Caramel’s reviews – BookBunnies

Caramel reviews Guapo and the Mystery of Goodness Grove by Janet Zappala

A few weeks ago Caramel reviewed Guapo’s Giant Heart: The True Story of The Calf Who Kept Growing, a book by Janet Zappala and Wendy Perkins, about a rescue calf who grows too big for his first rescue farm and then is moved to another place and finds new friends. Then he reviewed Guapo’s Great Rescue: Clay Finds a Forever Home, a second story about Guapo and his friends in this new home of theirs. Today he is reviewing a third book about Guapo: Guapo and the Mystery of Goodness, which just came out yesterday! As usual Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

The book bunnies were sent a review copy of the book.

Caramel reviews Guapo and the Mystery of Goodness Grove written by Janet Zappala and illustrated by Lara Calleja. — Caramel reviews *Guapo and the Mystery of Goodness Grove* written by Janet Zappala and illustrated by Lara Calleja.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, today we have a story about Guapo again.

Caramel: Yes we are! This one is about Guapo and his friends finding a magical tree.

S: Tell me more.

C: So yes, there is this grove, a collection of trees near where Guapo and his friends are living. And there is a sad tree in the grove which is not doing too well. Guapo wants to help of course, because you know he likes to help. But he does not know how to help.

S: Okay. Is the tree sick?

C: I’m not really sure. It is not ever made clear. But at some point Guapo and his friends realize that if someone does something nice to someone else near it, the tree gets happier and looks a lot healthier.

S: So it likes people being good to one another.

C: Yes. So they call it the Tree of Kindness. They think it is encouraging them to be kind to one another.

S: That is nice!

C: Yeah so they treat each other well and so the tree is happy. And they play and play. And then something else magical happens.

S: Okay, I am curious, tell me.

C: Well, maybe not. Because that is almost the end of the book and it could count as a spoiler. But in any case it is not totally resolved. So maybe there will be more Guapo books.

S: Hmm, okay, I can understand not wanting to give spoilers. But what you are saying is that there is kind of a cliffhanger at the end of the book.

C: Yeah. Kind of.

S: That is not that typical of picture books that we have read before.

C: True. But I think the book works on its own too. So that is alright.

Caramel is reading Guapo and the Mystery of Goodness Grove written by Janet Zappala and illustrated by Lara Calleja. — Caramel is reading *Guapo and the Mystery of Goodness Grove* written by Janet Zappala and illustrated by Lara Calleja.

S: Okay, so maybe we can talk about other things about the book then.

C: Yup, let’s do that.

S: From what you are telling me, this book does not really connect with Guapo and his friends living in a rescue farm, does it?

C: Well, kind of. There are children who visit the farm at some point. And there are many different animals at this farm, a lot of them one of their kind. So it is not quite a typical farm. But you are also right. This story did not need its main characters to be rescue animals.

S: That’s alright though, right? Because we are reading about some friends we have met before. We know their backstories, and now they are experiencing new things. So it is fun to read about them.

C: Yes. And this story is a lot more fantastical than the first two books about Guapo and his friends. The tree is magical and then there is the big magic that happens at the end, which I am not talking about. So it almost feels like a different kind of story.

S: Yes, I can see that. That’s an interesting thought, Caramel.

C: Yes. I am an interesting bunny with many interesting thoughts.

S: I know! Thank you for sharing your thoughts about this book!

C: No problem.

S: Okay, so maybe this is a good place to wrap up our review.

C: Sure.

S: What do you want to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading Guapo and the Mystery of Goodness Grove, written by Janet Zappala and illustrated by Lara Calleja, and recommends it to other little bunnies looking for cute stories about other animals. — Caramel enjoyed reading *Guapo and the Mystery of Goodness Grove*, written by Janet Zappala and illustrated by Lara Calleja, and recommends it to other little bunnies looking for cute stories about other animals.

Caramel reviews The Dungeon Anarchist’s Handbook by Matt Dinniman

Caramel has already read and reviewed Dungeon Crawler Carl and Carl’s Doomsday Scenario, the first two books of Matt Dinniman’s Dungeon Crawler Carl series. Today he is talking about the third book in the series: The Dungeon Anarchist’s Handbook, originally self-published by the author in 2021 and then more traditionally published by a standard publisher in 2024. As usual Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, I think that today we have another Dungeon Crawler Carl book to discuss.

Caramel: Yup. This is titled The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook and is the third book in the series.

S: Hmm, that is an interesting title. Tell me more.

C: It is not actually about an anarchist, but Carl actually gets a book called The Anarchist’s Cookbook, and this third book is about that, and what he does with it.

S: Okay, so let us go over the storyline a bit. I remember the main premise: Carl is living on Earth, which has been taken over by some aliens who have destroyed most life on the planet, and some remaining humans are forced to participate in a multi-level dungeon crawling game to entertain alien spectators.

C: Right. And in the first two books Carl and his companion Princess Donut have successfully finished the first three levels. This book is about their adventures in the fourth level.

S: Okay, so let us get back to the cookbook. It must be important somehow.

C: Yep, it is important. And it is not really a cookbook. Or rather it is a cookbook but Carl can detect that it is also kind of like a notebook from hundreds of previous crawlers who have obtained different variations of this book. It contains notes from those people, so it is basically a culmination of exploits and other rules the previous crawlers have found loopholes in.

S: Oh, that is neat! So he and Donut will have an easier way through the mazes of Level Four.

C: Yes. But of course it is never that easy. All sorts of other things happen and there are lots of troubles and lots of dangers and enemies… But I won’t go into too much more detail. It is more fun for people to read the book on their own.

S: Okay Caramel. You are right. Maybe this is enough of a teaser to give our readers, so maybe we can talk about other things about the book.

C: Sure.

Caramel is reading The Dungeon Anarchist's Handbook by Matt Dinniman. — Caramel is reading *The Dungeon Anarchist’s Handbook* by Matt Dinniman.

S: For example, this is a really big book!

C: Yeah, it’s 530-ish pages or something like that.

S: That is a lot. The first two books were not small, either, but this is getting really thick. How long did it take you to read it?

C: Not sure. I read it at home and at school during reading time. Maybe a few days?

S: And I don’t think the other books will be much shorter.

C: I guess. But the books are not really hard to read for me. The story is interesting enough so I want to read ahead. Also the story is told through Carl’s voice and Carl is a really neat character. He is funny!

S: I understand. I mean I don’t think you would want to read such a big book for fun if the book were not engaging.

C: Yup. That’s exactly right.

S: Sounds good. On another note, a friend of the blog told us that this volume is where things get a bit more sensitive, or in some ways emotionally difficult. They thought that this volume especially might be rough on a young reader. Was that your experience too?

C: Not really. Maybe I am a little desensitized from watching The Lord of the Rings trilogy so many times. And the world of the books is quite cruel to start with, so I kind of expect terrible things to keep happening. But yeah, some more deaths happen in this book and may involve characters we might have started liking. So in that sense this third book is a bit harder on the reader’s emotions.

S: I see. But you had already told me when we were talking about the first book that you did not think this series was very appropriate for very young bunnies. I suppose that kind of covers this too.

C: Yep. But if a bunny enjoys reading about Dungeons and Dragons or other types of role-playing game worlds, and they have already read some books where bad things keep happening and the main characters have to go through really tough things to survive, then I think they would enjoy this book, and not with much discomfort.

S: Thanks Caramel, that makes sense to me. So maybe we should wrap up this book. Are you ready to dive into Book Four?

C: Yes, I need to read it soon!

S: Alright, we will make it so. What do you want to tell our readers as we wrap things up?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading The Dungeon Anarchist's Handbook by Matt Dinniman and is ready for Book Four! — Caramel enjoyed reading *The Dungeon Anarchist’s Handbook* by Matt Dinniman and is ready for Book Four!

Caramel reviews Aggie and the Ghost by Matthew Forsythe

Today to honor this last week of October and therefore the week of Halloween, Caramel chose to review a book about a ghost and a girl who tried hard to get rid of him: Aggie and the Ghost by Matthew Forsythe, published originally in 2025. As usual Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, today we are talking about a book with ghosts because it is almost Halloween.

Caramel: Correction: One ghost! I mean at some point there are others, but the book is really about one ghost.

S: True. Okay, let us begin at the beginning. Tell us a bit about the book.

C: So this book is about a girl named Aggie, believe it or not.

S: Oh, I believe it. So then there should also be a ghost.

C: Yes. So Aggie somehow just gets herself a new home where she is living alone. But no, she is actually not alone. There is a ghost in the house.

S: Hmm, so Aggie is a little kid but is living alone. That’s kind of strange, right?

C: Yeah, I mean, I know there are kids in the world who do not have anyone, but they also do not usually have their own homes. Anyways, this is fiction, so we don’t ask too many such questions.

S: Right. So let us not ask those questions.

C: Anyways, so Aggie’s house is haunted. And Aggie gets annoyed that the ghost is stealing her socks and eating all the cheese, so she tries to make rules, but the ghost always breaks the rules.

S: So he is kind of a bad roommate.

C: Yeah, and Aggie did not even want a roommate! So, one day she gets fed up with him and goes out and the ghost follows her, and so she challenges the ghost to a tic-tac-toe game. And if he loses he has to leave the house, and if he wins and she loses, she has to leave the house.

S: That is one stressful game! And you know tic-tac-toe really well, right, Caramel? You even did a project on it!

C: Yeah, I know that it is really hard to win. If both of you know how to play right, and neither side messes up, you can’t win.

S: True. So anyways who wins the game?

C: Maybe I should not spoil the whole book.

S: But does it end happily? Like do they get to be friends?

C: Not quite. It does end happily, but I won’t say more.

Caramel is reading Aggie and the Ghost by Matthew Forsythe. — Caramel is reading *Aggie and the Ghost* by Matthew Forsythe.

S: Alright. Then maybe tell me this. You have read and reviewed another book by Matthew Forsythe before: Pokko and the Drum. Do you remember that book? Is this one similar to that other book at all?

C: Not really, but the pictures remind me of one another. So if you did not tell me that these two books were illustrated by the same person, I might still have guessed.

S: Yeah, there are some intangible similarities in style somehow…

C: Also both books have the weird not-making-sense factor, like a friendly ghost who steals socks and eats all the cheese, or a fox that won’t immediately eat a rabbit that is right next to it.

S: So this particular author creates really fun and interesting and impossible worlds, right? The other book was about a frog who played a drum, really loudly, and that on its own also did not make too much sense. But it was a lot of fun to read. Did you think this book was fun to read?

C: Yeah, it would especially be a good book for younger bunnies, and especially around this time, you know, with Halloween coming up! This is always a fun time to think about ghosts and this particular ghost is not scary at all. He is a bit annoying though. But he is kind of funny. He likes to wear Aggie’s socks and eats up all her cheese, and cannot follow any house rules Aggie sets up.

S: Yeah, I can see reading this book as a humorous way to celebrate Halloween!

C: Yeah, totally.

S: Okay, maybe this is a good time to wrap up this review.

C: Sure!

S: What do you want to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews! And happy Halloween!

Caramel enjoyed reading Aggie and the Ghost by Matthew Forsythe and wishes all the little bunnies a happy Halloween! — Caramel enjoyed reading *Aggie and the Ghost* by Matthew Forsythe and wishes all the little bunnies a happy Halloween!

Caramel reviews The Little Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak

Both Caramel and Marshmallow loved reading B.J. Novak’s The Book With No Pictures; Caramel even reviewed it way back in 2019. Today Caramel reviews what he calls the little baby brother of that very same book: The Little Book With No Pictures, which just came out yesterday. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, today we have a board book for our readers!

Caramel: Yes! This is the little baby brother of a book we reviewed before: The Book With No Pictures.

S: I remember that one! It was hilarious!

C: Yes, but a tiny correction: having you read it out loud to me was hilarious!

S: That’s true, that book is kind of like a setup for parents: it makes them say really ridiculous things.

C: But rightfully so. Adults are sometimes too serious. That book forces them to not take themselves so seriously.

S: Yes, you are definitely correct. But okay, let us come back to this book.

C: Sure. As I said, this is the little baby brother of the other book. It is meant for younger bunnies, I think. For starters, it is a board book like you said. So a really little bunny can hold it in their paws and maybe even nibble on it.

S: In fact the book tells them to do that, no?

C: Kind of. It says, “EAT the book, yum yum yum. EAT the book?!!, we do not eat books.”

Caramel is reading The Little Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak. — Caramel is reading *The Little Book With No Pictures* by B.J. Novak.

S: I see. It sounds like a funny book, like the other one.

C: It is a funny book! But it is a lot cuter than the other one. I mean, the other one keeps getting the parent who is reading the book into trouble by making them say silly things like robot monkey and boo boo butt and so on. It is really funny. But this one is only saying things like, now tickle or give a kiss or something like that. That is why it is probably more appropriate for babies.

S: Yeah, I can see that.

C: So it does have many signs of being a book for younger bunnies. And I am getting to be a bigger bunny every day. So I do not really read board books or even too many picture books anymore. But it was still fun to read this book.

S: I thought you might appreciate it. I know how much you enjoyed the original book.

C: Yeah I did. And this was fun too. So yes, it was a good choice.

S: And it can be a good choice for parents of young bunnies who are looking for a fun book for their little ones. There are no pictures, like it says in the title, but there are a lot of colors used in the book, and the words are sometimes small and sometimes large, so it is visually still interesting. And reading together and trying to do the things it says to do could be a lot of fun with a little one.

C: Yeah, it tells you to shake your pants for example.

S: Yeah, it does. Okay, Caramel, maybe this is a good time to wrap up this review. What do you think?

C: I think it is a good idea. I have school tomorrow.

S: Okay, then. Let’s wrap up. What do you want to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel loved reading The Little Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak and recommends it to all parents of little bunnies: he promises it will be so much fun to read it with their little ones. — Caramel loved reading *The Little Book With No Pictures* by B.J. Novak and recommends it to all parents of little bunnies: he promises it will be so much fun to read it with their little ones.