change – BookBunnies

Marshmallow reviews All’s Faire in Middle School by Victoria Jamieson

The book bunnies are quite fond of Renaissance fairs and have been to a few in the last few years. So when Caramel brought home a library book about a young person growing up around these festivals, Marshmallow had to devour it, too. And today she is talking to Sprinkles about All’s Faire in Middle School by Victoria Jamieson, first published in 2017.

Sprinkles: So Marshmallow, you just had to read this book!

Marshmallow: Yes! But I did wait until Caramel finished it first. You know, he was the one who brought it home, so it is only fair.

S: Agreed. So tell me a bit about the book.

M: It’s about a girl named Imogene whose parents work at a Renaissance Fair. She occasionally works there, too. The book starts with her being nervous about starting middle school. She has always been home-schooled before, so she is not sure what to expect.

S: I see. So why is she going to middle school then? Why is she not continuing with home-schooling?

M: I am not sure. I think she wants to go because she thinks it is a brave thing to do.

S: I see. So how does it go?

M: She is not sure how school works, so she has difficulty understanding what the rules are.

S: Can you be more specific? What kinds of rules?

M: There are some unsaid social rules about who hangs out with whom, and she does not know how to read any of the social cues.

S: Okay.

M: Then she makes friends with a group of girls who seem nice at first, but then they are actually kind of toxic.

S: This is reminding me of the movie Mean Girls. There is a new version of the movie too, but we only saw the original one from 2004.

M: Yes, actually it is kind of similar. The main character there was also home-schooled and had some trouble fitting in with the kids in her high school. And just like the main character there, Imogene also makes a huge mistake.

S: She is unkind to some people so she can fit in with the “cool” kids?

M: Kind of. But of course this is middle school, so it is a bit different than the movie.

Marshmallow is reading All's Faire in Middle School by Victoria Jamieson. — Marshmallow is reading *All’s Faire in Middle School* by Victoria Jamieson.

S: Okay, so tell me a bit about the graphics. Did you like the drawing of the main character?

M: Yes.

S: The color scheme kind of reminded me of some of the books you reviewed from Raina Telgemeier.

M: There are some similarities I think. But I do not think one artist was necessarily influenced by the other. I think they are both neat illustrators. They both manage to draw very expressive faces and bodies with only a few strokes of their pen.

S: Sounds like you liked the book!

M: Yes. I’d rate it 100%.

S: Wow! That is great! I am glad Caramel found this in his school library.

M: Me too.

S: Okay, let us wrap this up then. It is getting late. What would you like to tell our readers as we finish this up?

M: Stay tuned for more amazing reviews from the book bunnies!

Marshmallow rates All's Faire in Middle School by Victoria Jamieson 100%. — Marshmallow rates *All’s Faire in Middle School* by Victoria Jamieson 100%.

Caramel reviews Oliver’s Great Big Universe by Jorge Cham

Caramel loves science and all sorts of factful books and documentaries. Today he is talking to Sprinkles about Oliver’s Great Big Universe by Jorge Cham, just published a couple weeks ago.

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

Caramel: This book is about a kid named Oliver. He is eleven and is starting middle school. He really likes science.

S: Kind of like you then, right?

C: Yes.

S: So is he anxious about starting a new school?

C: Yes he is. But he really really likes science, and he keeps talking about things he is learning. He talks about the universe, for example.

S: Tell me a fact he talks about that you did not know before.

C: He says the sun is squish-ploding.

S: What does that mean?

C: Essentially it means that the sun is squished by its huge gravity and then it explodes.

S: It keeps doing this?

C: Yes.

S: I wonder what the technical term for it is. Squish-ploding does not sound terribly technical. Anyways, what else did you learn?

C: If you lived in Mercury, you would be able to celebrate your birthday every three months!

S: I see. It is because the planet Mercury rotates around the sun much faster than our planet Earth?

C: Yep. Much faster.

Caramel is reading Oliver's Great Big Universe by Jorge Cham. — Caramel is reading *Oliver’s Great Big Universe* by Jorge Cham.

S: Okay, so I am guessing you like this book because it is full of facts.

C: Yes.

S: But it is not just a book of facts, is it? It is also about Oliver and how he is adjusting to his new school.

C: Yes.

S: Do you like Oliver?

C: Yes, he is cool. He knows a lot of scientific facts. In fact he wants to become an astrophysicist.

S: That is cool. So besides the science facts, is Oliver’s own story interesting, too?

C: Yes. He makes a friend eventually.

S: So I am guessing that this means the book has a happy ending.

C: Yep. Another reason why I liked the book!

S: I see. So if you were to describe the book in three words or so, how would you do that?

C: Factful, hilarious, science fun.

S: I think those work! So do you think any bunny could read this book and enjoy it?

C: I think so. There are many many funny pictures on each page, and I think the science is fun, but getting to know Oliver is really funny, too.

S: Yes, the author is the creator of a very successful web comic called Piled Higher and Deeper (also called PhD Comics). He was working on his doctoral degree at Stanford University when he began to publish these comic strips about graduate student life. Some of them are more like inside jokes than others, but a lot of them are really really hilarious.

C: I didn’t know that! But I can see he knows how to draw very funny things.

S: So I was curious about this book and now I know it is good. Thank you for sharing your thoughts about it. I will definitely want to read it myself too.

C: You should Sprinkles. I think you will really like it too.

S: I bet. So let us wrap up this review so I can grab the book from your paws and get started. What do you want to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading Oliver's Great Big Universe by Jorge Cham and recommends it to all young bunnies who are curious about the world (and the universe!) around them. — Caramel enjoyed reading *Oliver’s Great Big Universe* by Jorge Cham and recommends it to all young bunnies who are curious about the world (and the universe!) around them.

Marshmallow reviews The Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan

Marshmallow already reviewed the first three books of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series for the book bunnies blog. Then Caramel took over and reviewed the graphic novel versions of the full series. The two little bunnies through the years reviewed many many more books by Riordan. This week, The Chalice of the Gods, the much awaited new Percy Jackson book, hit the bookstores around the country, and Marshmallow managed to get her paws on a copy. Today she writes about her thoughts on this book and on revisiting the world of Percy Jackson.

[Through the years, the book bunnies have reviewed several of Rick Riordan’s series, such as Heroes of Olympus, Trials of Apollo, Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, and Kane Chronicles. Here are Marshmallow’s three reviews from the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series: The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, and The Titan’s Curse. And here are Caramel’s five The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, The Titan’s Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, and The Last Olympian.]

Marshmallow reviews The Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan. — Marshmallow reviews *The Chalice of the Gods* by Rick Riordan.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like books about Greek mythology or have enjoyed reading other books by Rick Riordan, then this might be the book for you. Just make sure you have read at least some of the Percy Jackson books before.

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Percy Jackson is now a senior in high school. We meet him in this book just when he is trying to survive his first day of school. (So in terms of chronology, this book is happening after all the books of Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Heroes of Olympus but I believe it is before the events of Trials of Apollo.) But as any Rick Riordan fan would know, things never go according to plan for Percy Jackson. Being called to the office, Percy finds out that his guidance counselor happens to be a Nereid, or (sort of) a spirit of the sea.

Percy wants to go to New Rome University (in Camp Jupiter) with his girlfriend Annabeth. Unfortunately, he learns that, since he was not supposed to be born (his father was not supposed to sire any more demigod children), he is ineligible for it. It turns out, however, that if he goes on three quests for the gods and acquires three letters of recommendation in return from those gods, he may apply to New Rome University.

Luckily the Greek gods never tire of finding new things to have the heroes take care of. And in no time, Ganymede, cup bearer to the gods, seeks Percy’s help in finding the stolen Chalice of the Gods. This chalice is extremely valuable, because if a mortal drinks from it, they become immortal.

Percy and Annabeth want to fulfill their college plans, so together with their friend Grover, they set out to complete this first quest. Ganymede needs Percy, Annabeth, and Grover to find the chalice quickly, before Zeus calls for “a toast!” or hosts a feast in which case Ganymede’s cup bearing skills, as well as the special chalice, will be needed. In order to find the thief, Percy, Annabeth, and Grover must question several suspects and investigate to find out where the chalice is.

Marshmallow is reading The Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan. — Marshmallow is reading *The Chalice of the Gods* by Rick Riordan.

Marshmallow’s Review: I really liked reading this book and found it to be a very nice visit back to the world of Percy Jackson, from Percy Jackson’s perspective. I enjoyed reading about these familiar characters again. Riordan’s writing style was again hilarious and touching.

That said, I don’t recommend reading this book before reading the previous Percy Jackson books or some other book written by Rick Riordan. If you’ve never read about the world of Percy Jackson before, many references and the overall experience will be lost and possibly confusing.

I felt like The Chalice of the Gods is aimed for older readers. Maybe Riordan wants his readers to grow up along with Percy and his friends. That said, there is nothing inappropriate or violent (there is just one bad word: c@$p). But the book grappled with coming to terms with change (e.g. going to college, big life changes, etc.) and had a lot of deep topics.

I really enjoyed The Chalice of the Gods and found it to be a worthy addition to my Rick Riordan book series collection! Fans of Percy Jackson will be very much satisfied.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 100%.

Marshmallow rates The Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan 100%. — Marshmallow rates *The Chalice of the Gods* by Rick Riordan 100%.

Marshmallow reviews The List of Things That Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead

Marshmallow has already reviewed When You Reach Me (2009) and Goodbye Stranger (2015) by Rebecca Stead. Today she reviews Stead’s newest novel, published in 2020: The List of Things That Will Not Change.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like books about family and you want to read about how different characters tackle change, then this might be the book for you.

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): When Bea’s parents tell her that they are getting divorced, they give her a green notebook. In it is a list of things that won’t change, even though almost everything else might:

Mom loves you more than anything, always.
Dad loves you more than anything, always.
Mom and Dad love each other but in a different way.
You will always have a home with each of us.
Your homes will never be far apart.
We are still a family but in a different way.

Her parents’ divorce is amicable; the reason for the divorce is that Bea’s father is gay.

After the divorce, Bea’s life splits in two different parts, sometimes living with her mother and sometimes with her father. Later, her father gets engaged with another man, Jesse. Bea really likes Jesse and looks forward to him becoming a part of the family. Not to mention that Jesse has a daughter Bea’s age named Sonia, and Bea has always wanted a sister.

But Bea has other issues to face. She has eczema which is annoying to her, and she goes to therapy to deal with her stress. Everything is now different, but Bea keeps herself up by talking with her friends and family, who are always there to support her. Bea and her family will struggle to reach their happy ending.

Marshmallow is reading The List of Things That Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead. — Marshmallow is reading *The List of Things That Will Not Change* by Rebecca Stead.

Marshmallow’s Review: I found this a touching book. Bea is very thoughtful, and this book really highlights and goes into her thoughts and feelings. It was sad to see how some of the folks in the book mistreated Bea’s father and his new partner because of their sexual orientation.

The List of Things That Will Not Change was extremely realistic and felt very down to earth when I was reading it. Every character was unique and well thought-out, and the narrative and tone of the book felt very genuine. That said, I don’t quite think the end was one hundred percent fulfilling, but it was definitely satisfactory. However, I did like how all the loose parts were tied up in the end. I also found it interesting how not everything was perfect in the end but it was realistic. (I’m not going to say much more!)

The List of Things That Will Not Change would be appropriate for all ages, presuming that the person would understand the plot, which I felt was easy enough to understand, though it had some extra nuances for an older reader who would see all the threads from beginning to end.

Bea’s relationship with Sonia might remind some readers of a book I reviewed a while ago: To Night Owl From Dogfish by Holly Goldberg Sloan and Meg Wolitzer. There are indeed some similarities but also a lot of differences. Bea’s health issues reminded me a bit of Guts by Raina Telgemeier, another book I reviewed for the blog. And compared with the other books I have read of Rebecca Stead, the tone and voice of this book was very similar. The setting and tone were more reminiscent of When You Reach Me, but the realism was quite like that of Goodbye Stranger. But The List of Things That Will Not Change has definitely a unique and original story, and I really enjoyed reading it; I think most bunnies would, too.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 95%.

Marshmallow rates The List of Things That Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead 95%. — Marshmallow rates *The List of Things That Will Not Change* by Rebecca Stead 95%.