Last week Caramel reviewed The One and Only Ruby by Katherine Applegate, the third book about the motley crew of dear friends of silverback Ivan whose story started it all. Today he reviews the fourth and currently the last book in this series, The One and Only Family, which was released earlier this month. As usual Sprinkles is taking notes and asking followup questions.
Caramel reviews The One and Only Family by Katherine Applegate.
Sprinkles: So Caramel, this is the fourth book in this series. What can you tell us about it?
Caramel: This is the newest book in the One and Only Ivan series. I can’t say it is the best but it is pretty good.
S: Do you have a favorite?
C: No, they are all so good. That is why I can’t say this is the best, because they are all the best.
S: I see. Okay, so the first three books had Ivan, Bob, and Ruby in their titles, and they were mainly narrated by Ivan, Bob, and Ruby, respectively. But this one does not have a name in the title. It is just “family”. So who is telling this story?
C: Ivan.
S: The one and only!
C: Yes! The OG!
S: So we are back at the beginning, kind of. Tell me what is going on with Ivan then.
C: He is going to be a daddy!
S: I remember he had a mate in the second book, but I don’t think they had babies together.
C: Yep. Ivan had a mate named Kinyani. And in this book they have twin babies!
S: That is so exciting! But wait, if there is a new book, there might be new problems to solve. Can you tell us a bit more? What is the book about then?
C: It is about the joys and challenges of parenthood.
S: That is such a lofty thing to say for such a tiny little bunny!
C: Well, I am sort of quoting Ivan.
S: Oh I see. I remember Ivan was a quite sophisticated gorilla.
Caramel is reading The One and Only Family by Katherine Applegate.
S: So tell me more about the book.
C: There are times when Ivan is sad because he remembers his original family, and there are a lot of funny and sweet things that happen, too. Just what you would expect from this series. It is always so good!
S: I see. I am guessing you liked the book then.
C: Obviously!
S: Okay, so if you were to describe it using three to five words ,what would you say?
C: Funny adventures with old friends, hard-to-put-down page-turner.
S: Hmm, again, that is a lot more than three to five words, but it will do. You said old friends. So do we see Bob the dog and Ruby the elephant in this book, too?
C: Yes. And the girl too, Julia.
S: I see. More or less the same main cast then.
C: Yes, but we get to see more of Kinyani, and then there are the twins, Raji and Tuma.
S: And they are all as likeable as the original crew?
C: Yes, I liked them!
S: So you would recommend this book to other bunnies?
C: Yes, but it would be best if they read the earlier books first. They would know the characters much better that way.
S: Makes sense to me Caramel. Okay, so maybe this is a good time to wrap up this review. What would you like to tell our readers?
C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!
Caramel loved reading The One and Only Family by Katherine Applegate and will not forget these wonderful friends for a long while.
Marshmallow was the first one who read and reviewed The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, but Caramel followed her soon after. Then he read and reviewed the sequel, The One and Only Bob. This week he finally got his paws on the third book in the series: The One and Only Ruby, published in 2023. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.
Caramel reviews The One and Only Ruby by Katherine Applegate.
Sprinkles: So Caramel, here we are, talking about yet another book about the gorilla Ivan and his friends.
Caramel: Yes, but this one is not so much about Ivan. It’s more about Ruby, the baby elephant that we met in The One and Only Ivan.
S: Oh, is she still a baby in this book?
C: Yes. Or maybe she is a bit older, she is acting like seven or eight, but that would be still quite young for an elephant. Or maybe she is only two years old, because apparently that is around the time elephants start getting their tusks, and that is what is happening in this book.
S: That is interesting!
C: And what is also interesting is that apparently some female elephants lost their tusks by evolution in the second half of the twentieth century due to ivory poaching. It is very interesting but also very sad and angry-making. Why do people have to kill elephants for their tusks? It is theirs! Let them keep their own tusks!
S: I know Caramel, and I totally agree with you. It is not fair. But let us come back to Ruby and the book. So what is the book about? Is it all about her tusks?
C: Not quite. It is more generally about her story. She does not like tusks, and there is a sad reason for that.
S: Hmm, I am getting some ideas because of what we just talked about.
C: Yep. And that’s why I am glad we are not elephants. But I won’t tell you more.
Caramel is reading The One and Only Ruby by Katherine Applegate.
S: Okay, then, maybe we can move on. Tell me about the book in other ways. Is Ruby the narrator this time? The Ivan book was narrated by Ivan and the Bob book was narrated by Bob.
C: Yes, this is from Ruby’s voice though Ivan and Bob are still around.
S: Does she sound different from them?
C: A little. So it is the same style in some way but different enough to be convincing.
S: Okay. Is the book funny? Or just sad?
C: Both. So it is sometimes sad and sometimes funny.
S: I understand you are itching to read the next book, which just came out. So you must have liked this one.
C: Yes, I did. Very much.
S: Alright, so if you were to describe the book in three to five words–
C: I’d say: emotionally complicated, important topics with sweet old friends.
S: That is more than five words but I think they will work. I knew you had missed Ivan and Bob.
C: I did!
S: Okay, Caramel. Then let us wrap up this review so you can read the next book. What would you like to tell our readers?
C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!
Caramel loved reading The One and Only Ruby by Katherine Applegate and is keen to read and review the fourth book in the series; stay tuned!
Today Marshmallow reviews The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, first published in 1970. Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.
Marshmallow reviews The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison.
Sprinkles: So Marshmallow, you always start your book reviews with what you call a quick overview. Can you give us one for this book, too?
Marshmallow: If you want to read about three young black girls growing up after the Great Depression and amidst internalized and externalized racism, then this is the book for you.
S: Okay, I think that is a good start. So tell us a bit more. Who are the three girls?
M: The main character is eleven-year-old Pecola Breedlove, and she is a foster sister to the other two girls, Claudia and Frieda MacTeer, who are nine and ten, and live with their parents. Pecola and Claudia are close, and a lot of the book is told from Claudia’s perspective. But we also have flashbacks and so on to events in Pecola’s life that Claudia could not have witnessed.
S: Okay, so tell me more. Why is the title The Bluest Eye?
M: Because Pecola wants to have the bluest eyes in the world. She thinks that she is ugly because a lot of people tell her she is, and she thinks that if she had blue eyes, she would be beautiful too.
S: I see. That must be very hard for a young girl of course.
M: That is not all that is hard in her life though. Her parents are both alive but they are not able to take good care of her. Her father is abusive and violent. Her mother does not support and protect her. The MacTeers on the other hand are a more supportive family for their children and Pecola, too, at least most of the time.
Marshmallow is reading The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison.
S: I know this book has been banned in some school districts. Do you know why?
M: I think it is mainly because of two very sexually explicit scenes, which are also violent and abusive. And there are other parts where children are sexualized, and so on.
S: Hmm, I can see how those types of scenes would make a lot of people concerned about a book, especially for younger folks. How did you handle them?
M: I think the book is really hard to read, emotionally. When I was reading the book, I had to put it down several times. That is why it took me a really long time to read the book even though it is not very long and the author’s voice is fluid and captivating.
S: And yet you persisted and finished the book.
M: Yes, because I know it is an important book, and I know the author is trying to tell us something important.
S: What do you think she is trying to tell us?
M: I think she is trying to portray the chaos and the evil that results from racism. She says: “I felt compelled to write this mostly because in the 1960s, black male authors published powerful, aggressive, revolutionary fiction or nonfiction, and they had positive racially uplifting rhetoric with them that were stimulating and I thought they would skip over something and thought no one would remember that it wasn’t always beautiful.” So even though black people survived and often thrived despite the terrible oppression of racism they had to face, there were also people who did not survive, who were broken, and Toni Morrison wanted to make sure that we would not forget that.
S: I can see why you persevered Marshmallow. Sometimes we need to read difficult and heart-wrenching text to make sure we do not forget. But from what I am hearing you say, this book is probably not appropriate for young bunnies even though the main characters are young themselves.
M: Yes, definitely. I don’t think Caramel should read it yet for example. But for bunnies who are older and a bit more mature, it might be more appropriate.
S: You have read and reviewed Chains, Forge, and Ashes, the three books of the Seeds of America series, which were also about racism, or maybe more accurately, slavery. I think those books were also hard to read in some ways, but this one seems like it was a lot more challenging.
M: Yes. Possibly because in those books, even though there is a lot of pain and heartbreak, the main characters eventually overcome some of their challenges, and there is some sense of triumph, kind of like the writings Toni Morrison is referring to in the quote above. But in The Bluest Eye, both the life and the identity of Pecola are shattered. She does not survive her challenges. There is no redemption, only pain. Okay, there is some beauty too, in the book; there is solid love and affection, in the lives of Claudia and her family. But what happens to Pecola is traumatizing, and she does not survive the trauma.
S: I get that Marshmallow. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this book. So do you have some last words to say about it?
M: I think this could be a good book to read for bunnies who are willing to face the full ugliness of racism and how it hurts people’s self-worth.
S: Thank you. So let us wrap this up then. What do you want to tell our readers?
M: Stay tuned for more amazing reviews from the book bunnies!
Marshmallow appreciated reading The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, though she thinks that it might be appropriate for only older bunnies.
Today Marshmallow reviews Little Fires Everywhere, a 2017 novel by Celeste Ng, which has been turned into a one-season TV series in 2020.
Marshmallow reviews Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng.
Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like books about family (specifically the relationship between a mother and their children) and racial differences, then this is the book for you.
Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Pearl Warren has lived her whole life moving from one place to another. Her mother Mia is a photographer, an artist who finishes one project, sells it, and then decides to move on. To support herself and Pearl, she works odd jobs at restaurants or shops. But after a close brush with Pearl’s pneumonia, Mia decides that a nomadic life isn’t good enough for her developing daughter who is missing out on a normal life. So they settle down in Shaker Heights, the first, fully planned community in America.
In Shaker Heights, the houses are all color coordinated and regulated to be perfectly in order. But it’s not just the houses that are picture perfect. Every person in Shaker Heights is born with a set plan: success, planned success at that. The epitome, the poster child of this planning approach is Elena Richardson. Born in Shaker Heights, she followed her plan to the smallest detail: high school, college, job, marriage, children. Now wealthy, living with a husband, four children, and two houses, she generously rents her extra house to those she feels deserve a better chance, a chance to live in Shaker Heights. Shaker Heights’ schools and environment is expensive but full of opportunity, a place that many wouldn’t be able to afford. So out of Mrs. Richardson’s generosity, Mia and Pearl are able to move into a house, permanently, Mia promises.
The Richardson family has four children, all of whom fascinate Pearl. The oldest daughter (a senior), Lexie, is confident and mature in a way Pearl wishes to be able to emulate. The oldest son (one year older than Pearl and a junior) is named Trip. Trip is athletic and very popular with girls, including Pearl. The younger son (a sophomore, the same age as Pearl) named Moody befriends Pearl and invites her to the fascinating Richardson house. The first three Richardson children match Elena’s plan, but the youngest child, Izzy (a freshman), doesn’t fit in and doesn’t seem to want to fit in. She is rebellious and contends with her mother to frustrate her. But when Izzy meets Mia and her art, she becomes almost obsessed with Pearl and her mother’s lifestyle.
In the opposite fashion, Pearl becomes obsessed with the Richardsons and their entrancing life. But with a growing, intensifying crush on Trip and a budding friendship with Lexie, her original friend in the Richardson family (Moody) becomes a little neglected. Eventually, Trip reciprocates her feelings and they engage in sexual relationships. Meanwhile, Lexie gets pregnant with her boyfriend. But in Shaker Heights, where greatness is a given, pregnancy is not tolerated in teenagers. So when she gets an abortion, out of embarrassment, she puts her name down as Pearl.
At the same time, Elena’s old friend Linda McCullough (who also returned to Shaker Heights after college) is having issues of her own. Mrs. McCullough and her husband have been trying to have children for fourteen years while Elena was giving birth to four children at one-year intervals. So when Mrs. McCullough is informed there is a baby they can adopt, she is overjoyed. The baby was dropped off at the fire station in a cardboard box with blankets. The baby’s mother is unknown and anonymous. So when her new baby’s first birthday (still during the adoption process) comes around, she invites her old friend Elena. Mia hears about the McCulloughs’ new baby and is shocked to realize that one of her coworkers at a Chinese restaurant is the baby’s mother. Bebe Chow is a Chinese immigrant whose boyfriend abandoned her after learning that she was pregnant. She worked to support her child, but, in a moment of desperation, she left her baby at the fire station. Afterwards, she desperately tried to get her baby back for a year. Now that she knows where her baby is, Bebe goes to the press, following Mia’s advice. This becomes a huge news story dividing people into camps, and the coverage eventually earns Bebe visitation rights and a lawyer.
The situation is very difficult. The McCulloughs genuinely love the baby with all of their hearts, especially after spending fourteen years waiting for one. However, Bebe really wants her baby now, having only left her due to extreme poverty and depression. Now, she has a more stable job and wants to take care of her baby. Also, her lawyer says that as a Chinese baby, Bebe’s baby won’t be connected to her heritage unless she is raised by her Chinese mother.
So in summary, Shaker Heights was perfectly planned, but with the arrival of Mia and Pearl, chaos ensues. Nothing will be the same again.
Marshmallow is reading Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng.
Marshmallow’s Review: I really liked this book. I did have very high expectations; Celeste Ng’s other book, Our Missing Hearts, is one of my favorites ever. Celeste Ng’s writing is unique in a way I can’t describe with words. Something about her writing puts her on another level. She writes so simply, yet provides overwhelming detail: clear and concise. So I really wanted to read another book written by her.
And Little Fires Everywhere is definitely not a disappointment. The world the author creates is realistic yet retains an air of fantasy in a way. The storyline is unique and different from most books. Just like in Our Missing Hearts, Ng always gives convincing and deep backstories and context before extending the plot further.
The storyline is rich and complex, but easily understandable. There is some inappropriate content for younger bunnies. Underage characters do engage in sexual activity, however, there is no explicit, overly detailed scenes (unlike the, cough, Shatter Me series, cough cough 🤨). Teenage pregnancy is mentioned, as is abortion. The topic of motherhood and what it means to be a mother is a pervasive theme throughout the book. The relationship between parent and child is explored deeply through the lives of several different characters. The topics in the book (specifically the conflict between the McCulloughs and Bebe) are complicated and cannot be answered in a simple manner. The book also seems to have a message about the value and limitations of planning. Celeste Ng seems to imply that some parts of life cannot and should not be planned.
I think this was a fascinating, deep, and interesting book that had an impact on me, emotionally and intellectually. Of course, some content might make it better for older bunnies, perhaps 14 and up. And the ending, for me, was not satisfying, but it fit the style of Celeste Ng (which again, I don’t know how to describe). Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to all bunnies.
Marshmallow’s Rating: 100%.
Marshmallow rates Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng 100%.
BookBunnies 