BookBunnies

Caramel reviews Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey

Caramel has recently been obsessed with the Bad Guys series of Aaron Blabey, and wanted his first review of the year to be a review of the first book: Bad Guys. As always Sprinkles is taking notes and asking followup questions.

Sprinkles: Caramel, I’ve seen you really enjoying reading these Bad Guys books lately. Can you tell us a bit what they are about?

Caramel: They are about bad guys, bad animals who want to be good. Actually, only the wolf wants to be good, but the rest are not that interested.

S: So let me see. There is a wolf, and he is always the bad guy in fairy tales and such, and he wants to change his image. And the other animals… who are the other bad guys?

C: There is a shark, there is a piranha, and some people think he is a sardine, even a vampire sardine!

S: Well, the piranha does have sharp teeth!

C: Yeah! And it doesn’t really look like a sardine. Anyways, there is also a snake.

S: Hm, so these four are often seen as villains in stories. and they want to change that, right?

C: Yep. Well, not all of them, only the wolf wants to in the beginning, but then all of them kind of like the idea. Here is a video which explains the story:

Here is a video summary of Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey.

S: I agree that this is an interesting premise for a book. The bad guys want to be good, but the world is not yet quite ready for them.

C: Yes. So they try to save a cat stuck on a tree. They try to tell the cat to jump down and they will catch it. But the cat is scared of them. And so when the wolf tries to catch the cat, the cat scratches him real badly.

Caramel is looking at the page of Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey, where the not-so-bad bad guys are trying to save a kitty. — Caramel is looking at the page of *Bad Guys* by Aaron Blabey, where the not-so-bad bad guys are trying to save a kitty.

S: That is kind of sad though, no? They are trying to do something good but nobody expects good things from them. Everyone is afraid of them. Isn’t that sad?

C: Yes.

S: It is difficult to change people’s opinions once they make their minds up about us. So that could be one message of the book. What could be another?

C: I don’t know.

S: Hmm. I was thinking that there is also a more optimistic message. That even if people think you are a bad guy, you could always try to be good.

C: Yes, I agree. You can always try to be good.

S: But I think these messages are not quite the main reason why you enjoyed this book. Tell me what you liked most.

C: It’s extremely funny! The pictures are funny, and the bad guys get into funny situations.

S: So would you recommend this book to other young bunnies like yourself?

C: Yep! And I want to read all the other books in this series!

S: I see a few more reviews of bad guys in our future…

C: YES! But for now, stay tuned for more book bunny adventures!

Caramel has enjoyed reading Aaron Blabey's Bad Guys so much that he now wants to read all the other books in the series. — Caramel has enjoyed reading Aaron Blabey’s *Bad Guys* so much that he now wants to read all the other books in the series.

Marshmallow reviews Belly Up by Stuart Gibbs

After a one-month break, the book bunnies have a lot of books to write about! Marshmallow starts 2020 off with her thoughts on Belly Up, the first novel in Stuart Gibbs’ Teddy Fitzroy / FunJungle series.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like mysteries, then this might be the book for you.

Marshmallow’s Summary (with spoilers): Teddy Fitzroy lives in the largest zoo in the world, FunJungle, where you could watch sharks in Shark Odyssey, experience what being on a Safari is like, or see what most of the visitors come for: Henry Hippo, the most celebrated hippo in the world. That is, until he dies.

The vet of FunJungle figures out that Henry was actually murdered. Teddy sneaks into the autopsy and learns that Henry might have died from peritonitis, a disease that makes holes in the stomach, but the vet, Doc, says that there were too many holes for it to be natural. The people who run FunJungle cover it up and say that Henry Hippo died of natural causes. Teddy realizes that no one is doing anything and that he has to solve the mystery himself.

“As Teddy searches through all the clues and asks too many questions, it becomes clear that he too might end up belly up.”

Marshmallow is reading Belly Up by Stuart Gibbs. — Marshmallow is reading *Belly Up* by Stuart Gibbs.

Marshmallow’s Review: This book is a great book! You will not be able to put it down once you start reading.

The story is so mysterious that you cannot figure out who killed Henry even if you are Sherlock Holmes. The book supplies you with so many suspects that you cannot guess who did it. Unlike many mystery books, Belly Up supplies you with many suspicious characters. The real murderer turns out to be someone who you would never suspect even though the clues were all there under your nose (but they were all just things that seemed unimportant).

This is one of the best mystery books that I have read and I expect that I will reread it over and over again.

I have to admit that Belly Up is slightly confusing and requires holding onto clues that add up to the solution, so it is probably great for ages 8-15. it might confuse readers under 7. There are some curse words but not any very serious ones and there are only a few in a 286-page book.

Marshmallow thinks that Belly Up by Stuart Gibbs is one of the best mystery books that she has ever read. — Marshmallow thinks that *Belly Up* by Stuart Gibbs is one of the best mystery books that she has ever read.

Stuart Gibbs creates great characters, and his characters show us what other peoples’ lives are like. For example, Summer McCracken, the daughter of the billionaire J.J. McCracken, lives a luxurious but caged existence.

I think that this is a book that can also be enjoyed by adults, too, (and I am trying to get Sprinkles to read it soon!) but I believe it is better for children. Belly Up has humor, animal facts that Teddy uses to solve the mystery, adventure, and mystery.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 100%.

Marshmallow rates Belly Up by Stuart Gibbs 100%. — Marshmallow rates *Belly Up* by Stuart Gibbs 100%.

Marshmallow reviews The Confidence Code for Girls by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman

Marshmallow has recently finished reading The Confidence Code for Girls, by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman. Soon after, Sprinkles read The Confidence Code by the same authors. Below Marshmallow shares her thoughts on the former, while Sprinkles asks questions, takes notes, and occasionally adds some thoughts inspired by her reading of the latter.

This is our last review for 2019 and for a few weeks after. The book bunnies wish everyone a happy new year. We will be back with more reviews in February 2020.

Marshmallow reviews The Confidence Code for Girls by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman. — Marshmallow reviews *The Confidence Code for Girls* by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman.

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

Marshmallow: This is a good book that inspires girls to be confident about themselves.

S: How does it do that?

M: It inspires girls to be confident by making an easy “Confidence Code”, a three-step code that is the key to believing in yourself.

S: So, what are the three steps?

M: You need to read the book!

S: Well, I read the adult version. As far as I recall, the three main recommendations are: Think less, act more, and make mistakes.

M: You can’t give away everything!

S: I’m not really giving everything away though. Everyone says you need to make mistakes. Everyone says you should not worry too much about what others think. But I thought this book explained really clearly why these are all very good advice. But also, the book doesn’t really feel like an advice book, right?

M: No, it doesn’t. It has quizzes and stories and comic strips.

S: That is the one for girls. The grownup one doesn’t have the quizzes and the comics, but actually it too has a lot of stories. Some of them are about the two authors themselves as they try to figure out the confidence code.

Marshmallow is reading The Confidence Code for Girls by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman. — Marshmallow is reading *The Confidence Code for Girls* by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman.

S: Oh wait, I think I actually misspoke. In the notes for the grownup book, there are a few quizzes for readers if they want to figure out where they rank in terms of a few characteristics. Did you do any of the quizzes?

M: Yes, I did some of them. One of them was about how addicted you are to your phone if you have one. And when you took the test, it said you were addicted.

S: Yes, but not extremely. Still it is true that I do check my phone a bit too obsessively. Ok, tell us about the stories.

M: Some of the stories are true stories about girls who see a problem in the world and work to fix it. Others are fictional. Some are scenarios that ask the reader to make decisions in difficult situations. For example, say your friend is bragging that they won a competition in technology and it is getting on your nerves. They start to hang out with other kids who are into tech, and they ignore you. What do you do?

S: So, what would you do?

M: There were multiple choices. Like confront your friend, or act like nothing has changed.

S: So, what would you do?

M: Out of the given options, I’d choose to confront my friend.

Both Marshmallow and Sprinkles enjoyed reading their respective books on the Confidence Code, written by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman, and learned a lot.

S: So how is this related to confidence?

M: The right answer is almost always to be comfortable with who you are and do something about a problem, rather than ignore it or keep worrying about it without doing anything.

S: Yes, I remember the “no ruminating” rule from the adult book! I even have adopted “noru” as a codeword to remind myself to stop ruminating. So, would you recommend this book to your friends? And other young bunnies like yourself?

M: Yes, especially for girl bunnies ten years and older. This is not really a book for boys.

S: Well, the adult book is also directed toward women. This makes sense. Ok, let us wrap this review up with your rating.

M: I rate this book 100%.

Marshmallow rates The Confidence Code for Girls by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman 100%. — Marshmallow rates *The Confidence Code for Girls* by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman 100%.

Caramel reviews Penguin Pete by Marcus Pfister

Today Caramel wanted to share with the Book Bunnies Blog readers an old favorite: Penguin Pete by Marcus Pfister. As always, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking followup questions.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, tell us about this book.

Caramel: This is a good book if you like penguins and if you want to fly.

S: Hmm, that sounds kind of strange. What do you mean?

C: Well, it is about a little penguin named Penguin Pete, who wants to fly.

S: But we know penguins cannot fly. So Pete is bound for disappointment.

C: Yes. But then he learns to swim and that is fun, too. So he is not disappointed anymore.

S: That is sweet.

C: Yes, this is a really good book. If I was Marshmallow, I’d rate it 100%.

S: Hmm, what do you like about it?

C: I like that he wants to fly but he never gets to.

S: That sounds sad though.

C: Yes.

Caramel is looking at the page where Penguin Pete is trying to fly, in Penguin Pete by Marcus Pfister. — Caramel is looking at the page where Penguin Pete is trying to fly, in *Penguin Pete* by Marcus Pfister.

S: I didn’t know you liked sad stories.

C: Well, I don’t, but it’s not sad in the end. He does get happy. And he is funny, too. He is ice skating. With his bare feet! Oh, I think it is actually called “flipper skating”.

S: Yes, Penguin Pete is cute.

C: Oh, and then Pete makes a friend, a little bird. But then the little friend has to leave.

S: Well, that sounds sad, too. Penguin Pete is even crying on that page.

C: Yes, but I still like the book. And his bird friend will come back next year.

S: Why did you pick this book for today?

C: I like penguins. All our family likes them. Right?

S: I think that is true. Between the two of you, you have already reviewed so many books about penguins! What else do you want to tell us about this book? What do you think this book is really about?

C: I think it is about friendship. And stubbornness.

S: How so?

C: Because Penguin Pete doesn’t give up trying to fly until he finds out that penguins can’t really fly.

S: So is his stubbornness useless then?

C: Yes, I guess so. Or maybe not. Because being stubborn is how he learns how to swim. And how he becomes friends with Steve the bird.

S: I know you like reading about friendships. You have already reviewed The Missing Piece Meets the Big O by Shel Silverstein, Penguin and Pinecone: A Friendship Story by Salina Yoon, and Stick and Stone by Beth Ferry and Tom Lichtenheld. How do you think this book compares with those other ones? Do you have a favorite among these?

C: No. I like them all.

S: I agree. They are all very sweet stories. Each in its own special way. I guess this is a good enough time to wrap things up.

C: OK.

S: So what do you want to say Caramel?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunnies adventures!

Caramel enjoys reading and rereading Penguin Pete by Marcus Pfister. — Caramel enjoys reading and rereading *Penguin Pete* by Marcus Pfister.