A few years ago, Marshmallow reviewed The One and Only Ivan, a beautiful book by Katherine Applegate. At that time the whole book bunny family watched the accompanying movie. A year or so later, Caramel was able to read the same book himself and enjoyed it a lot. This week, he was able to get his paws on the sequel, The One and Only Bob, published in 2020. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.
Caramel reviews The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate.
Sprinkles: So Caramel, I know you liked The One and Only Ivan. If I recall correctly, that one ended with gorilla Ivan’s dog friend Bob all alone, because most of the other animal friends went to a new zoo. So does this book start there?
Caramel: More or less. We see Ivan and Ruby in this book too, because Bob keeps visiting the zoo they are living in, even though probably he is not supposed to. But apparently the zoo keepers don’t care, so he manages to sneak in whenever he wants, with Julia.
S: So he is still hanging out with Julia then? This was the girl who gave Ivan the crayons, right?
C: Yes and yes.
S: Oh then Bob is not that alone after all if he sees Julia all the time.
C: No he is not really alone. He is actually living with Julia and her dad.
S: I see. That is cool too. So what is the main problem in this book? Bob is not completely alone then. And Ivan and Ruby are safe and happy, right? And Ruby was the baby elephant, right?
C: Yup. They are happy, but Bob is not completely happy. Because he is not used to living with humans because he had gotten very used to being a stray. And because he wants to find his sister Boss.
S: We did not hear about Boss in the first book, did we?
C: I don’t think so, but she is Bob’s main goal in this book. And as he looks for her, he has a lot of adventures. A hurricane hits the town and the zoo that Ivan and Ruby were at is destroyed and Bob is separated from his humans. And a lot of other things happen too. It is a very adventure-full book.
S: I can see that.
Caramel is reading The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate.
S: So One and Only Ivan was written in first person, through the eyes of the gorilla Ivan. Is this written in Bob’s voice?
C: Yes. And Bob’s voice is very different from Ivan’s. I mean, he is a dog, but also he is not very trusting. He is different.
S: I see. It is neat that the author was able to create another fully alive animal voice. So overall, did you like the book?
C: Yes. I don’t think I could say it is better than the story of Ivan, but it is just as good, I think.
S: So maybe they should make a movie out of this one, too?
C: Yes! I loved the Ivan movie! That was cool. It would be good to have a Bob movie too!
S: Well, maybe there will be one. Did you know that the author has written a third book, about the elephant Ruby this time?
C: I didn’t know that! I have to read it too! And soon! Please!
S: Well, it won’t come out till May, it seems like, but sure, we can read it when it comes out.
C: Yes, that will be great! I really like Ruby too!
S: Okay, so let us start wrapping things up then. How would you describe this book in three words?
C: Adventurous Animal Fun, but it is not always fun, because sometimes sad things happen too.
S: Still, I think your description works well Caramel. Okay, what do you want to tell our readers as we wrap this up?
C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!
Caramel enjoyed reading The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate and thinks it would make a good movie!
Caramel has gone through almost all the books written by Tui T. Sutherland, including all fifteen books of her Wings of Fire series. Today he is talking about The Winglets Quartet: The First Four Stories (2020). As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.
Caramel reviews The Winglets Quartet: The First Four Stories by Tui T. Sutherland.
Sprinkles: So Caramel, you managed to find yet another Wings of Fire book to review.
Caramel: Yup! Heh heh heh!
S: So this looks like a collection of four stories. Right?
C: Yes. There is one about a NightWing named Fierceteeth (“Prisoners”), another about the NightWing assassin named Deathbringer (“Assassin”), another about a SandWing named Six-Claws (“Deserter”) and another about an IceWing named Arctic (“Runaway”).
S: I remember Deathbringer! We met him in the third book, The Hidden Kingdom, right?
C: Yep. But in the story about him, we learn more about Deathbringer’s life, how he became an assassin and so on. It is called “Assassin” after all.
S: I see. So are all four stories about characters that show up somewhere in the fifteen main books of the series then?
C: Yep. Fierceteeth shows up in the fourth book already. That is The Dark Secret. Six-Claws shows up in the fifth book, The Brightest Night. And we first hear about Arctic in the sixth book, Moon Rising. Though Arctic’s story is more like the story of Darkstalker, because he lived many many years ago. In fact he is Darkstalker’s father. But Moonwatcher starts to learn about Arctic from Darkstalker when he communicates with her through her mind. So that happens in the sixth book.
S: So let me get this straight. Three of the main characters of these stories are contemporary characters that we meet in the main series, but we learn a lot more about their backstories. And the fourth, Arctic, is a significant character mentioned in the books, but one who lived many many years before the events of those books took place. Right?
C: Yup, I think you got it.
Caramel is reading The Winglets Quartet: The First Four Stories by Tui T. Sutherland.
S: So tell me more. I do not remember you reading too many short stories. How did it feel to read these ones?
C: They are fun! I loved to learn more about these characters and their stories. And you know, anything more Tui T. Sutherland can tell me about the world of these dragons, I’m eager to read.
S: I know. So since we are listening to The Hidden Kingdom at the moment, and we have met Deathbringer already, I am curious about that story myself. Would you say that reading that story (“Assassin”) would help me understand The Hidden Kingdom better? Or maybe at least understand Deathbringer’s motivations?
C: Yes I guess. But the stories are just fun no matter what.
S: From what I can gather looking at the dates when these stories were written, or at least published, the author seems to have already gotten all of the first arc done and was more or less in the middle of the second arc. So it is kind of neat to think about how she was knitting this world up all together, but along the way, she went back and told us a nit more about some of the incidental characters, and made the world a lot richer.
C: Yes. I guess. So for example you can understand Deathbringer’s psyche much better after reading “Assassin”.
S: Wow, Caramel, psyche is a big word!
C: But it is the right word here. So you understand him a lot better because you learn that his mom died when he was very young and that is one of the reasons why he does not like Blister —
S: Wait, don’t give away too much! I think I want to read that story myself!
C: You should. I think it might be one of my favorites among the four. Then again they are all pretty awesome!
S: So are they as funny and violent as the main books?
C: They are funny but maybe not as violent. They are a little less bloody.
S: Okay, I think I might borrow the book for a bit then.
C: Sure. But we should probably wrap up this review before then.
S: I agree. So describe the book to me in three words then.
C: Descriptive, funny, and biographical. Because the stories are kind of like little biographies of the four dragons.
S: Makes sense to me. So what would you like to tell our readers next?
C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!
Caramel enjoyed reading The Winglets Quartet: The First Four Stories by Tui T. Sutherland, and hopes that there will eventually be more stories about this world.
Caramel reviews the graphic novel version of Moon Rising (Book Six of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland (with art work by Mike Holmes).
Caramel is a young bunny who loves dragons. In these last couple years, he has gone through all fifteen books of Tui Sutherland’s Wings of Fire series, and reviewed most of them. (His review of the fifteenth book, The Flames of Hope, contains links to all his reviews of the previous books.) He also loves graphic novels. So it was totally expected that when the graphic novel version of the sixth book in the series (Moon Rising) appeared, he just had to get his paws on a copy. Today, for his first review for the new year of 2023, he chose to talk about this book, written by Tui Sutherland, adapted by Barry Deutsch and Rachel Swirsky, with art work by Mike Holmes, and color by Maarta Laiho. As always, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.
Caramel reviews Moon Rising (the graphic novel version of Book Six of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland and Mike Holmes.
Sprinkles: So here we are, Caramel, back from our January break, and you have yet another Wings of Fire book to talk about!
Caramel: Yes! This is Moon Rising, the sixth book of the series. It is the first book of the second arc, Jade Mountain.
S: You reviewed the original version of Moon Rising for the blog before. And I know it was one of your favorites in the series.
C: Yes, I think it is my favorite after the fifteenth, fourteenth, and the tenth.
S: Well, that means it is one of your top three. That is neat. It means you really liked the book. How is this one?
C: Good. But different. The graphic novel versions are all really really different from the actual books.
S: How so?
C: I guess they have similarities, I mean the characters, the main plot lines, and so on, but the original books, they have so much more detail, it feels like you are there.
S: Well, the graphic novel usually does not have as much room for as many words, but the images can help you see the story, perhaps?
C: Yes, I like the pictures in the graphic novels.
S: Does how they depict the characters visually fit your view of them?
C: I guess. You mean do they look like what I think they should look like?
S: Yep.That’s what I mean.
C: Then yes. They do kind of look like what I think they should look like.
S: And since you have read the first five graphic novels before moving into the actual series, maybe they already set some of the imagery in your mind.
C: Maybe.
Caramel is reading Moon Rising (the graphic novel version of Book Six of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland and Mike Holmes.
S: So let us come back to Moon Rising. Can you remind our readers what the plot line is?
C: This is about Moonwatcher, who is a NightWing, and she has a dark secret. She has three dark secrets actually, but I will only tell one.
S: Okay, do tell.
C: She can read minds!
S: Oh yes, I seem to remember that from your review of the original version of the book.
C: Well, the story is the same as that one. With few minor differences. In the original book, there is a little bit more said about MoonWatcher’s secret, and there are more clues to her other dark secrets. But I won’t tell you more about those!
S: I guess I will have to wait and see for myself when we get to the book in audio. Perhaps this is a good time to tell our readers that we as a household are listening to the Wings of Fire books as audio books, and we are only in the third book (Hidden Kingdom).
C: Yes, but we are going kind of slow.
S: I know. We only listen to one chapter a night, and that is optimistic, some nights we don’t listen at all.
C: That happens way too often.
S: I know you like these books a lot, and listening to them, I can actually see why. The characters are all so vividly developed, though so far I only really met Clay, Tsunami, and Glory as the main narrators of the first three books, and the latter two are both too sure of themselves. Not like confidence isn’t nice, but theirs is more like, I know how to do all things and I don’t need help.
C: Yes, but both of them learn that they do need their friends.
S: I guess I can see that happened to Tsunami in the second book and might eventually happen to Glory in the third. So how about the central character of Moon Rising? Is Moonwatcher also very confident?
C: No she is the complete opposite. She doesn’t believe she can ever do anything right. But she is actually pretty awesome too.
S: Okay, so you liked this book!
C: Yes, I liked the original too, but the graphic novel is also pretty great. I already read it like fifty times.
S: I’d not doubt that. I have been seeing it in your paws for a while now.
C: Yep. I like reading it and rereading it. And I can’t wait till the seventh book comes out as a graphic novel.
S: I know! You do love these books. I think it might be time to wrap up this review though. What would you like to tell our readers as we do that?
C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!
Caramel loved to have the chance to finally read Moon Rising (the graphic novel version of Book Six of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland and Mike Holmes and is eagerly awaiting the graphic novel version of the seventh book.
As this year’s last Saturday falls on December 31, New Year’s Eve, we thought we would try something new and New-Year-ish and talk about all the books we have read this year.
[2022 saw the bunnies read and review many books, both new and classic. You can find a full list here.]
I enjoyed all the mathematical biography I read. I’d recommend each and every one of the six books most strongly. And I have to say my favorite children’s book about babies and where they come from is still the first one I read myself when I was a young bunny: Where Did I Come From? The Facts of Life Without Any Nonsense and With Illustrations, written by Peter Mayle, illustrated by Arthur Robins, and designed by Paul Walter.
Sprinkles reviewed Where Did I Come From? The Facts of Life Without Any Nonsense and With Illustrations, written by Peter Mayle, illustrated by Arthur Robins, and designed by Paul Walter on October 22, 2022.
But that book was published in 1973 and does show its age. So if I were to pick something more recent, I’d go with What Makes A Baby? written by Cory Silverberg and illustrated by Fiona Smyth, or It’s NOT The Stork: A Book About Girls, Boys, Babies, Families, and Friends, written by Robie H. Harris and illustrated by Michael Emberley, for younger bunnies, and I’d pick It’s SO Amazing: A Book About Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families, written by Robie H. Harris and illustrated by Michael Emberley, for older ones.
Sprinkles: Yes, and there is clearly a pattern. You love animals and you read about animals; you like robots, and you read about robots. So I’d guess that Pangolins was your favorite animal book?
Sprinkles: You also read and reviewed most of the Wings of Fire books this year.
Caramel: Yes, I should not forget those. Wings of Fire is still my favorite book series.
Sprinkles: Having read all fifteen now, do you have a favorite among them?
Caramel: Well, I read the Legends books, too, so there are more than fifteen actually.
Sprinkles: Yes, true, you reviewed Darkstalker on September 14, and Dragonslayer on September 21. Do you have a favorite among those?
Caramel: Among the Legends I think I like the Darkstalker a bit more, but they are all pretty awesome. And among the original fifteen, I cannot choose one.
Sprinkles: So how about choosing one per five books? For the Dragonet Prophesy, which is your favorite?
Caramel: Probably the fourteenth: The Dangerous Gift. But I still read and reread all fifteen of them.
Sprinkles: I know. The books are still all over the house. I think you really like Tui Sutherland and her imaginary worlds. You and I both read and enjoyed Tui Sutherland’s shorter series, The Menagerie, that she wrote with her sister.
Caramel: Yes, that is true. I did not want to read them first, but after you finished them all, you sort of made me. I did not want to get out of the Wings of Fire world at first.
Sprinkles: But you did enjoy them in the end.
Caramel: Yep.
Sprinkles: That happens! So Marshmallow, let us talk about the fiction you have read this year.
