Caramel’s reviews – BookBunnies

Caramel reviews Spaced Out: The Graphic Novel by Stuart Gibbs and Ward Jenkins

Both Caramel and Marshmallow have enjoyed reading and reviewing books by Stuart Gibbs for the book bunnies blog. Today Caramel talks about a recent graphic novel adaptation, Spaced Out: The Graphic Novel, of a 2016 book written by Gibbs; this version was published in August 2026 and was illustrated by Ward Jenkins. As usual Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, today we are talking about the second book in Stuart Gibbs’s Moon Base Alpha series.

Caramel: Yep. I read and reviewed the graphic novel version of the first book and now this is the second one.

S: So let us dive right in. Tell us what the book is about.

C: It is about Dash, the same guy from the first book, and there’s a new case for him to solve. A person has gone missing.

S: Oh say more.

C: The person who’s missing is Nina, the station’s commander, and so the station goes through some issues as such.

S: Oh wait. Dash and his family were living on the Moon, right? So Nina is the commander of the moon base — Moon Base Alpha?

C: Yes, they are, and yes, she is.

S: Cool. So this sounds like a typical Gibbs mystery, and he is so good at crafting fun mysteries. I am guessing this was good, too?

C: Yes it was, it also went into some more interesting stuff, but that was later, and as such, a spoiler.

S: Okay. I guess what we don’t know won’t hurt us. At least in this case. So tell me more about the book. Do we meet any characters besides Dash from the first book?

C: Yeah, almost all of them show up at least once, most of them more than once.

S: That’s cool. So it really feels like a series then. So do you like Dash, the main character? Does he remind you of Ben Ripley from Spy School books? Or how about Teddy Fitzroy from the FunJungle books?

C: Yes, he kind of does, which makes sense. This is the same author after all. They are all fun characters and very likeable. And they manage to solve all sorts of mysteries. But this one is different because he lives in space! How cool is that?

S: But of course we talked about how we really do not want to leave our own planet the last time…

C: Yeah I stand by that still, until space travel is much safer.

S: I do too.

Caramel is reading Spaced Out: The Graphic Novel by Stuart Gibbs and Ward Jenkins. — Caramel is reading *Spaced Out: The Graphic Novel* by Stuart Gibbs and Ward Jenkins.

S: So I noticed that the person who illustrated the Moon Base Alpha books is different from the person who illustrated the Spy School graphic novels. Do you like the style used in this book?

C: Yes, I did, though the graphic novelizations for the Wings of Fire books are still my favorite. Now if only they came out with those more frequently…

S: But those books have an unfair advantage. I mean they have dragons! Not much can compete with that.

C: True, but what about dragons, in space?

S: Yeah, I suppose that would top everything! But okay, back to Spaced Out. Was it good enough for you to want more? There is apparently at least a third book in the original Moon Base Alpha series, so I am guessing they will publish the graphic novelization of that some time next year. Are you excited about that?

C: Yaaaaaaaayyyyy!

S: Okay, I am guessing that means this was a very fun read and you are excited about the next one?

C: Yes.

S: Okay, then we will make sure to get you a copy when it does come out. So Caramel, do you think this is a good time to wrap up this review?

C: Yup. This is a school night so maybe it is a good idea.

S: Sure, okay. Let’s do that. What do you want to tell our readers?

C Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading Spaced Out: The Graphic Novel by Stuart Gibbs and Ward Jenkins and recommends it to all little bunnies who enjoy space mysteries. — Caramel enjoyed reading *Spaced Out: The Graphic Novel* by Stuart Gibbs and Ward Jenkins and recommends it to all little bunnies who enjoy space mysteries.

Caramel reviews The Martian by Andy Weir

Today Caramel reviews The Martian by Andy Weir, the 2011 book that was the basis of the more recent movie The Martian. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: So today we are talking about The Martian by Andy Weir.

Caramel: Yes, Weir talking about The Martian.

S: That’s a good one, Caramel! Okay, so let us get to it. Would you start by telling us what the book is about?

C: Sure. It’s about a guy named Mark Watney, who goes to Mars, and gets trapped there.

S: So the Martian is a human then? It is not quite sci-fi with aliens and such?

C: No, no aliens, but yes sci-fi, we can’t get a spaceship full of people to Mars just yet. We haven’t even sent an unmanned ship there for a while, though NASA still has some rovers there. I even reviewed a book about them a while back.

S: True, you are right of course. Sci-fi does not have to have aliens, but space travel a bit beyond what we can do today also definitely counts. So this guy Watney went to Mars alone or as part of a team?

C: He was part of a NASA team, but he got impaled during a really bad sandstorm and the others had to leave before they could find him. But thankfully his accident was not deadly so he survives, and then he has to survive the planet all on his own. All the while everyone back home is sure he is dead, so they are not even looking for him or not even planning to come back to look for him…

S: That sounds pretty dismal.

C: Yes, but this Watney guy is a very creative guy and he figures out how to grow potatoes on Mars and all kinds of other engineering trickery and eventually he manages to get the NASA folks realize he is not dead, so they try to save him.

S: That sounds like a pretty tense story.

C: Actually, it is very funny, he tells a lot of jokes.

Caramel is reading The Martian by Andy Weir. — Caramel is reading *The Martian* by Andy Weir.

S: So the story is told through Watney’s perspective? Oh then at least we know he will most likely not die in the end.

C: I believe yes, mostly. Every now and then we read the story through some folks on Earth, from NASA headquarters, and sometimes from the astronauts who were with him on Mars. And there is a lot more I can say, but to quote the amazing River Song, “Spoilers!”

S: Alright, maybe this is enough then about the plot. What can you tell us about the rest? You already said the book is actually funny.

C: Yep, though it does have some bad language. The guy is trapped on Mars after all, so he is a bit frustrated and is writing for nobody in particular because he expects he will likely die. So I didn’t mind the language really. And he is hilarious!

S: I know you also saw the movie based on the novel. Did you think the two were similar? Did you like the book and the movie both?

C: Yeah, the only really interesting difference is he doesn’t begin the movie with the same line.

S: I guess they wanted to keep the movie PG-13!

C: Yep! But in actuality there were some differences later on, but i thought that was funny.

S: I agree. It summarized his frustration very well.

C: Anyway, the movie is pretty awesome too. I enjoyed reading the book and I enjoyed watching the movie. Maybe we can put a link to the trailer here.

S: Sure, here we go:

The Martian (2015) trailer from YouTube

C: Thank you!

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

C: Sure, why not?

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

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading The Martian by Andy Weir and recommends it to all bunnies who like space travel, science fiction, and extreme adventure stories. — Caramel enjoyed reading *The Martian* by Andy Weir and recommends it to all bunnies who like space travel, science fiction, and extreme adventure stories.

Caramel reviews Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

For his first post after summer break, Caramel is talking to Sprinkles abut Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman, a book originally published in 2020. As usual Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, this was a really long book, but you read it quite fast…

Caramel: Yes, I did. It was very captivating, almost like a dungeon you cannot get out of. Sorry that was a poor joke.

S: Well, it is not clear why that’s a joke, even, so maybe it would help if you told us a bit about the book first.

C: Good point. So the book is about a guy named Carl, as you can imagine, and the world has ended.

S: Wait, what do you mean?

C: Well, the book starts when Carl is in a dungeon. Then there is a flashback and we learn that the Earth was lost, due to some weird legal issue, kind of like in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, actually. And so an alien corporation took over the planet and crushed every roof on the planet and almost everyone died.

S: That’s pretty bleak. At least The Hitchhiker’s Guide was funny.

C: Well, this is quite funny too, at times. But so the planet is taken and the remaining humans are given a chance to participate in a reality TV show that is a dungeon crawl. It is kind of a role playing game where the players have D&D-like skills and traits.

S: Oh I see, that is why Carl is a dungeon crawler, right?

C: Yep. And his partner is a cat named Princess Donut.

S: Wait, a cat?

C: Yes, she is a show cat, and through one of the weirdnesses of the show they are in, she can speak.

S: That is interesting!

C: Yes, very.

Caramel is reading Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman. — Caramel is reading *Dungeon Crawler Carl* by Matt Dinniman.

S: So the book is about Carl and Princess Donut going through the dungeon?

C: Not only them. The reality TV show is called Dungeon Crawler World: Earth. And apparently it is one of many this corporation has been running, in many different planets. And in the book there are many other crawlers that Carl and Princess Donut meet. In the beginning there were thirteen million who started. And then by the second chapter a couple million have been eliminated, and it goes like that.

S: That sounds cruel.

C: Yes, well, they took over the planet and they don’t seem to care about the living beings on it. More than 90% of the population just died during the takeover, and about twenty million or so humans remain. About thirteen million of these go to the dungeon for a chance to be free.

S: This is kind of like The Hunger Games and Dungeons & Dragons got together and had a terrible baby.

C: Oh yes, and also remember the Purging Trials from the Powerless books that Marshmallow reviewed. Put them all together and then mix…

S: It is a pretty bleak future.

C: Yes.

S: Was it not too depressing?

C: Not too much. After all I know it is fiction. And it is really funny sometimes. But maybe the very young bunnies should not read it. Still it is a good book.

S: And apparently there are quite a few sequels.

C: Which I will need to read…

S: Okay, we will see about that. So Caramel, maybe this is a good time to wrap up this review, what do you think?

C: Sure.

S: What do you want to tell our readers?

C: We are back! Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman and can't wait to get his paws on the second book. — Caramel enjoyed reading *Dungeon Crawler Carl* by Matt Dinniman and can’t wait to get his paws on the second book.

Caramel reviews Confessions of a Trash Droid: Fatal Error by Michael Cheney

For his last post before our summer break, Caramel decided to review the first book in the Confessions of a Trash Droid series of Michael Cheney: Fatal Error first published in 2025. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, tell us a bit about this book.

Caramel: This is a book about a robot. This robot is sentient and he does not really like humans.

S: How come?

C: He does think they are very useful or intelligent.

S: Hmm, one does not have to be useful or intelligent to be worthy of care and kindness, but okay. So why is he a trash droid? Does he collect trash? Or is he old and people want to discard him like trash?

C: The first more or less: he is a waste disposal robot.

S: Okay, so what happens to him?

C: So he is on a plane that crashes and he does nothing to save anyone. So the company that built him or is using him is mad because he is supposed to help humans.

S: So is that what the confessions part of the title is about?

C: Sort of. But also he has a strange error that causes him to black out and go violent and so on.

Caramel is reading Confessions of a Trash Droid: Fatal Error by Michael Cheney. — Caramel is reading *Confessions of a Trash Droid: Fatal Error* by Michael Cheney.

S: This reminds me a lot of Murderbot, at least in the TV series version, where he was having flashbacks or memory clips of himself going violent and being involved in a chaotic event.

C: Yeah, there are some parallels for sure.

S: Honestly when I first read the description of the book, I immediately thought of All Systems Red and Artificial Condition. So I thought you might enjoy it.

C: Yeah, I did enjoy it; it is pretty good. And yes, there are some similarities perhaps but this one is a little more of a misanthrope, you’d say, he is much more negative towards humans. And he is more robotic. Murderbot is a lot more human, his body is a lot more organic, and he looks like and can pass as a human. The trash droid looks very robotic. Also this one has a much much dirtier vocabulary. There is a bad word every few sentences. I mean it works, but maybe if a bunny’s parents don’t want them to read a book with bad words, this might not be right for them.

S: And I think this one has much shorter chapters.

C: Yeah, it is also a shorter book. So quite easy to read.

S: Okay, Caramel, I think this is a good time to wrap up our review.

C: Sure.

S: And this is your last review till August.

C: I love summer time!!!

S: Yes, summer is really nice. And we will take July off as usual. So what would you like to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews! There is one more post from Marshmallow and then there will be many more in August!

Caramel enjoyed reading Confessions of a Trash Droid: Fatal Error by Michael Cheney and is curious about the future books in the series. — Caramel enjoyed reading *Confessions of a Trash Droid: Fatal Error* by Michael Cheney and is curious about the future books in the series.