graphic novel – BookBunnies

Caramel reviews Spaced Out: The Graphic Novel by Stuart Gibbs and Ward Jenkins

Both Caramel and Marshmallow have enjoyed reading and reviewing books by Stuart Gibbs for the book bunnies blog. Today Caramel talks about a recent graphic novel adaptation, Spaced Out: The Graphic Novel, of a 2016 book written by Gibbs; this version was published in August 2026 and was illustrated by Ward Jenkins. As usual Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, today we are talking about the second book in Stuart Gibbs’s Moon Base Alpha series.

Caramel: Yep. I read and reviewed the graphic novel version of the first book and now this is the second one.

S: So let us dive right in. Tell us what the book is about.

C: It is about Dash, the same guy from the first book, and there’s a new case for him to solve. A person has gone missing.

S: Oh say more.

C: The person who’s missing is Nina, the station’s commander, and so the station goes through some issues as such.

S: Oh wait. Dash and his family were living on the Moon, right? So Nina is the commander of the moon base — Moon Base Alpha?

C: Yes, they are, and yes, she is.

S: Cool. So this sounds like a typical Gibbs mystery, and he is so good at crafting fun mysteries. I am guessing this was good, too?

C: Yes it was, it also went into some more interesting stuff, but that was later, and as such, a spoiler.

S: Okay. I guess what we don’t know won’t hurt us. At least in this case. So tell me more about the book. Do we meet any characters besides Dash from the first book?

C: Yeah, almost all of them show up at least once, most of them more than once.

S: That’s cool. So it really feels like a series then. So do you like Dash, the main character? Does he remind you of Ben Ripley from Spy School books? Or how about Teddy Fitzroy from the FunJungle books?

C: Yes, he kind of does, which makes sense. This is the same author after all. They are all fun characters and very likeable. And they manage to solve all sorts of mysteries. But this one is different because he lives in space! How cool is that?

S: But of course we talked about how we really do not want to leave our own planet the last time…

C: Yeah I stand by that still, until space travel is much safer.

S: I do too.

Caramel is reading Spaced Out: The Graphic Novel by Stuart Gibbs and Ward Jenkins. — Caramel is reading *Spaced Out: The Graphic Novel* by Stuart Gibbs and Ward Jenkins.

S: So I noticed that the person who illustrated the Moon Base Alpha books is different from the person who illustrated the Spy School graphic novels. Do you like the style used in this book?

C: Yes, I did, though the graphic novelizations for the Wings of Fire books are still my favorite. Now if only they came out with those more frequently…

S: But those books have an unfair advantage. I mean they have dragons! Not much can compete with that.

C: True, but what about dragons, in space?

S: Yeah, I suppose that would top everything! But okay, back to Spaced Out. Was it good enough for you to want more? There is apparently at least a third book in the original Moon Base Alpha series, so I am guessing they will publish the graphic novelization of that some time next year. Are you excited about that?

C: Yaaaaaaaayyyyy!

S: Okay, I am guessing that means this was a very fun read and you are excited about the next one?

C: Yes.

S: Okay, then we will make sure to get you a copy when it does come out. So Caramel, do you think this is a good time to wrap up this review?

C: Yup. This is a school night so maybe it is a good idea.

S: Sure, okay. Let’s do that. What do you want to tell our readers?

C Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading Spaced Out: The Graphic Novel by Stuart Gibbs and Ward Jenkins and recommends it to all little bunnies who enjoy space mysteries. — Caramel enjoyed reading *Spaced Out: The Graphic Novel* by Stuart Gibbs and Ward Jenkins and recommends it to all little bunnies who enjoy space mysteries.

Caramel reviews Tetris: The Games People Play by Brian “Box” Brown

Today Caramel reviews Tetris: The Games People Play by Brian “Box” Brown, first published in 2016. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: Today we are talking about a graphic novel about my favorite computer game, the one and only, the classic: Tetris!

Caramel: Yay! This is, as you said, a comic book about Tetris and how it rose to popularity.

S: So it is not quite fiction then, right?

C: No, it’s more so a fictionalization of a real event, like the movie Oppenheimer.

S: That makes sense. I am very excited that you read this book because I really like Tetris. But I also am curious about the whole phenomenon it became. It was everywhere and people were almost addicted to it for a while.

C: Yeah, this comic book explains all of that. It is interesting to me because, you know, there are a lot of games today. It seems like when Tetris came out, it was a huge deal partially because there weren’t as many big games.

S: Now that’s not quite true, there were other video games, but I think it is probably true that Tetris is a class of its own. It was so popular and it just took over.

C: And it is such a simple idea. Blocks falling down and you are trying to place them in empty spaces just the right way so the pile won’t get too big.

S: Isn’t it interesting that my favorite computer game and yours both have blocks?

C: True, but my favorite game may have slightly better resolution.

S: Well, Tetris did not really need much resolution really. But you are right of course, Minecraft is so much more visually detailed, and of course you can build so many different things with blocks in Minecraft. It is a lot more sophisticated. But you know, that was part of the appeal of Tetris. It is so basic, so simple, but it is also very challenging.

C: True. It can get really hard. Especially when it gets faster and faster.

S: Yup. So tell me a bit more about the book.

C: The book starts with a strange scene about humans and play and art and entertainment. And about why people play. There are many pages about early games people played, and art about games and how games might be related to art too. Then there are a few pages about the founding of the Japanese company Nintendo. And we get into computer games eventually. But we do meet the coder who built Tetris very early on. It was a Russian programmer named Alexey Pajitnov. He thought about how when he was a little kid, he used to play with pentominoes, which are shapes made of five squares, and how it was difficult to place them in a box when he was done playing with them. Then eventually we get back to him, and we follow him through his life, as he develops and shares Tetris with the rest of the world. He moves to the United States and the game gets even more popular.

S: That sounds interesting! Quite a crash course in the history of games!

Caramel is reading Tetris: The Games People Play by Brian "Box" Brown. — Caramel is reading *Tetris: The Games People Play* by Brian “Box” Brown.

S: Did you learn anything new from the book then?

C: Well, basically everything! I knew about the game, I have seen you play it even, but I didn’t know much else about it. I also did not know that other people liked the game as much as you do. It apparently became a really big deal. People started seeing Tetris tiles everywhere even when they were not playing and so on.

S: But I bet you can sympathize. Have you ever looked around you after playing Minecraft for a while and seeing cubic blocky things?

C: No! Because I am a normal bunny.

S: Well, hmm, that is interesting. Maybe the blocks in Minecraft are too different, there are too many different distinct shapes to make your brain go wacky like that.

C: Or … maybe I have never played Minecraft for too long. Maybe I should play more to see if I get to see things as Minecraft blocks?

S: Hmm, I don’t like that idea.

C: Oh, too bad. Because I really did like it.

S: Sure you did. Okay, let’s get back to the book. What did you think of the color scheme of the book?

C: It’s all black and white and yellow, yet the art is still detailed. It is really interesting. The game itself has a lot of color, though they are the main primary colors, but the author chose only these colors. I wonder why.

S: Yeah, that is an interesting observation, Caramel. The yellow adds color but also is not distracting. Maybe the Tetris colors would be a bit too distracting.

C: Maybe. The story was interesting though I was not expecting to learn about the games ancient Egyptians played when I began reading. I thought it would be only about Tetris.

S: But the book also has a subtitle.

C: True. The subtitle is “The Games People Play”. So I guess it makes sense that there could be more general stuff about games.

S: That part reminds me a bit of another book I read recently called Around the World in Eighty Games. I even reviewed it for a math journal.

C: That book looks interesting too. I bet it has a lot of games I don’t know about.

S: Well, you can borrow it whenever you like. I still have a copy.

C: Maybe I will.

S: Okay, Caramel, this seems to me like a good place to wrap up this review. It is after all a school night, again.

C: Yep.

S: What do you want to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading Tetris: The Games People Play by Brian "Box" Brown and continues to wonder if it can provide him with any justification for more Minecraft time. — Caramel enjoyed reading *Tetris: The Games People Play* by Brian “Box” Brown and continues to wonder if it can provide him with any justification for more Minecraft time.

Caramel reviews Max, a Little Axolotl by Joey Spiotto

Today Caramel reviews a cute book by Joey Spiotto, Max, a Little Axolotl, published first in 2025. As usual Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, this book must have been a great find for you, because you love axolotls, right?

Caramel: Yeah, it was and I do.

S: So tell me a bit about it then.

C: So in the beginning Max, who is, as stated by the title, a little axolotl, is living in a lake in Mexico when all of a sudden, humans show up and start polluting and ruining the environment. Then a human captures Max and puts him in a little tank, then takes him to an aquarium, called the Aquarium of the Bay. There, there are other water animals. And Max makes friends.

S: Cool story!

C: Yeah! The other animals in the aquarium try to play a ball game with Max, but he doesn’t know how to play the game. They lose the ball in a cave, in which they believe there to be a sea monster.

S: Ooh, so that sounds exciting! I am guessing nothing too terrible happens though, I mean other than Max’s original home being polluted…

C: Yeah, what they think is a sea monster is just—-

S: Ooh, let us not give away all the details!

C: Okay, I guess that makes sense.

S: Did you know that Lake Xochimilco actually exists? Wikipedia says that it is the last remaining natural habitat of the axolotl.

C: No, I didn’t. But that’s really sad.

S: Yes. There are a lot of endangered animals out there. It is really sad.

C: And axolotls are so cute! And my other favorite animals, the pangolin, are also endangered. It is just not fair. Why are all the cute animals, other than us, of course, endangered?

S: I don’t know. But of course, even if they were not cute, it would be sad, right?

C: Yes, of course, but it does seem to be most of the cute ones, just saying.

Caramel is reading Max, a Little Axolotl by Joey Spiotto. — Caramel is reading *Max, a Little Axolotl* by Joey Spiotto.

S: So what did you think of the drawings of the book?

C: They were all very cute and very very colorful.

S: Somehow I was reminded of some of your other favorite books in this genre. I am thinking of the Narwhal and Jelly books. The pictures are cute, the characters are water-based animals who are friends, and there are also some facts in the book, too.

C: Yeah, I can see that! But this one has more kawaii aspects, like the artist gave Max shiny big eyes and colorful spots and such, whereas Narwhal and Jelly don’t have such things; they are in some ways more simple.

S: Yeah, I see what you mean. What did you think of the facts at the end?

C: They were actually very informative.

S: I liked how he titled that section “Facts-olotl”..

C: Yeah, me too. It was funny! The title is also funny that way. I mean, try saying “Max a Little Axolotl”. It rhymes!

S: Yes! I had not noticed that! How cool is that?

C: Very.

S: Okay, so did you learn anything new? Because I know you already know a lot about a lot of things.

C: Yeah, I did. In fact, did you know that axolotls are actually amphibious, meaning they could live on land, but they spend their whole lives underwater?

S: That is so weird! And no, I did not know that. Thank you for teaching me Caramel.

C: You’re welcome!

S: Okay, so this might be a good time to end this review. What would you like to tell our readers Caramel?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading Max, a Little Axolotl by Joey Spiotto and recommends this to other young bunnies who love animals. — Caramel enjoyed reading *Max, a Little Axolotl* by Joey Spiotto and recommends this to other young bunnies who love animals.

Marshmallow reviews The Cartoonists Club by Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud

Today Marshmallow reviews The Cartoonists Club by Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud, first published in 2025.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like cartoons, art, or graphic novels, then this is the book for you!

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Makayla’s mind is always overflowing with new ideas for stories but Howard is the one who keeps passing her doodles during math class. One day, after they finally get caught by their algebra teacher, they decide to make their own comic book. When they meet up at their middle school’s library after school, Makayla reveals her master plan: they are going to form a club for the other students in their school who want to be cartoonists too. With the help of the kind librarian, they print out their posters and wait for the next day to see if anyone shows up.

Luckily, someone does! Art is an agender artist who loves “making mistakes” and can’t wait to make them in another new forum. The three of them become friends quickly and can’t wait to start making comic books. Unfortunately, they are extremely puzzled and ask the librarian what the “right” way to proceed is. To their surprise, she informs them that there is no right way at all. Through this newfound freedom, they proceed to produce numerous silly but fun short comics.

They also are able to welcome in a new member: Lynda. She’d been in the library since day one, drawing quietly in a corner, but had been too nervous to show anyone her art. Since she focused so heavily on the mistakes she made, she was too scared to show any part of her art at all.

As the story progresses, each of the characters’ artistic struggles are revealed and remediated through a group effort. The Cartoonists Club is a heartwarming, inspiring story perfect for any and all young artists interested in drawing. It is the ideal guide for young bunnies looking to find and create communities much like the one in this book!

Marshmallow is reading The Cartoonists Club by Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud. — Marshmallow is reading *The Cartoonists Club* by Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud.

Marshmallow’s Review: I think The Cartoonists Club is a very cute book! The characters’ interest in comics and their making is a bit infectious in fact. I’ve always appreciated graphic novels and the like, but reading The Cartoonists Club has made me appreciate how much of an art they really are.

I really liked how different aspects of the art were highlighted in different chapters. In almost every section, the librarian or one of the club members teaches the club and the reader about how to perfect another aspect of cartoons. I especially liked the section that talked about the magic of the blank page. It was simple yet inspiring in a way that recalls the childlike awe too many of us lose as we grow older.

I think The Cartoonists Club is a perfect book for all young bunnies who love drawing or reading or learning! And while it might at first seem too childish for those older than twelve, I think there is still a lot of value in reading it. As a bunny who is no longer in middle school, reading The Cartoonists Club was still very inspiring and made me remember how important art is to me and to us as bunnies / humans. It is a relatively easy book to read and you can read it pretty quickly. But just because it is short and sweet doesn’t mean that its story isn’t significant; sometimes remembering that ‘childish’ sense of imagination is just what you need to recall that same passion and joyful outlook on life!

Marshmallow’s Rating: 100%.

Marshmallow rates The Cartoonists Club by Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud 100%. — Marshmallow rates *The Cartoonists Club* by Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud 100%.