Caramel’s reviews – Page 24

Caramel reviews Wings of Fire: A Guide to the Dragon World by Tui T. Sutherland

After over a year, Caramel finally got his paws on a new-for-him Wings of Fire book. So today he is talking about Wings of Fire: A Guide to the Dragon World, written by Tui T. Sutherland, illustrated by Joy Ang, with additional art from Mike Schley and Maarta Laiho, and published first in 2023. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Caramel reviews Wings of Fire: A Guide to the Dragon World, written by Tui T. Sutherland and illustrated by Joy Ang, with additional art from Mike Schley and Maarta Laiho. — Caramel reviews *Wings of Fire: A Guide to the Dragon World*, written by Tui T. Sutherland and illustrated by Joy Ang, with additional art from Mike Schley and Maarta Laiho.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, this book just arrived today, and you just had to read it, right?

Caramel: Yup. Just had to.

S: I know how you still keep reading and rereading all of your Wings of Fire books. So I knew you would enjoy this book too. Please tell our readers about the book. Is this the sixteenth book you were waiting for?

C: Not quite, but it is definitely enough to satisfy my hunger for new Wings of Fire stories.

S: So this is a collection of new stories then, right?

C: Yes, but it is actually even more than that.

S: What do you mean?

C: There are ten main chapters, one for each dragon tribe: MudWings, SeaWings, RainWings, NightWings, SandWings, IceWings, SkyWings, SilkWings, HiveWings, and LeafWings. And in each chapter, there are some documents and short historical bits and always a short story about or a letter from a dragon from that tribe that we have met before. So for example, in the chapter on RainWings, they have a datasheet, a map of where they live, they have a letter from StarFlight, a letter from Glory, a story about a sloth made up by Kinkajou, a bit about the dangers of the RainForest, an explanation of how the challenges to the RainWing throne work, a guide to how RainWings change colors depending on their feelings by Jambu, and so on.

Caramel is reading Wings of Fire: A Guide to the Dragon World, written by Tui T. Sutherland and illustrated by Joy Ang, with additional art from Mike Schley and Maarta Laiho. — Caramel is reading *Wings of Fire: A Guide to the Dragon World*, written by Tui T. Sutherland and illustrated by Joy Ang, with additional art from Mike Schley and Maarta Laiho.

S: All that sounds fascinating, Caramel. I bet you really enjoyed the book.

C: Yes, and I am still enjoying it, and I think I will keep enjoying it forever! Or at least, for a very long time.

S: I can see that. I think it is a beautiful book.

C: Yes! The pictures are amazing! They have pictures of the dragons, and the things they are talking about. Like in the story about the sloth, there is a picture of a sloth. They have maps, too.

S: Yes, and this is all on really nice paper and in full color, so all in all, it makes for a really pretty book to behold.

C: Totally what I was going to say.

S: I know, right? Okay, so would you recommend this book to other bunnies who liked the Wings of Fire books?

C: Yes!

S: So do you think someone has to read all fifteen books before this one?

C: Yes, because so many characters from all the books keep showing up.

S: But looking over it, I thought that the book could also be a nice way to introduce a bunny to this world.

C: Maybe. They would not know who is telling the stories or their backstory, but they would learn a lot about the world the dragons are living in and a lot about each of the tribes. That could be fun too; you are right. Of course I will never know what it would be like to read this book first.

S: True, but I have a feeling it was a good experience, finally reading a new Wings of Fire book, after all these years.

C: Yes! But I would still like a sixteenth book. A real book that maybe starts a fourth story arc.

S: That could be wonderful, I know. But for now, this is what we have. And it is rather wonderful, isn’t it?

C: Yes!

S: So maybe we should wrap this up so you can continue to cherish your new book.

C: I agree!

S: What would you like to tell our readers in closing?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel loved reading Wings of Fire: A Guide to the Dragon World, written by Tui T. Sutherland and illustrated by Joy Ang, with additional art from Mike Schley and Maarta Laiho, and recommends it to all bunnies who love all things dragon. — Caramel loved reading *Wings of Fire: A Guide to the Dragon World*, written by Tui T. Sutherland and illustrated by Joy Ang, with additional art from Mike Schley and Maarta Laiho, and recommends it to all bunnies who love all things dragon.

Caramel reviews Closet of Dreams by Mark Ukra and Tara Mesalik MacMahon

Today Caramel reviews Closet of Dreams, a 2024 book written by Mark Ukra and Tara Mesalik MacMahon and illustrated by Donna Dyer. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

The book bunnies received this book as a review copy.

Caramel reviews Closet of Dreams, written by Mark Ukra and Tara Mesalik MacMahon and illustrated by Donna Dyer. — Caramel reviews *Closet of Dreams*, written by Mark Ukra and Tara Mesalik MacMahon and illustrated by Donna Dyer.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, can you start by telling us a bit about this book?

Caramel: This book is about a kid named Child. Strange name, right?

S: Yes, quite.

C: But I guess the book Marshmallow reviewed this past Saturday has a main character who is a bunny named Funnybunny, so maybe it is not that weird.

S: Alright, then.

C: Okay, so there is this kid named Child, and he lives with his grandma. He calls her Gamma. I am not sure if that is her real name or if that is what Child used to call her when he was little and could not say Grandma.

S: Your conjecture makes sense to me Caramel.

C: Okay, so this Child loves baseball. And he wants to try out for little league. And he has some friends at school but there are also some bullies at school and he is really scared of them.

S: Well, bullying is serious so I can understand why he would be scared.

C: So whenever Child is scared, he goes into the closet in their house and can calm down and feel safe.

S: And that is the Closet of Dreams from the title of the book?

C: Yes. And he sleeps there sometimes and has some good dreams that comfort and encourage him.

S: I see.

Caramel is reading Closet of Dreams, written by Mark Ukra and Tara Mesalik MacMahon and illustrated by Donna Dyer. — Caramel is reading *Closet of Dreams*, written by Mark Ukra and Tara Mesalik MacMahon and illustrated by Donna Dyer.

S: So I will admit that I read this book too. And it was quite interesting, but also kind of unexpected.

C: You mean, the book sounds like it is all about real things, but then some really unreal things also happen, right?

S: Exactly. There is a quote at the back cover of the book: “a charming mix of both the everyday and the fantastical.” I think that description fits the book well.

C: I think so. But I did like the fantastical part a lot.

S: I know you would. You love talking animals!

C: Well, that is what we are, so of course! And by the way, you are giving away some of the plot!

S: Okay, okay, you are right. I think I will stop talking about the plot now. So tell me about how the reading went.

C: I read it quite quickly. It is for younger bunnies, so the writing is easy to read. There are almost thirty chapters, and each is only a couple pages long. And there are lots of pictures in the book too.

S: What did you think of the pictures?

C: I liked them. They were not in color, but they were still good.

S. The authors are working on a sequel, apparently. Are you curious about reading that too?

C: Yes. They talk about some baby elephant in the book but it goes nowhere in this book. But apparently that will come up in the next book. So I want to read that. And by the way, we still did not read or review The One and Only Ruby, which is also about a baby elephant, and it is supposed to be a sequel to The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate. So we also need to read that.

S: Yep. You are right. So this is probably a good time to wrap up this review. What would you like to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading Closet of Dreams, written by Mark Ukra and Tara Mesalik MacMahon and illustrated by Donna Dyer, and is curious about the second book the authors are writing about Child and Gamma. — Caramel enjoyed reading *Closet of Dreams*, written by Mark Ukra and Tara Mesalik MacMahon and illustrated by Donna Dyer, and is curious about the second book the authors are writing about Child and Gamma.

Caramel reviews Asterix Omnibus 1 by Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo

Today Caramel talks about Asterix Omnibus 1, written by Rene Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo, the 2011 edition that brings together the very first three adventures of Asterix the Gaul. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Caramel reviews Asterix Omnibus 1, written by Rene Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo. — Caramel reviews *Asterix Omnibus 1*, written by Rene Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, you finally discovered our Asterix collection.

Caramel: Yes.

S: And it seems like you have enjoyed reading them.

C: Yes. That’s why I wanted to talk about this one today.

S: Okay, so let us start. What is this book in your paws?

C: This is a collection of three stories about Asterix the Gaul and his friends.

S: Okay, so maybe you can tell us a bit about Asterix.

C: He is a Gaul, living in the Roman times. Apparently his village is the only village in Gaul that is not yet captured by the Romans. And they keep driving the Romans mad by being independent and so on. In these three stories we also get to meet the people from the village. There is Asterix’s best friend Obelix, and there is the village chief, Vitalstatistics, and the village potion maker druid, Getafix.

S: Those are some ridiculous names! I am guessing they are not in the original French. Anyways, continue please.

C: Okay. So Getafix makes a magic potion that makes the person who drinks it very very strong, and that is how the village has been able to defend itself against the Romans. And Obelix is very strong always, because apparently he fell into the potion cauldron when he was a baby. Anyways, the three stories are about them having some fun adventures.

S: So this is supposed to be in the ancient past, right?

C: Yep. So apparently Gaul is a part of Europe which is today split between France, Belgium, and a bunch of other countries. Wikipedia says that Romans conquered most of Gaul by 52 BCE. So according to the Asterix books, though, they did not manage to conquer this one little village.

S: So this is around 50 BCE?

C: Yes, the first sentence is “The year is 50 BC.” But you could also tell probably because Julius Caesar is alive and leading the Romans. And apparently he died in 44 BCE.

S: That makes sense.

Caramel is reading Asterix Omnibus 1, written by Rene Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo. — Caramel is reading *Asterix Omnibus 1*, written by Rene Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo.

S: So this is an omnibus, which, according to our trusted online dictionary, is “a volume containing several novels or other items previously published separately.” So which stories are in this one volume?

C: There are three. The first is called “Asterix the Gaul”. Then there is “Asterix and the Golden Sickle”. And finally “Asterix and the Goths”.

S: According to Wikipedia, these were first published in 1961, 1962, and 1963, respectively. That is a long time ago. Can you tell?

C: Not really. The stories all happen way back in time. And they are just as funny as they would be if they were written today. But I did read that some Asterix stories have issues with race. The way they represent people of African origin would be racist today, so those stories would probably not even be published.

S: That is a very sensitive issue Caramel. I am impressed that you took the time to learn about it and are sharing it with us.

C: At least those issues do not come up in these three stories. I mean, the Goths are pretty mean and sometimes stupid in the third story, and the Wikipedia article says that was because the authors had strong anti-German feelings because it was so soon after World War II. But that would not be racism even though it is still not a nice thing to do, stereotyping people like that.

S: You are right Caramel. Okay, let us move on to a lighter topic. I know my sister used to laugh out loud when reading these; did you find them funny too?

C: Yes. There is a funny thing on each page, and if you actually look carefully at the individual frames, there is a lot of other hilarious stuff happening, too. The characters are all funny themselves too.

S: They are all very caricaturish, actually. Some characters have huge noses, some are round like a ball, and so on. A lot of them have exaggerated features.

C: Yes, and that makes it funny. And the pictures are all very colorful.

S: I am getting the sense that you really enjoyed reading this book.

C: I did.

S: How would you describe it in three to five words?

C: Hilarious, cartoony, and Roman-ful.

S: Come on, those are not words!

C: Okay. Hilarious cartoons full of Romans. That’s five words!

S: Alright, that works. I think this is a good time to wrap up the review. What do you want to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading Asterix Omnibus 1, written by Rene Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo, and recommends it to other bunnies who might enjoy reading about a stubborn village full of hilarious people standing up against the big Roman Empire. — Caramel enjoyed reading *Asterix Omnibus 1*, written by Rene Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo, and recommends it to other bunnies who might enjoy reading about a stubborn village full of hilarious people standing up against the big Roman Empire.

Caramel reviews Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

Today Caramel reviews Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer, the first book of the famed Artemis Fowl series, originally published in 2001. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, you just finished reading the first book of yet another long series.

Caramel: Yep.

S: So what is this book about?

C: It is about a kid named Artemis Fowl, who is a genius and who uses his intellect for criminal purposes.

S: So kind of like the opposite of Ben Ripley from the Spy School books, no?

C: Yes, exactly. It is kind of the opposite of Spy School, Spy School is on the good guys’ side and Artemis Fowl is on the criminal side of the world.

S: Okay so what kinds of bad things does Artemis Fowl do?

C: He kidnaps Holly Short. Short is an officer in LEPrecon, a fairy organization, like a fairy police.

S: Wait, there are fairies?

C: Yep. And trolls. And dwarves. And gnomes.

S: Wow! I understand the author is Irish, so maybe some of these creatures are inspired by Irish mythology.

C: Well, the book takes place in Ireland. And we hear about Tuatha Dé Danann, that is a part of Irish mythology.

S: Yes, apparently they are an ancient supernatural race of beings, who eventually evolved into fairies. Or something. I had not heard of them before. But maybe Marshmallow has. You know she recently reviewed a book about fairies too.

C: Oh yes, I remember.

S: Okay, so other than Artemis and Holly, are there any other interesting characters in the book?

C: I like Butler. Butler is a butler but also a bodyguard to Artemis Fowl.

Caramel is reading Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer. — Caramel is reading *Artemis Fowl* by Eoin Colfer.

S: What surprises me most about this book is that the main character is a boy who is named Artemis. But Artemis is the name of a Greek goddess.

C: Yes, somebody mentions that in the book too. It is because Artemis is the hunter goddess, and the boy Artemis here is also a hunter. I think.

S: Okay. So did you enjoy reading this book?

C: Yep!

S: What did you like most about it?

C: The action sequences are amazingly detailed and give an image for your mind to visualize. I like it for the fact that it gives you something to think about.

S: I see. If I were to ask you, could you describe the book in three to five words?

C: Yes, I could, but the question is will I?

S: What if I say please?

C: Okay, then. I’d say “fast-paced and action-packed page-turner.”

S: So you really enjoyed this book. But you say the main character is not a good person? How does that work?

C: Well, actually, the book is narrated by some people who are observing Artemis Fowl. They keep telling us that he is a terrible person.

S: But do you ever sympathize with him? Or do you always want him to fail?

C: I think I kind of sympathize with him.

S: Hmm. Apparently in the later books he will change a bit and not be always motivated by criminal intentions.

C: Well, in this book, too, he does do some good in the end.

S: I am intrigued. Apparently there is a movie made in 2020 about this book, but it seems hard to find anywhere. Apparently it did not do too well, but the trailer looked interesting.

C: Maybe we can look for it after we finish this review? I do want to watch it, even if “they” did not like it. I thought the trailer looked interesting.

S: Okay, we might give it a try. So let us wrap up this review then. Are you interested in reading more from this series?

C: Yes, definitely.

S: Okay, I will see what we can do about that. In the meantime, what do you want to tell our readers as we end this review?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer and is keen to read more about this curious character and his later adventures. — Caramel enjoyed reading *Artemis Fowl* by Eoin Colfer and is keen to read more about this curious character and his later adventures.