Oskar’s Story from Apprentice to Master, a short graphic novel by Ingo Milton and published in 2015 by Den Gamle By.

Marshmallow reviews The Wayfaring Journeyman: Oskar's Story from Apprentice to Master by Ingo Milton. — Marshmallow reviews *The Wayfaring Journeyman: Oskar’s Story from Apprentice to Master* by Ingo Milton.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like historical fiction or if you enjoy graphic novels, then this might be the book for you.

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Born in 1827 and raised in Haderslev, Denmark, Oskar Larsen begins an apprenticeship in 1839. Apprenticeship is hard work: working under a master cabinet maker, he must endure physical hardship for five years as he toils and trains to become a journeyman. During this time, he must build a wide variety of items and work as a joiner (“a person who constructs the wooden components of a building, such as stairs, doors, and door and window frames”, according to Oxford Languages).

During the day, Oskar works and eats with his fellow apprentices and their master. The master has a wife and two daughters. After the death of the family cat, Oskar becomes close with Esther, one of the master’s daughters. Before he can finish his apprenticeship, he must build a test piece.

After his test piece is approved and he passes the hazing, Oskar becomes a journeyman. As a journeyman, he can work for other master craftsmen but cannot employ others to help him. He travels all around Europe looking for employment opportunities; he even goes to Constantinople, which is today Istanbul. Striving to build his own workshop, he must get approval from the Guild to get his Master’s Certificate.

Once he gets his Certificate, there are unexpected events and Oskar ends up getting married. Things get even more complicated.

Marshmallow is reading The Wayfaring Journeyman: Oskar's Story from Apprentice to Master by Ingo Milton. — Marshmallow is reading *The Wayfaring Journeyman: Oskar’s Story from Apprentice to Master* by Ingo Milton.

Marshmallow’s Review: I liked reading The Wayfaring Journeyman: Oskar’s Story from Apprentice to Master. In less than 50 pages, this graphic novel offers a unique perspective on life as an apprentice, a journeyman, and, eventually, a master craftsman in the 1800s. This book taught me a lot that I didn’t know before, especially about trade guilds and their traditions from a couple centuries ago.

Though the story was overall interesting and engaging, I felt the ending was a bit abrupt. The illustrations are vivid and colorful, and overall, the book is easy to read.

According to the text on page 45 of the book, “Oskar is a fictitious character, but the storyline is historically correct, and information refers to actual facts.” He narrates the story, and it is interesting to hear from someone who is supposed to have lived about two hundred years ago.

The Wayfaring Journeyman is mostly kid-appropriate, and I think that the story would appeal to many young bunnies. However, there is a dead body shown pretty early on. There is also some nudity at the end of the book and some bad words here and there, so parents may want to read the book first and decide for themselves.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 95%.

Marshmallow rates The Wayfaring Journeyman: Oskar's Story from Apprentice to Master by Ingo Milton 95%. — Marshmallow rates *The Wayfaring Journeyman: Oskar’s Story from Apprentice to Master* by Ingo Milton 95%.

Caramel reviews Best Nerds Forever by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein

A couple months ago, Annie Bunny, a friend of the book bunnies blog, recommended that the bunnies check out Best Nerds Forever by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein. They obliged. Each of the bunnies ended up reading the book over their summer break, and today Caramel is talking it over with Sprinkles.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, tell us about this book a bit. What is it about?

Caramel: The book is about a boy named Finn, who just dies at the very beginning.

S: So the book starts with the main character dying?

C: Yes. And he is also the narrator, so it is kind of weird to be reading a book from a ghost’s perspective.

S: Totally.

C: And it is sad. Finn is only twelve, finishing middle school, and he dies! It is not fair!

S: I can see how you would feel that way. I agree, it is always hard with young people dying. But Finn is pretty lively as a narrator, don’t you think?

C: Yes, he is actually quite funny. But he is dead, and his family and friends are very sad, so the book is very sad, too. And you know I don’t like sad books.

S: I do, but this is kind of like an adventure. Finn wants to figure out what happened to him, and why he died. And he meets a new friend in the afterlife, too. Right?

C: Yes, he meets another kid from his school who also apparently died that year. Her name is Isabella. So he is not alone or lonely. And he can do some strange and fun things, like go through walls or go through people. When he goes through people, they get chills, without understanding why. It is kind of funny actually.

Caramel is reading Best Nerds Forever by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein.

S: Before we started the post, you told me that the end is your favorite part of the book, because it is a happy ending of sorts. Can you say more?

C: Yes, I’d say it is a happy ending of sorts. It is probably the best ending that could happen because —

S: Okay, that is probably already good enough, we should not be giving too many spoilers…

C: I guess so. Okay. But the end is happy, so I can say that at least.

S: Yes, you sure can. What else would you like to say about the book? Can you give me three words to describe it?

C: I want to say confusing, because I did not really understand the end at first.

S: But then we talked about it, right?

C: Yes, and now I do understand it, and I like the end. My other word would be funny, of course.

S: I definitely agree.

C: And ghostly! Because you know, Finn and Isabella are ghosts!

S: That works for me! Okay, so why is the title “best nerds forever”?

C: Well I think it is because Finn and his friends are big nerds, you know, and they are best friends, so best friends forever, but nerdy, too.

S: Maybe the forever is also referring to him being a ghost now, starting his eternal life.

C: Maybe. People have BFFs, like best friends forever, so if you and your friend are both ghosts and will live forever, you can really be BFFs!

S: Right! All in all, we enjoyed reading this book, right?

C: Yep. I know Marshmallow enjoyed it too.

S: And it was fun to receive a recommendation from a reader bunny, right?

C: Yep. I always like to meet new bunnies! Hi Annie Bunny!

S: I agree. Thank you Annie Bunny!

C: Yes, thank you!

S: Okay, so time to wrap things up. What would you like to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading Best Nerds Forever by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein, especially the end!

Marshmallow reviews The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

As her first review for the new season, Marshmallow chose to talk about the first book of Jeanne DuPrau’s Books of Ember series: The City of Ember (2008). Sprinkles also read the book and enjoyed it so much that she is asking questions and taking notes.

Sprinkles: Welcome back Marshmallow!

Marshmallow: It is good to be back!

S: So let us dive right in. Please tell us a bit about this book.

M: This book is about a girl named Lina and a boy named Doon who live in a city named Ember, which is lit by artificial means. There are no suns, stars, or moons. The city has city lights which go off at night, and so it becomes completely dark.

S: At the end of the book, we learn why this is so, of course.

M: Right, but we are not giving away any spoilers today!

S: Sure. So tell me about the girl and the boy.

M: They are eleven, and the book starts right about the time they are finishing school and being assigned their jobs for life.

S: So they go to school only till they are eleven or so and then they are assigned a job for life. Do you like that idea?

M: Well, not particularly. Plus you don’t even get to choose your job. You can switch around in a year or so, but it is still kind of limiting. But these people do not know anything different. So maybe they do not feel it is a bad thing.

S: Makes sense to me.

M: Unfortunately schooling is so short and everyone gets trained on the job. They also do not know a lot. I mean, the city has a system that generates electricity that works the lights and so on, but they do not know or understand fire, electricity, or the inner workings of the generator. So when the generator begins to malfunction, they are at a loss.

S: Reminds me of the Star Trek Next Generation episode When the Bough Breaks.

M: It does have similarities actually! There too you have a society that does not understand how their planetary computer system is sustaining them, and then the system starts to fail. Though in The City of Ember, there are no computers.

S: Sure. So Lina and Doon try to figure out how to solve their city’s big problem, right?

M: Well, Lina kind of stumbles into it, but Doon has been thinking of trying to save his city for a while now. But yes, they are trying to figure out things.

S: I think that is a good overview of the plot Marshmallow.

Marshmallow is reading The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau. — Marshmallow is reading *The City of Ember* by Jeanne DuPrau.

S: So now tell me a bit about the characters. Did you find them compelling?

M: Yes. I thought the most compelling character is Lina, and she tries to make sure her baby sister is safe. Lina’s life and that of her sister is more precarious than some of the other folks in town, and she is very caring of the little baby. They have been orphans for a while, but now their grandmother who is taking care of them is also starting to have health problems.

S: Doon also does not seem to have a mother, right?

M: True, both of the main characters are coming from families where at least one parent is missing. But they are both self-reliant and also want to help all the others.

S: Still they make some mistakes…

M: Yes, but unlike in all the Harry Potter books where Harry and Ron and Hermione make all kinds of mistakes, these two feel remorse that they did not consult with or confide in the caring adults in their lives. So in some sense, Lina and Doon are a lot more responsible.

S: I can see that. So overall, did you enjoy reading this book?

M: Yep.

S: I liked it too. I read it in one sitting.

M: And I want to read the next book in the series. Though it will likely be quite different.

S: For reasons we cannot quite divulge, of course.

M: Of course.

S: So let us wrap up this review then. How would you rate the book Marshmallow?

M: I’d rate it 100%.

S: Sounds fair to me. What do you want to tell our readers?

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

Marshmallow rates The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau 100%. — Marshmallow rates *The City of Ember* by Jeanne DuPrau 100%.