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 Caramel reviews The Red Balloon by Albert Lamorisse, first published in 1956. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.
Caramel reviews The Red Balloon by Albert Lamorisse.
Sprinkles: So Caramel, tell us a bit about The Red Balloon.
Caramel: The Red Balloon is a friendly balloon and becomes friends with a boy named Pascal. Pascal is lonely. He does not have brothers or sisters, and his mom does not want him to have any pets. It also seems like he does not have friends at school. But the Red Balloon becomes his friend. They go to places together, and the Red Balloon waits for him when he has to go inside.
S: That sounds fantastical, but also very sweet.
C: I think so too. Pascal needs a friend, so the Red Balloon becomes his friend. But then there are some mean boys who try to take the Red Balloon from Pascal, and they chase him, and they try to blow it up. It is really sad, and I got really mad at those boys.
S: You are right, they are mean, and they are jealous I think. Pascal has a really magical friend, and they cannot have it so they want to destroy it. Pretty terrible.
C: But at least the end of the book is not unhappy.
S: I agree. The book has some sad moments, but there are lots of very happy and sweet parts, and the end is very sweet, too.
C: Yes.
Caramel is reading The Red Balloon by Albert Lamorisse.
S: The book has lots of pictures, and they are almost all black and white, except the balloon, which is bright red. What did you think of that?
C: I liked it. It made the balloon even more special.
C: It was good. But watching it made me even angrier at the boys. They were so mean!
S: Yes. Pascal is so alone at the beginning and he is so happy when he makes friends with the Red Balloon, and then the boys come and try to take it away from him.
C: I guess, like you said, they were really jealous. I mean, I’d love to be friends with a balloon like that!
S: But you have real friends, too, Caramel. Pascal does not seem to have any. So he needs it so much more.
C: Good point. Hey, Sprinkles, do you think we could put a link to the movie here so our readers can watch it too, if they want?
S: Sure.
The Red Balloon – A boy makes friends with a seemingly sentient red balloon, and it begins to follow him. It follows him to the bus stop, to school, and to church. They play together in the streets of Paris and try to elude a gang of boys that wants to steal it. The Red Balloon (1956) Director: Albert Lamorisse. From YouTube.
C: Thank you. I think the movie is really nice too. It is not totally black and white, but the Red Balloon is the brightest thing in it, too.
S: Yes. I think it definitely adds to its magic. So all in all, did you like this book?
C: Yes. But now I am wondering what it would feel like to have my own balloon friends.
S: It would definitely be fun, I am sure. Especially if like in the end you had many many balloon friends!
C: Sprinkles, you are giving away the end!
S: Okay, you are right. I will not say more. Maybe this is a good time to wrap up this review anyways. What would you like to tell our readers?
C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!
Caramel liked reading The Red Balloon by Albert Lamorisse and is now dreaming of traveling around the world hanging on a lot of friendly balloons.
Today Marshmallow is writing about One of Us is Lying, a novel by Karen McManus, first published in 2017 and eventually made into a TV series of the same name.
Marshmallow reviews One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus.
Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like books about mystery, murder, or high school drama, then this is definitely the book for you.
Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Bronwyn is shocked when she is put in detention. After all, she is a rule-follower on track to go to Yale, much like the rest of her family. But a phone that isn’t hers, that she’s never seen before, is found in her backpack, and off she’s sent to detention.
But Bronwyn’s shining school record isn’t the only weird thing about this detention. Four other kids are also put in detention that day, for the same reason: phones found in their backpacks that aren’t theirs. Of course, all of them honestly say they’ve never seen these phones before, but they are still put in detention.
In addition to Bronwyn, there is Addy (homecoming princess who is eternally “glued” to her boyfriend), Nate (well known for having a criminal history already), Cooper (perfect, popular, and propelled towards a career in baseball), and Simon.
While the rest resemble some familiar stereotypes of high school dramas, Simon stands out. Simon is the creator of Bayview High School’s infamous gossip app About That, an app on which he regularly posts the most vicious, damaging, and insidious gossip, scandals, and stories about his peers. Sure, he doesn’t say any names, but with initials and a small school, every new post practically ruins someone’s life.
So when Simon dies of an allergic reaction to peanuts in detention, the blame is placed on the four students present in detention with him: Bronwyn, Addy, Cooper, and Nate. At first, his death might seem natural but somehow he died from a peanut allergy while drinking tap water; peanut residue was found on the cup. The situation starts looking even worse when it is revealed that Simon’s About That post for the day after he died was going to be about the Bayview Four. Bronwyn was accused of cheating on a test (which could ruin her reputation), Addy was accused of cheating on her boyfriend (which is unthinkable because they’re the picture perfect couple), Cooper is accused of taking steroids (which would discredit his phenomenal improvement in his pitching speed), and Nate is accused of violating his probation (by selling drugs, which would get him sent to prison). If these revelations are true, reasons the police, then all four students are prime suspects for the murder. After all, if Simon couldn’t publish the post, their secrets would remain secrets.
Then the press gets involved and the next thing you know, the “Bayview Four” become the biggest suspects in the biggest scandal ever to happen in Bayview. Soon after, Simon’s post about the four students is published, unleashing chaos. Despite their lawyers telling them to keep away from each other, the four students bond together and realize that the only way to prove their innocence is to find the murderer themselves.
Marshmallow is reading One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus.
Marshmallow’s Review: I really enjoyed One of Us is Lying. I found it to be an extremely interesting mystery that ended in a way I never saw coming. And as the book goes on, suspense rises and the tension increases as the mystery’s answer is slowly revealed. All in all, I think the plot was really, really well written and I definitely recommend bunnies give this book a try.
One thing that I really liked about this book was the fact that the author set up characters based on the typical tropes in high school dramas, and then she made them evolve past their basic characteristics. For example, even though Addy seems like a blank slate without her boyfriend, at first, throughout the course of the book, her character changes a lot. The same goes for all of the other characters as well. All of them start as typical, simple characters and then grow together and you really become attached to them.
The book does have some mature content since the characters do sometimes use curse words and there are some references to sexual acts that characters have taken part in. There are no explicit scenes. I think bunnies over 14 could handle this book, but it depends on the maturity of each bunny. Some might be able to enjoy it at 12 while others might prefer to read it at 15. Overall, however, there is not really that much inappropriate content in this book.
I also liked Karen McManus’s writing style and found it interesting that we got to see the same story from different characters’ points of view. Each chapter is from either Bronwyn’s, Nate’s, Cooper’s, or Addy’s perspective. I appreciated the different views on the plot and how the author shows that everyone is more complex than they seem. On surface value, people assess Nate to be a delinquent on a one-way road to prison. But the author adeptly shows his perspective and how harsh life has been for him. Addy, who is viewed as a stupid, vapid girl who only cares about her love life, is revealed to be a much more complex, multifaceted person whose family life makes things more complicated. Cooper, who seems to be living the dream life, is shown to have struggles that no one else sees. And in the chapters written in Bronwyn’s perspective, we see the pressures that she faces on her path to Yale and success. McManus does a really good job of showing the complexity, depth, and nuance of the characters. Most books I’ve read don’t show so much detail about so many different people. The book made me remember the following quote, which is credited to a large number of people including the actor Robin Williams:
“Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.”
Marshmallow’s Rating: 100%.
Marshmallow rates One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus 100%.
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