Caramel’s reviews – Page 47

Caramel reviews Cleopatra in Space: Target Practice by Mike Maihack

Recently Caramel discovered Cleopatra in Space, a series of graphic novels by Mike Maihack about the famed Egyptian queen Cleopatra and her futuristic adventures. Today he reviews the first book in the series: Cleopatra in Space: Target Practice. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, tell me about this book.

Caramel: This book is about Cleopatra who goes to the future.

S: Wait, the Cleopatra?

C: Yes the famous Egyptian queen. She is not a queen yet though. She is young, fifteen years old. And she touches a tablet, the Ata tablet, which transfers her to the future.

S: What kind of future? Cleopatra lived about two thousand years ago. Does she come to our time?

C: No, she goes into the far future. There are ray guns and stuff in this future.

S: Hmm, sounds science fiction-y…

C: Yes. It is quite science-fiction-y. She is supposed to save the galaxy, there is a prophesy, and she alone is supposed to save the galaxy. But it is not clear what she will need to do to save the galaxy in this first book. She will have to recover a sword, I think, but she also has to go to school in this future. In her own words, she says,

“Light years from my home planet, millennia in the future, and a supposed savior of the galaxy, and I still have to go to school?!”
Cleopatra

S: Hmm, she does not like school?

C: Yeah. She has to learn a lot of things, and she does not seem to like most of her classes. She is taking Algebra, Biology, Literature, Alien Languages, and Target Practice. But she likes Target Practice; it is her favorite class.

S: So what is she training to use in Target Practice?

C: She is learning to use the ray guns.

S: Hmm, so there are some galactic wars coming up in her future, I suppose.

C: I think so. But the war part has not started yet.

Caramel is reading Cleopatra in Space: Target Practice by Mike Maihack. — Caramel is reading *Cleopatra in Space: Target Practice* by Mike Maihack.

S: Hmm, so it seems like this book is just right up your alley. You like graphic novels, and the book is quite science fiction-y and …

C: And there are space ships! And I like space ships! Hers is shaped like a sphinx.

S: That sounds cool. So tell me three words you’d use to describe this book.

C: Colorful, exciting, historical.

S: So do you learn anything historical from the book?

C: Not much. But Cleopatra is from ancient history and it is fun to see her learn about the far future.

S: And the illustrations are pretty colorful, I agree. I saw that there is a TV series about these books. Did you know about that?

C: Not until now! Can we put in a trailer here?

S: Yes let us do that:

Cleopatra in Space | Official Trailer | Peacock.

C: This looks cool! But I think Akila does not look anything like she does in the book. In the book she looks like a normal person. In the TV series, she looks weird, with pink hair and weird eyes and blue skin.

S: Maybe they wanted to make her look more alien?

C: Yes, she is an alien but in the book she looks like a normal human.

S: Hmm, so I am thinking you don’t want to watch the show?

C: No I did not say that! Maybe we can watch an episode or two. Maybe even tonight?

S: Hmm, we will see about that. What about the book series? Apparently there are five more books about Cleopatra in space.

C: Well, I checked out the second book from my school library already. I will definitely read that one.

S: Sounds like a plan. If you like it, you might even review it for our blog.

C: Yep.

S: So this is probably a good time to wrap things up. What do you want to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel loved reading Cleopatra in Space: Target Practice by Mike Maihack, and is looking forward to reading and reviewing the next book in the series. — Caramel loved reading *Cleopatra in Space: Target Practice* by Mike Maihack, and is looking forward to reading and reviewing the next book in the series.

Caramel reviews Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

Today Caramel reviews the first book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney: Diary of a Wimpy Kid, published first in 2007. As usual Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: Caramel, let us start with you telling us a bit about this book.

Caramel: This book is about Greg Heffley, who is just starting middle school. AS he writes, he is “stuck in middle school with a bunch of morons”.

S: Hmm, so Greg does not like his school friends much.

C: He does not like most of the other kids in school, that’s right. All except for his one friend, Rowley. Greg is not very happy at school.

S: Hmm, so this Greg does not sound like a very good role model for a little bunny.

C: Greg is definitely not a good role model.

S: But I think a lot of kids sometimes feel out of place and maybe they have some unpleasant feelings about other people. So maybe Greg is in some ways representing the unsatisfied and unhappy part of being a kid.

C: I guess so. He is kind of a jerk actually.

S: Hmm, how so?

C: He is mean to Rowley, and he does write a lot of mean things about people. Like would you ever say your school friends are all morons?

S: Well, moron is a pretty bad word.

C: Then again there are two bullies in the school and they are really really mean to Greg and Rowley.

S: So I can then understand Greg being upset and angry towards those kids, but no, we would not say all kids in our school are morons. Greg is pretty unfiltered that way.

C: Well, it is his diary after all. He uses some bad words in there too.

S: That is true, we can assume he is not planning to say any of the bad words in real life but uses this diary as an outlet for all his negative feelings.

C: Yes, but he calls it a journal, not a diary.

S: What is the difference?

C: I don’t know. I think he thinks diaries are for girls.

S: Hmm, not sure if I like that! You recently reviewed a book about a writer’s notebook, and there, too, we tried to make a distinction between a writer’s notebook and a journal. So maybe Greg thinks calling it a journal rather than a diary makes it sound more serious.

C: Yes, I think he wants to sound all grownup and mature.

Caramel is reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney. — Caramel is reading *Diary of a Wimpy Kid* by Jeff Kinney.

S: But he is in middle school!

C: That is pretty old for me!

S: That is true. Then since you are so far away from middle school, did this book feel alien to you?

C: Well not quite. School is school, and Greg is trying to act big and mature, and he seems to think he is better than everyone else, and that can happen everywhere.

S: Do you really think he thinks he is better than everyone else? I have a sneaking suspicion that he is actually not that confident about himself.

C: I guess he is not happy with who he is, but he is really behaving like a jerk sometimes.

S: But through the course of the year, he does learn some things about being a good friend and finding a place for himself in the school, right?

C: I guess so.

S: Did you know that this is the first of a series and there are many more books about Greg and his friends?

C: Yes, but I might want to wait a bit before reaidng those. Middle school is a long way away.

S: I know. But maybe we will watch the animated version of this book?

C: Yes! I think I’d like that. Can we insert the trailer here?

S: Sure. Here you go:

Diary of a Wimpy Kid | Official Trailer | Disney+ (YouTube).

S: The pictures are straight out of the book itself.

C: Yes they really look like the book.

S: What did you think of the illustrations?

C: They are funny, I think the author wanted to make it look like Greg is drawing things in his diary. The book is like a notebook too, there are lines on each page, each page looks like a lined notebook page, and the writing is almost like handwriting.

S: Very neat handwriting though, because I can read it.

C: Yes. I can read my handwriting too but not everyone else can.

S: It is getting much better through the years though. Practice practice practice.

C: Yep.

S: So what three words would you use to describe this book?

C: Funny, multiple plots, funny drawings.

S: Hmm, you used “funny” twice but let’s let it pass. I agree with you, the word works in both places. So what do you want to tell our readers as we wrap up this review?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney, and is thinking he might come back to it right before starting middle school. — Caramel enjoyed reading *Diary of a Wimpy Kid* by Jeff Kinney, and is thinking he might come back to it right before starting middle school.

Caramel reviews Waffles and Pancake: Planetary-YUM by Drew Brockington

Today Caramel talks about Wafles and Pancake: Planetary-YUM, by Drew Brockington. As usual Sprinkles is taking notes and asking followup questions.

The book bunnies received this book as a review copy.

Caramel reviews Waffles and Pancake: Planetary-YUM by Drew Brockington. — Caramel reviews *Waffles and Pancake: Planetary-YUM* by Drew Brockington.

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

Caramel: This book is about two cats named Pancake and Waffles. Pancake is Waffles’s sister I think.

S:So what happens to them? Do they go to a planetarium?

C: Yes. They go to a science museum and there is a planetarium there. They go with their father, and they see the dino-cats and the saber tooth tiger …

S: Wait, what is a dino-cat?

C: Basically dinosaurs, but they are cats too.

S: So maybe prehistoric cats?

C: I guess so.

S: Then what happens?

C: They go to watch Hairballs in 4D.

S: So is that a film?

C: Yes, They always have these types of movies in science centers, so this is one of those. Then they go to the planetarium, and they look at the skies and so on, but then they get separated from their dad. And they are really worried.

S: That does sound like it could be scary.

C: Yes. Then they talk to someone who is working there. And in the end, they go to their mom’s home and see some constellations in the night sky and they can recognize them!

S: Wait, so they eventually find their dad?

C: Yes, of course. Otherwise this would not be a funny book, it would be tragic.

S: I understand. So the book is funny then?

C: Yes. Their dad asks them their favorite part of the trip to the museum and apparently it was lunch!

S: That is quite funny!

C: And there are other funny parts too. It is a funny book!

Caramel is reading Waffles and Pancake: Planetary-YUM by Drew Brockington. — Caramel is reading *Waffles and Pancake: Planetary-YUM* by Drew Brockington.

S: So then funny would be one of your words to describe the book. What other words would you use?

C: Funny, colorful, and … easy to read.

S: Yes, you did read it fast.

C: It was fun so I read it quickly.

S: So were there some facts about space in the book too? It kind of seemed like that to me.

C: Yes some but not as much as some other books, like the Narwhal and Jelly books have a lot more facts. But this did have some facts.

S: Any that was new to you?

C: It takes 27.32 days for the moon to orbit the earth.

S: You might have kind of known it takes about a month but not the exact time, right?

C: That’s right. They also talk about meteorites and such but I knew about those before. They also talk about Neil Pawstrong, which is the cat version of Neil Armstrong, the first human on the moon.

S: That is cool! I saw that other words were cat-ified, too…

C: Yes, like fur-ever, when the kitty siblings are worried they might have to live forever at the museum because they lost their dad, they say “we might have to live here fur-ever” instead.

S: Would you like to live at a museum?

C: No. All the dinosaur skeletons would freak me out, especially at night.

S: I undertand.

C: Wouldn’t you be scared of a museum full of dinosaurs at night?

S: I guess I would.

C: But reading this book, I also learned that there are other books with Waffles the cat, and he is a CatStronaut.

S: What is that?

C: The cat version of an astronaut I think. So there are apparently a lot of other books about the adventures of Waffles when he is a grown cat and an astronaut.

S: Sounds like you are curious …

C: Yes, I am! I want to read more about Waffles …

S: Hmm, we will see if we can get your paws on some of them some day. But for now, what would you like to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunnies reviews!

Caramel really enjoyed reading Waffles and Pancake: Planetary-YUM by Drew Brockington, and is looking forward to reading some of the earlier books about the adventures of CatStonauts. — Caramel really enjoyed reading *Waffles and Pancake: Planetary-YUM* by Drew Brockington, and is looking forward to reading some of the earlier books about the adventures of CatStonauts.

Caramel reviews A Writer’s Notebook by Ralph Fletcher

Over the summer Caramel got into keeping a notebook where he doodles sketches and writes stories. Today he reviews the book that inspired it all: A Writer’s Notebook by Ralph Fletcher. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

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

Caramel: This book is about keeping a writer’s notebook.

S: What is a writer’s notebook?

C: A notebook where writers put writing about their everyday lives. Things they see, think of, and read about. They use it to capture interesting points in the past, so that they can remember them.

S: So it is like a journal, in some ways. They write notes on what is going on and what they think about those things. So how is a writer’s notebook different from a journal? What makes a writer’s notebook a writer’s notebook?

C: Hmm, I am not sure.

S: Maybe it has something to do with the person being a writer?

C: Yes, because if you are a writer, you come back to what you wrote and think about it and maybe you can use it in your stories or poems and so on.

S: So a writer’s notebook is basically a journal, but the person keeping it uses it for their writing purposes.

C: Yes.

Caramel is reading A Writer's Notebook by Ralph Fletcher. — Caramel is reading *A Writer’s Notebook* by Ralph Fletcher.

S: So what is in the book exactly?

C: There are chapters about how different people use their writer’s notebooks. For example, there is a chapter about writing down memories of events that were important to you. Then there is a chapter where you learn that you can also write about really small things, things that might be interesting but not really important. But then somehow those might be useful later if you are writing a story or something.

S: I see.

C: There is a chapter called Fierce Wonderings, which is about how you can also write in your notebook about things that you want to know more about. There is a chapter about listening in on other people’s conversations and taking notes if they sound interesting.

S: I guess that teaches you about interesting dialogue.

C: I guess so. You can also have seed ideas.

S: What are those?

C: A seed idea is an idea that you can build on, so for example the author writes about someone who kept collecting facts about spiders.

S: That reminds me of your notebook, where you keep drawing different robot models.

C: Yes.

S: I think yours is not only a writer’s notebook, but rather, an artist’s notebook. Because you are drawing more than writing.

C: I guess so. But I think the idea is the same.

S: Yes, I can see that. You also keep drawing similar things and try to improve on the details. I think sometimes writers do that in their notebooks too.

C: Writers also put other people’s sentences and ideas in their notebooks too, if they like it.

S: And that is kind of similar to when you were trying to draw Eve in your notebook, inspired by the female robot in the movie Wall-E. You like how she is drawn and want to see if you can draw something similar.

C: Yes.

S: So do you also write stories or even shorter things in your notebook?

C: Yes. I have a few sentences here and there.

S: Do you like keeping a notebook?

C: Yes. Because then I can draw things whenever I want.

S: I can see how that is appealing. So let us get back to this book. What three words would you use to describe this book?

C: Many voices because the author shares writings of many other people, many of them are kids like me. Good ideas to get started with your own notebook… And … quick. It is a short book so I read it quickly.

S: That was definitely more than three words, but you did provide us with three distinct features of the book. Thank you. So let us wrap things up. What do you want to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading A Writer's Notebook by Ralph Fletcher, and will probably continue to doodle and write in his notebook in the coming months and years. . — Caramel enjoyed reading *A Writer’s Notebook* by Ralph Fletcher, and will probably continue to doodle and write in his notebook in the coming months and years.