Caramel’s reviews – Page 8

Caramel reviews Will the Pigeon Graduate? by Mo Willems

All the book bunnies love Mo Willems and his books about the Pigeon. Caramel even reviewed a couple of them for the book bunnies blog. See, for example, his reviews of The Pigeon HAS To Go To School and Be the Bus. Today he talks to Sprinkles about a brand new Pigeon book: Will the Pigeon Graduate? As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, today we are talking about a new book about the Pigeon!

Caramel: Yep, the best pigeon in the world is back!

S: You have read quite a lot of the other books about the Pigeon. You also reviewed two of them. What is this one about?

C: This one is about how the pigeon is growing up, and he is scared about the future after finishing school.

S: He is already graduating? How exciting!

C: Well, he had to go to school back in 2019 so I suppose it is time.

S: You are right of course. At some point school ends and the rest of life begins.

C: Yep, but I don’t like that idea.

S: Why not?

C: I like being a young bunny going to school. I like it too much.

S: Why do you like it so much? I know you learn a lot of things at school every day and I know you like learning. But you can continue to learn outside of school. too.

C: True, I guess you are right. But at school you have friends–

S: You can make friends after school, too.

C: Yes, but school friends are the best! And at school, people tell you to do things, and you do them, and that is all the work you have. You do not have to earn money, save money, buy or rent a house, and all that adult stuff.

S: I get that, Caramel. Growing up can be hard. And this is exactly what this book is about, isn’t it?

C: Yeah, I guess that the Pigeon is very smart.

S: How so?

C: Well, he knows finishing school means he has to start making important decisions and taking care of more things and being careful about all kinds of details and so on.

S: That is very much true Caramel. But in the end he gathers up his courage and decides he is ready for whatever is coming his way, right?

C: Yes.

Caramel is reading Will the Pigeon Graduate? by Mo Willems. — Caramel is reading *Will the Pigeon Graduate?* by Mo Willems.

S: I am thinking this could be a really nice gift for someone finishing high school or elementary school or even college. What do you think?

C: Yep, I think in a couple of years, Marshmallow might like it. There is even a little place in the inside cover of the book for a photo of someone graduating. We could put Marshmallow’s picture there.

S: We could definitely do that. But we could also save it for you. You will also be graduating soon yourself.

C: Yes, but I am going to go to another school right after.

S: That still counts as moving to a bigger new world. That new school is bigger than your current one. And there will be a lot of changes.

C: Hmm, I am not sure I am ready for a lot of changes.

S: I know. We are not always ready but they come nonetheless. Anyways, there is still some time, but by the time that change comes, you will be ready. I am quite sure.

C: Hmm, I hope you are right, Sprinkles.

S: Remember how many years ago, you were about to change classrooms and get a new teacher and you were kind of anxious about it? We talked about it when we were discussing My Teacher Is A Robot.

C: Yeah, that was a good book. And I did end up liking my new teacher a lot. Okay, maybe you are right. Maybe I can handle some changes, just like the Pigeon.

S: Yay! That’s the right attitude Caramel! I think this is a perfect place to end this review.

C: Alright by me!

S: Okay, what would you like to tell our readers then?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading Will the Pigeon Graduate? by Mo Willems and thinks this book would be a great gift for new graduates. — Caramel enjoyed reading *Will the Pigeon Graduate?* by Mo Willems and thinks this book would be a great gift for new graduates.

Caramel reviews Voyage to the Bunny Planet by Rosemary Wells

Today Caramel is talking to Sprinkles about Voyage to the Bunny Planet, a little book by Rosemary Wells, first published in 1992.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, today we are talking about a book about a planet of bunnies!

Caramel: Yep, something we would like!

S: Well, I quite like living on this planet.

C: Me, too. But it is also cool to think of a planet only for us, you know.

S: That is true. It might be fun to think about that… Okay so tell me what this book is about.

C: It is about three bunnies named Robert, Claire, and Felix, who are sad, and they dream about a planet called the bunny planet. On the bunny planet, there is a bunny, Janet the Bunny Queen, who helps them feel better about their day.

S: That sounds neat!

C: Yeah, it is a neat idea.

S: So they get to do a do-over of something that went wrong?

C: No, it is more like she helps them feel better by seeing things in different ways.

S: That makes sense. So do all three bunnies have a bad day at the same time? Are they friends? Do they know each other?

C: No, I don’t think so. The three bunnies each have their own stories. It looks like each story is independent, and maybe they were even published as separate books first, and they put them in one book here.

S: Yes, it does seem like it, Caramel. I saw online that there were three little books before this one, and this one brings all three together and adds a little bit to the beginning about Janet the Bunny Queen.

C: That makes total sense. The three bunnies’ stories are all separated, like different chapters. The first story is about Claire and is called “First Tomato”. The second is about Robert and it is called “Moss Pillows”. And the last one is called “The Island Light”, and that one is about Felix. So I can see how they were separate books first.

Caramel is reading Voyage to the Bunny Planet by Rosemary Wells. — Caramel is reading *Voyage to the Bunny Planet* by Rosemary Wells.

S: I think the author added an introduction about Janet the Bunny Queen for this collection. But it all seems to have worked out fine, right? It worked like a single book for you?

C: Yes. Of course this book is already quite short, so the three individual books must have been even shorter. But then again, it is a little book for little bunnies, so that makes sense, too.

S: Yes it does! And I think little bunnies can read them with a parent bunny or with an older sibling bunny, and they can read one story at a time. I can imagine how that could work for a nice nighttime reading.

C: Yeah, it would be a nice calming book to read, or be read to from, after a hard day. And every little bunny has a hard day every now and then.

S: Of course! Every bunny has a hard day sometimes. Remember Alexander, who had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day?

C: Yes! But that book went through the whole day, and everything did go bad for Alexander, and he kind of had a bad attitude about it, too, and it ended that way in the end, too. Here the unhappy bunnies end up happy.

S: I can see how someone who had a bad day can appreciate Alexander’s story, too. When you are really grumpy, you might want to continue to be grumpy and annoyed and feel like all is wrong with the world and sulk. But more generally, it is a good idea to be able to shift perspective and take a different look at things, and try to see them from more positive angles. Voyage to the Bunny Planet seems to be saying that.

C: Yes. You know, I kind of was angry at Alexander. He did get a bit too whiny when a lot of the time he was just unlucky. And there were no bunnies in that book. So I think I like this book a lot better.

S: I can understand that! Also, Alexander’s story does not end happily, and you like happy endings.

C: Yes, that is another reason why I like this book a lot more.

S: I am glad you found yet another book that you like Caramel! So this is a good time to wrap up this review, I think.

C: Yep, I agree.

S: What do you want to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading Voyage to the Bunny Planet by Rosemary Wells and recommends it to all the little bunnies and their adults who had a bad day and want to curl up into a ball and read a bit of happiness into their day. — Caramel enjoyed reading *Voyage to the Bunny Planet* by Rosemary Wells and recommends it to all the little bunnies and their adults who had a bad day and want to curl up into a ball and read a bit of happiness into their day.

Caramel reviews Wishtree by Katherine Applegate

Both Caramel and Marshmallow have enjoyed reading many books by Katherine Applegate through the years. And they have reviewed them for the book bunnies blog. (Readers might enjoy Marshmallow’s reviews of The One And Only Ivan, Willodeen and Crenshaw, and Caramel’s reviews of The One and Only Bob, The One and Only Ruby, and The One and Only Family.) Today Caramel is talking to Sprinkles about Wishtree, first published in 2017.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, today we are talking about a new-to-us book by Katherine Applegate.

Caramel: Yep. It is named Wishtree and it is about a wishtree. A wishtree is a tree that people tie things to its leaves and branches to make a wish. A tree for making wishes. So It’s kind of like the name of the book.

S: Yes, I suppose it is very descriptive. So this is a book about a tree. How does that work? Wouldn’t that be kind of boring?

C: No, it is a tree that can talk, so it is interesting. And it is the tree telling its own story so you learn that the inside story of trees is really not boring at all.

S: Wait, the book is narrated by a tree? I have to read this book; it sounds fascinating!

C: Yes, it really is.

S: Okay, so please tell me more.

C: Okay, so, in this town there is this oak tree that has been there for two hundred years, and at some point the people who live there have started to think that if they write a wish on a piece of paper and tie it to the branch of the tree, it will grant their wishes.

S: Does it actually work?

C: Yes, but not because of magic or anything. The tree is not magical, but it can still help sometimes, because it has animal friends that help it to grant wishes.

S: So the tree has friends? That is cool. And they are not all other trees.

C: Oh no. It has many animal friends. There is a crow named Bongo, for example, that is the tree’s best friend.

S: Cool. So is the whole book about the tree and its friends then?

C: Yep, but this person whose garden the tree is in wants to cut it down, and its friends try to save it.

S: The tree’s animal friends?

C: Yes. And they do manage to save it in the end.

S: That’s good.

C: Yes. Then there is a child named Samar in town who is bullied because she is different from the others, because her family is Muslim and some of the other children do not treat her very kindly. So Samar is very lonely and she wishes for a friend. And then things get really tense but the tree and its animal friends find a really kind way to solve all the problems. Samar gets a friend and the person who wanted to cut the tree down remembers her great-great-grandmother’s first wish which came true and made the wishtree become a wishtree.

S: So all ends well then?

C: Yes, and you know I always like happy stories.

Caramel is reading Wishtree by Katherine Applegate. — Caramel is reading *Wishtree* by Katherine Applegate.

S: I do. Did you know that the author wrote this book after The One and Only Ivan, thinking that after writing through the eyes of a gorilla, writing through the eyes of a tree could also be fun?

C: No, but that is really cool!

S: I agree. Did you also know that some people tried to ban this book? Apparently because the tree says that it is both female and male so it has both genders, so people thought this was inappropriate for young readers. Here is an interview with the author about one such event.

C: Oh, well, that is interesting, but I disagree. It is a scientific fact that oak trees have both male and female flowers on them.

S: Apparently it is called monoecious. Even Wikipedia has an article on monoecy.

C: Hmm, I did not know the word, but I knew the concept. Some trees can reproduce just by themselves.

S: Of course Caramel, you and your facts! I am just happy I at least found a word that you did not know.

C: No I knew the word monoecious, the tree calls itself that in the book. I just did not know the word “monoecy”.

S: You continue to amaze me Caramel.

C: Yep, I am amazing, aren’t I?

S: Yes, but I would not call you very modest. Anyways, do you think this is a good place to end our review?

C: Yep, I think that would be a good idea.

S: Would you recommend Wishtree to other little bunnies?

C: Yes. It is a really nice story about friendship and kindness and also trees and how cool they are. And it has a happy ending. What is not to like? So yes, every little bunny should read it!

S: Okay, that is great Caramel. 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 Wishtree by Katherine Applegate and recommends it to all little bunnies who like the quiet of trees and find happiness in friendship. — Caramel enjoyed reading *Wishtree* by Katherine Applegate and recommends it to all little bunnies who like the quiet of trees and find happiness in friendship.

Caramel reviews All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

Today Caramel reviews All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells, written in 2017 and the winner of the Hugo Award for Best Novella in 2018. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, today we are talking about All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries.

Caramel: Yep.

S: So tell us a bit about this book.

C: Sure. All Systems Red is about a SecUnit, a security oriented robot who is an augmented human.

S: What is an augmented human Caramel?

C: A person that is a mix between a robot and a human.

S: They used to call that a cyborg, I think. I guess “augmented human” makes it sound more like you begin with a human and modify them. Kind of scary to think about. Like the Cybermen of Doctor Who.

C: Yeah kind of, but this one is more, docile

S: Docile but he is called Murderbot! That sounds a bit violent.

C: Yeah, I think he calls himself that, as an ironic name, I think. Apparently, he went out of control and killed a lot of people some time ago, but now humans trust him again. He just calls himself Murderbot because he has dreams of being scary and powerful and so on.

S: Wait, so he has dreams or aspirations?

C: Yes, he is sentient. He also realizes at some point that he has free will. So he can override the commands he is being given, but chooses not to, because he does not want others to know.

S: Ooh, that is so interesting! So many questions! Is his free will coming from his human part? Or maybe the machine part is somehow capable of sentience and free will?

C: I don’t know, but I think it has something to do with some other SecUnits who attacked and one of them installed an override module to its neck.

S: So if nobody else knows of this, are we reading his own thoughts?

C: Yes. He is the narrator. I guess that is why it is called a diary after all.

Caramel is reading All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells. — Caramel is reading *All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries* by Martha Wells.

S: So what does he do with his free will? What does he want to do?

C: He mainly watches TV in his free time.

S: Oh, that is hilarious! Kind of like how when TV and the internet first came to be, people thought about all the amazing things we would do with these new tools, but almost everyone uses these to watch soap operas or post cat photos or funny dance videos.

C: Yes, it is sad in a way. He could be planning to rebel or build a free world for his kind or something grand like that, but all he wants to do is watch soap operas without being bothered.

S: But also realistic. I mean not everyone wants to be a leader or a revolutionary, but everyone enjoys funny cat videos.

C: Almost everyone. I’d rather watch funny bunny videos.

S: You are right of course. Bunny videos are so much better! Anyways, do you like Murderbot? Is he likeable? Funny?

C: Yeah, he is very funny. And he is laid back and he does not take himself seriously.

S: That is cool! Did you know that they are making a TV show about Murderbot?

C: No! But that sounds awesome! Can we put the trailer on this thing?

S: Sure, here we go:

C: Thank you! That does look cool! I think it is not only the book I read though.

S: Yes, there are a few followup books about Murderbot.

C: Ooh, can I read them?

S: Hmm, I am not sure if they were published as paper books but we can definitely look into it.

C: Yes, please let’s!

S: Okay, sounds like you did enjoy reading All Systems Red.

C: Yep, it was super cool.

S: Okay, then, we will figure something out. It seems like this is a good place to end our review. What do you want to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells and is wondering if he can read the sequels as well. — Caramel enjoyed reading *All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries* by Martha Wells and is wondering if he can read the sequels as well.