Today Caramel is talking to Sprinkles about Alamo All-Stars by Nathan Hale, published first in 2016. This is the sixth book in Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales series, and thankfully the sixth book Caramel happened to read from the series. (So finally these numberings match!)
Sprinkles: So here we are, talking about yet another Nathan Hale book.
Caramel: Yes! And this one is also a great book!
S: Oh, yes? So you have enjoyed reading about the Alamo? Isn’t that supposed to be a story of a big defeat?
C: Yes, but a very heroic one! And at the end of the book, the author ties things up by telling us how the U.S. in the end did win over Texas. So they lost Alamo first, but eventually they won it back. Kind of like losing the battle and winning the war.
S: I see. But it was also probably a heroic win for the other side, at least the stand at Alamo.
C: I suppose. You are right. All wars have at least two sides. When one side wins and celebrates, the other side is losing and facing great difficulties. So I like reading about wars and history, but it would be best if there were no wars. I think we can say that we have had enough wars. Maybe we do not need any more.
S: Such wise words from a little bunny…
Caramel is reading Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales #6: Alamo All-Stars by Nathan Hale.
S: Okay, so this book is all yellow!
C: Yes, you said last time that each book has one thematic color, so maybe you were right. This is the yellow book. There are other colors in the book too, of course but yellow is a lot more visible in this book than the others.
S: Is there any humor in the book? I mean it is about war and death again, but …
C: Yes. At least there are some light-hearted moments. And it does not feel as heavy as Donner Dinner Party.
S: I think that can be arranged. But maybe we can take a short break for a bit.
C: What are you trying to tell me Sprinkles?
S: Me? Nothing. Maybe there are other books you could read for the next week or two.
C: Maybe. Or maybe not. I do like these books!
S: I know. But maybe we can try a few other books for a bit.
C: I see what you are doing. And I guess we will see what you find for me to read for next week.
S: I mean, I won’t force you.
C: Hmm.
S: Okay, maybe this is a good time to stop talking about this book and wrap this review up. What would you like to tell our readers?
C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!
Caramel enjoyed reading Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales #6: Alamo All-Stars by Nathan Hale and looks forward to reading many more historical graphic novels in the near future.
Given the morbid nature of the historical events described (involving death and cannibalism), this review might not be appropriate for very young bunnies.
Caramel reviews Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales #5: Donner Dinner Party by Nathan Hale.
Sprinkles: So Caramel, it seems like it is once again time to talk about a Nathan Hale book.
Caramel: Yes! It is great that I can read another one of Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales.
S: I know you love these books! So tell me, what is this one about?
C: It is about the people going to California in 1846.
S: Oh, I see, so this is about the Donner party, going west toward California and getting lost?
C:Yes it is.
S: So the dinner party part is kind of poking fun at the rumors that some of them ended up eating others?
C: Yes, but it is not a very funny joke in terms of what it means. And it is not rumors; the Wikipedia article says they actually ate some of those who died because they were weaker, but they apparently also killed two Native American guides and ate them.
S: Caramel, that is awful!
C: Yep, and disturbing.
S: I mean, the other books you read in this series also had people dying, there were many wars and such, but this somehow feels a lot more morbid.
C: Yep, it does. But apparently history can be pretty terrible.
S: I can see that this book is making that quite clear.
C: Yep, it certainly did for me.
Caramel is reading Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales #5: Donner Dinner Party by Nathan Hale.
S: So was reading this book a bit more challenging then? The story is pretty disturbing.
C: Yeah, it was a little, but the scary parts are mainly on a couple pages, making them easy to skip.
S: And it seems like an important story, about how humans can get quite vicious and terrible when they are desperate.
C: Yeah humans are sometimes very mean to each other, which is not a good thing.
S: I mean when you read Watership Down, we saw there that bunnies can also be cruel to one another, but at least we would never eat each other. We are vegetarian.
C: And I guess I will have to remind you that Watership Down was fiction, Sprinkles. This book is about a real event!
S: I know I know. I was just trying to lighten up the mood, but it is pretty difficult. So let us talk about the book in general. I suppose you had heard of the Donner party before. Did you learn anything new while reading Donner Dinner Party?
C: Yep, that sometimes the people in the past, and sometimes now, can be very mean to others.
S: So true. And so sad… Okay, I will now shift gears because this is getting a bit too sad. It seems these books are in color but always only a couple colors show up on each two-page spread. Is that correct?
C: yep, this one had around 8 different colors total.
S: But only a couple of the colors showing up on one page, right?
C: Yep, at most maybe 2-3 colors on one page.
S: But it still seems to work well, right?
C: Yes, it feels colorful at least.
S: After this I think there are still a few more books in this series. Are you interested?
C: Yeah, I can’t imagine there will be too many more cannibal stories in there.
S: I agree. Okay, so let us wrap this up then. What would you like to tell our readers?
C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!
Caramel appreciated reading Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales #5: Donner Dinner Party by Nathan Hale and is ready for another adventure.
[We were hoping to go through these books in order, but Caramel happened to first read a three-book sampler which was made up of the first, fourth, and the fifth books! So the numbering of these posts basically is mostly about the order Caramel is reading them in. Big Bad Ironclad, reviewed in today’s post, is the second ever book in the series, originally published in 2012. Readers can see the publication order of these books at this page created by Fulton County Library System.]
Caramel reviews Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales #4: Big Bad Ironclad by Nathan Hale.
Sprinkles: So Caramel, here we are again, and you chose to start off your 2025 reviews with yet another Nathan Hale book.
Caramel: Yes I have, and, what a book!
S: Hmm, I am guessing that means it is a good book?
C: yes, it certainly was.
S: So what is this one about? What time period are we in?
C: we are in the civil war, and it is about the ironclads, the first metal warships.
S: Oh yes, maybe we should remind our readers that these books are graphic novels that explore various time periods in the history of the United States. So this one is about the U.S. Civil War. Then we must be in the 1860s.
C: Yes, that is important to do, and it is the 1860s.
S: Okay, so tell me more about the ironclads.
C: They are older steam-powered warships that heavy iron plating is put over, like a jacket, allowing them to withstand cannons, and other guns of the time.
S: So kind of like an armor a warrior might put on. Underneath the iron are they made of wood then?
C: Yes, they are, in fact, made of wood under the iron.
S: Hmm, I guess it makes sense to try and armor the ships. But wouldn’t that make them too heavy? Wouldn’t they sink?
C: Well, yes and no. The iron is placed on the exact right places as to not make it too heavy, yet still provide ample protection from attack.
Caramel is reading Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales #4: Big Bad Ironclad by Nathan Hale.
S: Okay, so that looks like a story you would be interested in, you like warships and such, but it is after all a graphic novel. Are there any human characters in the book? And what is the human story told?
C: It is about the stories of the ironclads and those who fought against them and how they defeated the big, bad ironclad.
S: Oh, so the ironclads are kind of like the new scary weapons and the story is about how they could be defeated. Do we also learn about the people who designed and built the ironclads?
C: Yes, I suppose, but the story of how they are defeated is more central.
S: Do both sides have ironclads or only one side?
C: Well, both sides have ironclads, but the story is told mainly from the view of the Union, the North, so we learn about how they build their ironclad and defeat the ironclad from the South.
S: I see. So did you learn some new things while reading this book?
C: Yes, I did learn some new things; these books have so many facts! For example I learned that the Union built their own ironclad from the same inventor who made the peacemaker, a huge cannon which blew up and killed the president’s cabinet. They must have been desperate.
S: That is interesting! I had not heard about the peacemaker. Wikipedia has an article about the ship that it was installed on. So these books are factual but also fictional. Can you tell what is fact and what is fiction?
C: Yes, it is rather obvious as the narrator, Nathan Hale, says the real things that happen, like he says things like, ”this is not an accurate representation of this person,” or something like that.
S: I see. That is cool. So you learn stuff about the history of the United States and also enjoy reading a fun graphic novel. I am assuming of course that you have enjoyed reading this book?
C: Yes, it was great!
S: I am assuming we will hear about a lot more Nathan Hale books in the near future.
C: Yes, you will.
S: Can’t wait!
C: Well, you have to. At least till next week!
S: Okay, okay, yes, till next week. So as we wrap up this review, what do you want to tell our readers?
C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!
Caramel loved reading Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales #4: Big Bad Ironclad by Nathan Hale and can’t wait to read the next book!
For the last couple years, at the end of the year, we have been doing a New-Year-ish thing of talking about all the books we have read through that year. (You can find our recap of 2022 here, and here is our recap of 2023.) This year, we continue this new tradition and take a look at our reviews for 2024.
[2024 saw the bunnies read and review many books, both new and classic. You can find a full list here.]
The book bunnies review the books of 2024.
Sprinkles: So maybe this year, we can start with Marshmallow.
Marshmallow: Sure. I have reviewed many, many books this year. I liked all of them, but there are a couple that I really, really, really liked. But maybe we can begin with the series I read and enjoyed.
S: Makes sense to me.
M: The first series I started this year was the famous Hunger Games series. Here are my reviews of the three main books: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay. And here is my review of The Hunger Games: The Illustrated Edition. I had never read these books before and quickly learned exactly why they are so revered. I was also shocked by how deep some of the themes were (family and friendship of course, but also lessons about the impacts of war, greed, violence, trauma, and poverty). This is an amazing series (I love it!) I would recommend to all reasonably mature bunnies (maybe like 12 and up?)
S: Yes, I remember how much you were affected by those books.
Marshmallow enjoyed reading the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins as well as Powerless and Reckless by Lauren Roberts.
S: What about the other series you started this year?
M: Another series I began to read this year was the Powerless series. Here is my review of the first book: Powerless. And here is my review of the second one: Reckless. Unfortunately, not all of the books are out yet, so I am looking forward to reading and reviewing the last (?) book of this series next year. This is hands-down my favorite YA fantasy-romance series. I generally find this genre to lean too much into romance, but this series maintains the perfect balance. I would 100% recommend this book to all interested readers (YA probably), especially those who have been wronged by the ridiculous amount of romance infiltrating the YA fantasy section.
S: I still have not gotten around to reading those books, but I know you have really enjoyed them. So maybe they should go on my 2025 reading list.
M: Maybe they should! The third series I have begun this year is the Enola Holmes series. I originally presumed these books to be easy and basic because the cover was not what I would characterize as a serious, intriguing mystery would look like. However, these books really take you to an entirely new time period, and the adventures of Enola Holmes never fail to excite, delight, and inspire.
S: You have only read and reviewed three of the books though, right?
S: Because they put together a few things you like. History, graphic novel format, humor-
C: Yes, what is there not to like? But there are many more books in the series, and I really hope to continue with those in 2025. And of course you know that my all-time favorite series is still Tui T. Sutherland’s Wings of Fire?
S: Yes, that is true. and you loved that one, too!
C: Yep.
This year, Caramel read two more Wings of Fire books by Tui Sutherland, one more Narwhal and Jelly book by Ben Clanton, and three books from the Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales series.
Sprinkles: So Marshmallow, you have read many other books this year. Maybe you can tell us about the highlights. Maybe we can begin with the fiction?
This year Marshmallow’s fiction reads ranged from Maus to One of Us is Lying to A Tale of Two Cities.
Sprinkles: So Caramel how about you? Which books of fiction did you enjoy reading most this year, other than those that belong to the series we talked about already?
Caramel: Well, we forgot to talk about The One and Only Ruby and The One and Only Family, both by Katherine Applegate. Those are good books I read and they belong to a series but maybe we can mention them now?
Caramel also read several fun books this year, including One and Only Ruby by Katherine Applegate, Watership Down by Richard Adams, and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.
Sprinkles: You have also read many nonfiction books this year, right, Caramel?
The bunnies also read a lot of nonfiction this year. Here they are posing with their favorites: Warhammer 40000 Core Book, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Core Rulebook, Slow Productivity, Guinness World Records 2024, We Should All Be Feminists, and How to Speak Emoji.
Sprinkles: We also all read many books of, or about poetry. Right?
Sprinkles: I also read and reviewed several children’s books about puberty. There were so many and those were all split between girl books and boy books, that I needed to have two reviews for them.
Marshmallow: We read most of those books, too, but I am glad you were the one who ended up reviewing them.
Caramel: I did peek into some of them, but I agree with Marshmallow, that it was good that you were the one who had to review them.
S: But all in all, we all read quite a lot of good, fun, and informative books this year, right?
M: And thought-provoking!
C: Yep. And I think we will be reading a lot more books next year!
M: But first, we have our month off!
S: Yes, we will take the month of January off.
C: And we are all really happy about that!
S: Well, we will continue to read, and we will get back to reviewing them in a month. And till then we just take a short break.
C: We deserve it!
M: Everyone deserves a break. And we are lucky to get one!
S: True. Okay, so what do you want to tell our readers Marshmallow?
M: I want to say: Happy new year everyone! We wish you a happy hoppy new year in 2025!
S: With lots of good books and many friends, old and new!
C: Yes! And stay tuned for more book bunny reviews, coming to you in February 2025!
The book bunnies, and new friend Moose, wish all bunnies around the world a happy hoppy new year in 2025, with lots of good books and many friends, old and new!
BookBunnies 