BookBunnies

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.

Marshmallow reviews Soof by Sarah Weeks

A few months ago Marshmallow reviewed Save Me A Seat, a 2016 novel by Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan. Today she wanted to talk about Soof, a 2018 book by Sarah Weeks that she has read recently. As this was an exceptionally busy week for Marshmallow, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: So Marshmallow, tell me a bit about this book.

Marshmallow: Soof is about a girl named Aurora. Aurora has grown up hearing about this girl named Heidi, who brought Aurora’s family a lot of good luck. Heidi was apparently the main character of another book Sarah Weeks wrote, and in Soof, Heidi is now a grownup and is pregnant. She’s going to come to visit Aurora’s parents, and so Aurora is feeling a bit weird about it all. She is excited to meet this Heidi. but she is also a bit jealous of how much her mom likes her. I think this is totally understandable, because her mom and her dad keep telling her about Heidi and how she seemed to bring good luck to the people around her. And Aurora, she doesn’t feel lucky at all. Especially when her house burns down and she loses her dog.

S: Hmm, that is quite a setup for a story. I did not know this book was a sequel. Did you read that other book?

M: No. But it does not seem necessary to have read that first book. (I think its name is So B. It.) I thought the story stood on its own.

S: Hmm, sometimes authors like a character in a story and then bring them back to life in different ways in other books. Maybe that was what happened here too. A girl who brings good luck would be a good plot device I’d say.

M: Well, I don’t want to say she brings good luck, and I don’t think it is magic or anything. It’s just that she is extremely lucky. But anyways, the story is mainly about Aurora and her life.

S: And Aurora is not very lucky and she is curious to meet Heidi but also slightly jealous. Okay, I think I get it. So now you have to tell me, what is the meaning of the word in the title?

M: Soof apparently means love. One of the main plot lines is for Aurora to learn what soof really means.

Marshmallow is reading Soof by Sarah Weeks. — Marshmallow is reading *Soof* by Sarah Weeks.

S: Looking it up online there seems to be some explanation of that in the first book too, so maybe it was good you had not read that one.

M: Yes, I actually found it interesting to meet Heidi from Aurora’s perspective. I’m intrigued by the other story too. Apparently they made a movie about it. Shall we put in the trailer here?

S: Sure.

Trailer for the 2017 movie So B. It, from YouTube.

M: I think we should tell our readers that there is a movie named Soof too but it is not the same Soof.

S: Yes, I think that is a good idea. Okay, let us get back to the book. Did you like the book?

M: Yes. I liked the characters, I thought they were very realistic. I too would be kind of jealous if my mom kept talking about this other person Heidi who was so awesome.

S: Okay, I will keep that in mind. So was the book also funny?

M: Not really. I think it was more emotional than funny. But I did like it.

S: You have read and reviewed Save Me A Seat, which the author of Soof cowrote with someone else. Do you see any similarities between the two books?

M: I think they are quite different. I think the author was able to create a totally different story with totally different characters.

S: That is a good thing! They are both aimed towards middle grade readers. but other than that, the author is versatile enough to create totally independent stories. That is neat.

M: Yes. I think she actually has several other books besides these two. Her website is an interesting place to visit.

S: What would you like to ask her if you could?

M: I’d ask her where she got the ideas for all of Aurora’s quirks. She likes tapping her nose and things like that. I think it is interesting.

S: That’s a good question Marshmallow. And it is clear you enjoyed reading this book. I’m assuming you’d recommend it to other readers?

M: Certainly. I rate it 95%, only because Aurora feels so different from me, so I have some difficulty completely understanding her.

S: Well that’s fair. After all you are a little bunny and she is …

M: Yes. That must be it.

S: Okay, so let us wrap up this review then. What would you like to tell our readers?

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

Marshmallow loved reading Soof by Sarah Weeks and rated it 95%. — Marshmallow loved reading *Soof* by Sarah Weeks and rated it 95%.