BookBunnies

Marshmallow reviews Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan

Marshmallow has read and reviewed a large number of books by Rick Riordan already. Most recently she began reading the Magnus Chase series. Today she shares her thoughts on the first book of this series: The Sword of Summer.

(Marshmallow reviewed three books from Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series; check out her reviews of The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, and The Titan’s Curse. Caramel reviewed the graphic novel versions of the same three. See his reviews of The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, and The Titan’s Curse.

Marshmallow also reviewed all five books of Riordan’s Heroes of Olympus series: The Lost Hero, The Son of Neptune, The Mark of Athena, The House of Hades, and The Blood of Olympus.

She also reviewed all five books of the Trials of Apollo series: The Hidden Oracle, The Dark Prophecy, The Burning Maze, The Tyrant’s Tomb, and The Tower of Nero.

You might also like to check out Marshmallow’s reviews of Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods, Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes, and The Demigod Diaries.)

Marshmallow reviews Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan. — Marshmallow reviews *Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer* by Rick Riordan.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like reading about mythology and/or have enjoyed some of Rick Riordan’s previous books, then this might be the book for you.

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Magnus Chase (the cousin of Annabeth Chase, one of my favorite characters from Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series) finally goes to his uncle Randolph’s house. His whole life his mother told him not to. She tried to distance herself from Randolph.

The book starts two years after the death of Magnus Chase’s mother. Magnus has been living on the streets because he doesn’t want to go to his uncle. But then he sees his other uncle and his cousin Annabeth looking for him. They were sent by Randolph to look for Magnus. Magnus breaks into Randolph’s house to find the reason why. He meets Randolph, and this uncle his mother told him to avoid at all costs tells him remarkable things.

According to Randolph, the Norse gods are real, and Magnus is descended from one of them. (Sound familiar? Yes, so in the vein of the previous Riordan series, we are again thinking of ancient myths; this time, though, the mythology we are diving into is the Norse one.)

Marshmallow is reading Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan. — Marshmallow is reading *Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer* by Rick Riordan.

Randolph drives Magnus to Longfellow Bridge and tells him that he needs to retrieve a sword from the bottom of the bay, a sword that belonged to Magnus’s father. Magnus retrieves the sword, and just in time. A fire giant appears on the bridge and starts to destroy it. Magnus attacks the giant, whose name is Surt, and is mortally wounded. Big spoiler alert! Magnus dies, though he takes Surt down with him.

Magnus wakes up in a hotel: Hotel Valhalla. He learns that this is the place where the einherjar, the chosen warriors of Odin, wait for Ragnarök, the final battle in which the gods will die and all nine of the Norse worlds will end. Magnus is brought to the hotel by Samirah Al-Abbas, better known as Sam. Sam is a Valkyrie whose job is to bring the honorable dead to Valhalla.

However, Magnus cannot stay in Valhalla for long. His two friends, Blitzen and Hearthstone, who lived on the street with him appear and tell him that they are actually a dwarf and an elf, respectively. They convince him to leave Hotel Valhalla and they set out. Magnus and his friends must retrieve the sword he had found in the harbor. When he plummeted from the bridge with Surt, he had lost the sword.

When the trio retrieve the sword, they find out that there is a much larger problem going on. But I can’t tell what it is, you have to read the book!

Marshmallow’s Review: The Sword of Summer is a great book. It has the same humor and magic as Riordan’s other books. I thought that all of the characters are likable and maybe relatable at some level, though their lives are so different from the general population’s.

I thought the plot was well written. Also I found this book to be a great entry point into the nine worlds of Norse mythology. I had not read much about Norse mythology before so the whole context was new and it was quite exciting to learn.

I admit that I hesitated a while before diving into the Magnus Chase series. I have really loved the stories of the Greek demigods in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series and the Roman demigods in the Heroes of Olympus series. I was not ready to let them go and dive into a new world and get immersed in the adventures of a totally new set of characters. I was skeptical that I could enjoy them as much. But The Sword of Summer was just as exciting and just as captivating as the other Riordan books, and I can’t wait to read and tell you about the rest of the books in the series.

I recommend this book highly to younger readers and older ones alike. I know for example that Sprinkles will love it.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 100%.

Marshmallow rates Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan 100%. — Marshmallow rates *Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer* by Rick Riordan 100%.

Caramel reviews The Brightest Night (Book Five of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland and Mike Holmes

Caramel reviews the graphic novel version of The Brightest Night (Book Five of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland (with art work by Mike Holmes).

Caramel has already reviewed the graphic novel versions of the first four books of Tui Sutherland’s Wings of Fire series; below he shares his thoughts on the fifth book in the series, published recently as a graphic novel: The Brightest Night. As in the first four graphic novelizations, this book is adapted by Barry Deutsch and Rachel Swirsky, art work is by Mike Holmes, color is by Maarta Laiho.

In the following Sprinkles is taking notes and is asking questions.

You might like to check out Caramel’s reviews of The Dragonet Prophecy, The Lost Heir, The Hidden Kingdom, and The Dark Secret before moving forward.

Caramel reviews The Brightest Night (the graphic novel version of Book Five of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland and Mike Holmes. — Caramel reviews *The Brightest Night* (the graphic novel version of Book Five of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland and Mike Holmes.

Sprinkles: Okay, Caramel. You finally got your paws on the fifth graphic novel based on the Wings of Fire series.

Caramel: Yup. I had told you I was waiting for it for a while when we were talking about the original version of the Dragonet Prophecy.

S: So was it all that you hoped for?

C: Yup. This is the fifth and last book of the prophecy series. So that was cool! Sunny found her mom and dad, and a lot of things are now clear.

S: Tell me about that. So does the prophecy story tie up well?

C: Yes. All the dragonets are well and things are all tied up well. They even set up a school at Jade Mountain.

S: So the five books tell a good story all together, right?

C: Yes.

S: Now that you read all five as graphic novels, will you go back and read the original five as well?

C: I am more curious about the sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth books!

S: Hmm, maybe you should read the original books before we dive into the full series?

C: It is so hard to wait though…

S: Okay, we can talk about that later. For now, tell me if the author leaves any doors open for the following books.

C: Yes. I think the next five books are about Jade Mountain.

S: Hmm, I see. Wikipedia tells us that the second story arc is called the Jade Mountain Prophecy.

C: Yes, I want to read those too!

Caramel is reading The Brightest Night (the graphic novel version of Book Five of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland and Mike Holmes. — Caramel is reading *The Brightest Night* (the graphic novel version of Book Five of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland and Mike Holmes.

S: Okay, so then we an conclude that you liked this fifth book.

C: Yes.

S: So what three words would you use to describe it?

C: Colorful, exciting, and NightWings. Those are all over the place in this book.

S: Okay, I guess we can accept that. So who is your favorite character in the book?

C: Well, I like all of them. Thorn, Sunny, Clay, Tsunami, Glory, and Peril. All the main dragons. And Starflight. He is also a main character, and I like him too.

S: Hmm, so that is not being too selective.

C: Well, I do like all of them. They are all so interesting!

S: Okay, then. I guess we will let that be. And probably this is a good place to wrap things up. What do you want to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading The Brightest Night (the graphic novel version of Book Five of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland and Mike Holmes. He might now need to go back to the original books to satisfy his curiosity about what is next. — Caramel enjoyed reading *The Brightest Night* (the graphic novel version of Book Five of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland and Mike Holmes. He might now need to go back to the original books to satisfy his curiosity about what is next.

Marshmallow reviews Sheets by Brenna Thummler

Today Marshmallow reviews the 2018 graphic novel Sheets by Brenna Thummler.

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

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Marjorie Glatt has a lot of problems in her life. She has to run her deceased mother’s laundromat to support her brother and father, she has to deal with mean kids at school, and she has to battle Mr. Saubertuck, a rude man who is trying to take Marj’s laundromat and convert it into his yoga spa. Mr. Saubertuck sabotages her laundromat, making her lose her customers and their trust. And school isn’t much better. She doesn’t have any friends and one girl in particular, Tessi, is very mean to her.

However, her life is about to change when Wendell arrives. Wendell is a ghost who escaped from the land of the dead. For Wendell, the laundromat is a playground compared to the dreary Land of the Dead. However, Wendell gets a little carried away and starts to hurt Marj’s business. He makes a blanket fort with the sheets Marj just washed for her customers. They get dirty again and it makes Marj look both bad and like a liar when she tells her customers that it was the wind. At this point , Marj doesn’t know anything about ghosts, but she gets suspicious when Tessi’s dress for a recital gets dyed red. We learn that Mr. Saubertuck put red dye into the detergent to ruin Marj’s business. When Wendell tried to dispose of the dye, he spilled it accidentally on Tessi’s dress. Marj, understandably, gets upset at him.

Will Mr. Saubertuck drive Marj out of her mother’s business? And will Wendell and Marj ever be able to become friends? You need to read to find out!

Marshmallow is reading Sheets by Brenna Thummler. — Marshmallow is reading *Sheets* by Brenna Thummler.

Marshmallow’s Review: I think that Sheets is a very interesting book. The author Brenna Thummler has created a very unique book and it was definitely a fun read. I liked how the author created two very interesting worlds; both the Land of the Dead and the real world were both realistic but had a touch of fantasy and fiction.

Sheets is a graphic novel which made it very easy to read and also showed me what the characters and their world look like. I think that the author’s portrayal of Mr. Saubertuck made him a very dislikeable character. He is self-centered and presumptuous. I felt really sympathetic toward Marj when he kept saying stuff like, “I won’t be paying you. Your family will have a room in my extravagant five-star spa and yoga resort, remember?” (Keep in mind, his “extravagant five-star spa and yoga resort” hasn’t even been established yet.)

I felt really sad for Wendell because he is a small child who, we learn, died at the young age of eleven. He is immature, playful, and not ready to face death. He makes up stories about how he died which he tells to the other ghosts in the Land of the Dead. We don’t learn how he really died until Marj looks it up on the Internet. I felt sad that Wendell died, especially after we learned that Marj had met him before when she was lost in a corn maze.

There is another book from this author, Brenna Thummler, called Delicates, published in 2021, which explores the friendship of Marj and Wendell further. I haven’t read it yet; I just finished Sheets this week! However, I would enjoy the chance to read about Marj and Wendell once more.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 95%.

Marshmallow enjoyed reading Sheets by Brenna Thummler and rates it 95%. — Marshmallow enjoyed reading *Sheets* by Brenna Thummler and rates it 95%.

Caramel reviews InvestiGATORS by John Patrick Green

Today Caramel talks about InvestiGATORS, written and illustrated by John Patrick Green. As usual Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, it seems that you found yourself a new graphic novel!

Caramel: Yep.

S: So tell me a bit about it.

C: It is about two alligators named Mango and Brash who investigate crimes. They are a part of S.U.I.T. which stands for Special Undercover Investigation Teams.

S: Wait, what kinds of crimes can two alligators investigate?

C: All types of crimes. For example, they solve a crime about a break-in at a science factory.

S: What is a science factory? Do you mean a science lab?

C: Yes, I think that is what it is practically, but it is called a science factory in the book.

S: So are the other creatures in the book also alligators?

C: No, there are some humans, and there is a were-copter. That is a human who turns into a news helicopter sometimes.

S: Okay, that is the wackiest thing I heard today.

C: Yes, the book is pretty wacky. I’m good with talking alligators, because, after all, we are talking bunnies. But there is a flying thing called a Sea Orb which is a flying eyeball. It is all pretty weird.

S: But is it good weird?

C: Yes. it is very good. It is very funny.

Caramel is reading InvestiGATORS by John Patrick Green. — Caramel is reading *InvestiGATORS* by John Patrick Green.

S: So then “funny” would be one of the three words you would use to describe this book. Right?

C: Yes. Well actually, I should have said “hilarious”. And my other words would be “colorful” and “exciting”.

S: So the crimes they solve are interesting and the book keeps you on your toes as you pursue the criminals with the two investigator alligators, right?

C: Yes, exactly. Maybe you should read it too, Sprinkles.

S: You know I am not very good with graphic novels, the writing is often too small for me.

C: Oh, but the writing in this one is actually a bit bigger. So maybe you could read this!

S: Hmm, that could work I suppose. And you really seem like you enjoyed it.

C: Yes, I think all little bunnies would like it.

S: Well, that is a strong endorsement! So did you know that there are a few other books the same author wrote (and illustrated) that involve these two investigator alligators?

C: At the end of the book they tell us. But I did not know before I started reading this. And I think this is the very first one in the series.

S: Does it end in a cliffhanger?

C: Kind of. There is a criminal they have not been able to catch yet, he is a cracker, a saltine to be precise.

S: Wait, I am confused. The cracker is a criminal?

C: He was not always a criminal, and he was not always an evil cracker. He was originally a crocodile and was actually working for S.U.I.T. before. Remember that is the agency that Mango and Brash are working for. But then he fell into a vat of radioactive cracker dough and became one with the dough. So he became a cracker that way.

S: Okay, that is pretty weird.

C: Yes, I know. But anyways, so that criminal is out on the loose and probably they will see him in the other books.

S: That truly sounds like an open thread left there for future books, you are right. So maybe you will indeed read some of the other books. We will see.

C: Yes. We will see. But we should also share with our readers the trailer we saw of the book!

S: Sounds good. Here we go:

InvestiGATORS trailer on YouTube.

C: That is hilarious! And I love it!

S: I agree. It is really funny in a sweet, goofy way! So this is a good time to wrap up this review then. What would you like to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunnies reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading InvestiGATORS by John Patrick Green and recommends it to all other little bunnies. — Caramel enjoyed reading *InvestiGATORS* by John Patrick Green and recommends it to all other little bunnies.