Caramel’s reviews – Page 32

Caramel reviews Best Nerds Forever by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein

A couple months ago, Annie Bunny, a friend of the book bunnies blog, recommended that the bunnies check out Best Nerds Forever by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein. They obliged. Each of the bunnies ended up reading the book over their summer break, and today Caramel is talking it over with Sprinkles.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, tell us about this book a bit. What is it about?

Caramel: The book is about a boy named Finn, who just dies at the very beginning.

S: So the book starts with the main character dying?

C: Yes. And he is also the narrator, so it is kind of weird to be reading a book from a ghost’s perspective.

S: Totally.

C: And it is sad. Finn is only twelve, finishing middle school, and he dies! It is not fair!

S: I can see how you would feel that way. I agree, it is always hard with young people dying. But Finn is pretty lively as a narrator, don’t you think?

C: Yes, he is actually quite funny. But he is dead, and his family and friends are very sad, so the book is very sad, too. And you know I don’t like sad books.

S: I do, but this is kind of like an adventure. Finn wants to figure out what happened to him, and why he died. And he meets a new friend in the afterlife, too. Right?

C: Yes, he meets another kid from his school who also apparently died that year. Her name is Isabella. So he is not alone or lonely. And he can do some strange and fun things, like go through walls or go through people. When he goes through people, they get chills, without understanding why. It is kind of funny actually.

Caramel is reading Best Nerds Forever by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein.

S: Before we started the post, you told me that the end is your favorite part of the book, because it is a happy ending of sorts. Can you say more?

C: Yes, I’d say it is a happy ending of sorts. It is probably the best ending that could happen because —

S: Okay, that is probably already good enough, we should not be giving too many spoilers…

C: I guess so. Okay. But the end is happy, so I can say that at least.

S: Yes, you sure can. What else would you like to say about the book? Can you give me three words to describe it?

C: I want to say confusing, because I did not really understand the end at first.

S: But then we talked about it, right?

C: Yes, and now I do understand it, and I like the end. My other word would be funny, of course.

S: I definitely agree.

C: And ghostly! Because you know, Finn and Isabella are ghosts!

S: That works for me! Okay, so why is the title “best nerds forever”?

C: Well I think it is because Finn and his friends are big nerds, you know, and they are best friends, so best friends forever, but nerdy, too.

S: Maybe the forever is also referring to him being a ghost now, starting his eternal life.

C: Maybe. People have BFFs, like best friends forever, so if you and your friend are both ghosts and will live forever, you can really be BFFs!

S: Right! All in all, we enjoyed reading this book, right?

C: Yep. I know Marshmallow enjoyed it too.

S: And it was fun to receive a recommendation from a reader bunny, right?

C: Yep. I always like to meet new bunnies! Hi Annie Bunny!

S: I agree. Thank you Annie Bunny!

C: Yes, thank you!

S: Okay, so time to wrap things up. What would you like to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading Best Nerds Forever by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein, especially the end!

Caramel reviews Animated Science: Periodic Table by Shiho Pate and John Farndon

For his first review back from his summer break, Caramel wanted to talk about Animated Science: Periodic Table, a 2021 book illustrated by Shiho Pate and written by John Farndon. As usual Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Caramel reviews Animated Science: Periodic Table, illustrated by Shiho Pate and written by John Farndon. — Caramel reviews *Animated Science: Periodic Table*, illustrated by Shiho Pate and written by John Farndon.

Sprinkles: Welcome back Caramel!

Caramel: It’s great to be back!

S: Yay! Are you ready to talk about books again?

C: Always!

S: So you chose a nonfiction book to talk about today. Can you tell us what it is about?

C: It is about the periodic table, as its title says.

S: So what is the periodic table?

C: The periodic table is a way to organize the elements and the atoms.

S: Yes, you actually talked about it before, when you were reviewing The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe by Theodore Gray. Do you remember that book?

C: Yes, of course I do.

S: So how is this book similar ot or different from that book?

C: Well, it is similar because it talks about many different elements and their uses. There are special pages for some of the elements and some of the elements are together on one page, but they talk about each of the elements.

S: That is cool!

C: Yes.

S: Back then, you told me your two favorite elements were titanium and uranium. If you were to pick two new ones now, which ones would you pick?

C: That’s a tough question. But I found some new interesting facts. Can I tell you about them?

S: Sure.

C: For example, Gallium is a metal that melts very quickly, only at 86 degrees Fahrenheit.

S: That is a reasonably warm day in California, no?

C: Yep.

S: That sounds interesting, a metal that can melt at a temperature that we can survive in. Is that what you found interesting about Gallium?

C: Yes. Also the book has very cute drawings, and I like the one for Gallium. It is a melted gray blob and it is very cute!

Caramel is reading about Gallium in Animated Science: Periodic Table, illustrated by Shiho Pate and written by John Farndon. — Caramel is reading about Gallium in *Animated Science: Periodic Table*, illustrated by Shiho Pate and written by John Farndon.

S: So tell me more about the drawings then.

C: They make them very cute. All the elements have faces and they are different colors and some are wearing clothes.

S: That is funny!

C: Yep. Then there is a green cube that is silicon and he is being sliced up so people can make chips with it. It could be sad or scary, but the cube is looking very serious but not in pain. So maybe he is concentrating.

S: That could be!

C: Also I learned from this book that the Latin name for lead is plumbum, and that is why its abbreviation is Pb.

S: I did not know that!

C: Neither did I.

S: So the book is full of lots of new facts then, right?

C: Yes. So “factful” is one of my three words.

S: Okay, so what are your other words then?

C: Incredibly cute pictures.

S: Hmm, that is three words on its own. But alright, I think we can let it slip by. So do you think other little bunnies would enjoy this book?

C: Yep. Especially if they like cute pictures.

S: Okay, that sounds good Caramel. Let us wrap this up then. What would you like to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel loved reading Animated Science: Periodic Table, illustrated by Shiho Pate and written by John Farndon and recommends it to all curious little bunnies looking to learn more about the world around us. — Caramel loved reading *Animated Science: Periodic Table*, illustrated by Shiho Pate and written by John Farndon and recommends it to all curious little bunnies looking to learn more about the world around us.

Caramel reviews Invented by Animals by Christiane Dorion and Gosia Herba

Every summer the book bunnies take the month of July off. For his last review before the summer break, Caramel chose to talk today about a fun book he read recently: Invented by Animals, written by Christiane Dorion, illustrated by Gosia Herba, and published in 2021. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Caramel reviews Invented by Animals, written by Christiane Dorion and illustrated by Gosia Herba. — Caramel reviews *Invented by Animals*, written by Christiane Dorion and illustrated by Gosia Herba.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, tell me a bit about Invented by Animals. It has an inviting subtitle: “Meet the creatures who inspired our everyday technologies.”

Caramel: This book has a lot of different animals telling us about what inventions or ideas for inventions they gave to humans.

S: What is that supposed to mean? Can you give me an example?

C: My favorite is an eagle telling us how his eyeballs work. And how well he sees.

S: Hmm, so it is not that the eagle itself has invented neat eyes, but humans have been inspired by how his eyes work.

C: Yes.

S: That makes sense. Are there any examples of the other kind, where some animal is doing something interesting or has invented something intentionally to solve a problem and the humans are inspired by it to do something themselves?

C: Yes. For example, the paper wasp chews up bark and mixes it with its saliva to create paper. That is one of the ways humans figured out how to make paper themselves. In fact today’s paper is made more or less in that same way.

S: I don’t think humans chew bark to make paper.

C: Nor do bunnies, Sprinkles, I know. But the idea is about the same.

S: I see.

Caramel is reading Invented by Animals, written by Christiane Dorion and illustrated by Gosia Herba. — Caramel is reading *Invented by Animals*, written by Christiane Dorion and illustrated by Gosia Herba.

S: I know you love your facts, Caramel. Did you learn new facts from this book?

C: Yes, a ton! Almost all of the book was new to me.

S: That is awesome, so you must have enjoyed the book immensely.

C: Yes, I did.

S: So give the a three-word description of the book then.

C: Colorful, factful, and nature-ful.

S: Hmm, why don’t we rephrase that and say, full of color, facts, and cool nature?

C: I can work with that!

S: Okay. What else can you tell us about the book?

C: I love the pictures! They are not quite anatomically correct; all animals have mouths on the front of their heads, and eyes and so on, and they are wearing clothes. Some even have shoes.

S: Hmm, so they are anthropomorphized, I suppose.

C: Exactly.

S: So how did that make you feel as a bunny?

C: Well, I have eyes and a mouth in the front of my head, too, so that works for me.

S: I guess those features make the illustrations more friendly and fun, right?

C: Yep. But I wished that they had some things about bunnies. It made me feel kind of excluded.

S: I see. But they could not have something from all animals. The book would be too long.

C: That’s true. But I still kind of wanted a bunny invention there.

S: I can totally sympathize.

C: They had an albatross even. Come on!

S: I understand Caramel. But other than that, you did enjoy the book, right?

C: Yep, very much so. Maybe they can write a second volume, and they can include a bunny or two in that one.

S: We can always hope. Okay, Caramel, this is a good time to wrap up this review. Is there something you want to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews! We will be back in August!

Caramel loved reading Invented by Animals, written by Christiane Dorion and illustrated by Gosia Herba, and recommends it to all young bunnies interested in learning more about the amazing creativity of nature. — Caramel loved reading *Invented by Animals*, written by Christiane Dorion and illustrated by Gosia Herba, and recommends it to all young bunnies interested in learning more about the amazing creativity of nature.

Caramel reviews Elbert in the Air by Monica Wesolowska and Jerome Pumphrey

Today Caramel reviews a sweet picture book published in 2023 titled Elbert in the Air, written by Monica Wesolowska and illustrated by Jerome Pumphrey. As always, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

The book bunnies received this book as a review copy.

Caramel reviews Elbert in the Air, written by Monica Wesolowska and illustrated by Jerome Pumphrey. — Caramel reviews *Elbert in the Air*, written by Monica Wesolowska and illustrated by Jerome Pumphrey.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, here we are, once again talking about a brand new picture book. What can you tell us about Elbert in the Air?

Caramel: This book is about Elbert, who is a kid who floats. Quite literally. I mean he can float in the air, and he could do so since the time he was a baby.

S: So like a balloon?

C: Kind of.

S: That is interesting. Can he control it?

C: Not really. He can only go up it seems like. He can’t go down. It is really sad actually. How would he get food? I mean, his mom gives him things, but she has to climb a tree and so on to reach him.

S: You are right Caramel. Floating like a balloon sounds fun at first, but I guess it can be lonely.

C: It could be cool if you could control it.

S: I agree Caramel. So do we know why Elbert floats?

C: Nope. He just does.

S: Okay, so what happens in the book?

C: He keeps flying and people are scared of him. They keep telling his mom how to control him and bring him down.

S: What does the mom do?

C: She does not do any of the things they tell her to. She says, “if Elbert was born to float, you should let him.”

S: I see. Do you think she is doing the right thing?

C: Yes.

S: She is not judging her child and trying to make him fit into other people’s expectations.

C: Yes, exactly. So I think she is doing the right thing.

S: But Elbert will be lonely if he is the only one floating.

C: Well, at some point he has regular friends while they can reach him, but then he flies up higher and regular folks cannot reach him. So for a while he is really lonely.

S: But at least he knows his mom is supporting him.

C: Yes.

S: Still it could be lonely…

C: Yes. I am sure it would be, but he does eventually find others who can float, and — wait, is that a spoiler?

S: Hmm, maybe.

C: Okay, I will say no more.

Caramel is reading Elbert in the Air, written by Monica Wesolowska and illustrated by Jerome Pumphrey. — Caramel is reading *Elbert in the Air*, written by Monica Wesolowska and illustrated by Jerome Pumphrey.

S: Alright, so let us look at the book in other ways. What did you think of the illustrations?

C: I thought they were good. There are a lot of pale blue, orange, brown, black, red, white, and so on.

S: Somewhat muted and calming colors mostly?

C: Yes. Except the red and the orange. But those are fun colors too.

S: So you liked the colors! What was your favorite part of the book?

C: Well, I cannot tell, because it is at the end, and I do not want to spoil things any more than I did already.

S: That’s fair. Okay Caramel, so if you were to summarize this book in three words, what would you say?

C: Colorful, floating, and happy.

S: I like those!

C: Actually, maybe I’d say adventurous, too.

S: Alright, then. I think those are good words to summarize the book. Let us wrap up our review then. What would you like to tell our readers Caramel?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading Elbert in the Air by Monica Wesolowska and Jerome Pumphrey, and recommends it to all the little bunnies all over the world. — Caramel enjoyed reading *Elbert in the Air* by Monica Wesolowska and Jerome Pumphrey, and recommends it to all the little bunnies all over the world.