Marshmallow’s reviews – Page 24

Marshmallow reviews Fun Home by Alison Bechdel

Today Marshmallow reviews Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel, published first in 2006. Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: I know you enjoy reading graphic novels, Marshmallow, so I thought this book might be right up your alley. Let us talk about it. Can you tell our readers first what the book is about?

Marshmallow: The book is about Alison Bechdel herself, who is a cartoon artist. The story is about her growing up and figuring out her sexual orientation and coming out to her parents.

S: That is a pretty serious topic.

M: It is. But it is not all. There is also the fact that her father is also gay, and she eventually figures this out and wants to feel close to him, similar to him.

S: So why is the book called Fun Home?

M: Because her family is running a funeral home, and when they talk of the business, they jokingly call their home the fun home.

S: Is the book funny?

M: I did not think that was the main point of the book. It is essentially a memoir, the artist coming to terms with her sexuality and her family.

S: So the themes seem to me to be more appropriate for older bunnies, would you agree?

M: Yes, probably high school or above. There is some somewhat explicit sexual content, and there is some mention of drug use as well. Caramel wanted to read it too, but I think he might not yet be ready for it.

S: Hmm, I see. Did you know that the book was banned in some places because it was deemed to be immoral?

M: I could imagine. A lot of books about different sexual orientations seem to bother a lot of people.

Marshmallow is reading Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel. — Marshmallow is reading *Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic* by Alison Bechdel.

S: Did you know this book was made into a Broadway musical?

M: It says so on the cover of the book. So we looked it up and found some of the songs. It apparently won lots of awards! I also remember that Alison Bechdel appeared in a Simpsons episode we saw recently, the one where Lisa and Marge write a graphic novel called Sad Girl.

S: Yes, that is true. And the Bechdel test was mentioned in that episode, too, do you remember? Do you know what the Bechdel test is?

M: Wikipedia says that it is “a measure of the representation of women in film and other fiction. The test asks whether a work features at least two women who talk to each other about something other than a man. The requirement that the two women be named is sometimes added.” That Simpsons episode talked about that too.

S: It is a neat idea, isn’t it?

M: And kind of sad that it is a thing actually.

S: Agreed. Anyways, back to Fun Home. All in all, I am glad you read this book, and we got to talk about it. It is an important book in many ways.

M: I can appreciate that. But I do think it is not very suitable for young bunnies.

S: I get it. So if you were to rate it what would you rate it as?

M: I’d rate it 90%. It is well written, well drawn, and tells an important story. But it is not quite appropriate for young bunnies, and parents and other adults responsible for young bunnies should read it before sharing with their young ones.

S: Fair enough. So let us wrap up this review. What would you like to tell our readers?

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

Marshmallow rates Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel 90%. — Marshmallow rates *Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic* by Alison Bechdel 90%.

Marshmallow reviews The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds

A couple years ago, Caramel reviewed Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid, a 2005 book written by Megan McDonald and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds. Soon after, Marshmallow reviewed Judy Moody Goes to College, yet another book written by McDonald and illustrated by Reynolds. But Peter Reynolds is not just an illustrator who works on other people’s books; he has his own books as well. Today Marshmallow reviews one of his most cherished books, The Dot, on its twentieth anniversary. Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: So Marshmallow, can you tell us a bit about this book?

Marshmallow: This is a book about creativity and artistic expression, even when you do not think you have it in you to be creative.

S: That is a neat recap of this book Marshmallow. So maybe let us go a bit into details. What exactly is the plot?

M: There is a little kid named Vashti and she thinks she cannot draw. So at the end of art class, her paper is still empty. And her teacher says, just make a mark and see where it takes you. And so she does. She stabs the paper and makes a dot.

S: Okay, then what happens?

M: Her teacher tells her to sign it.

S: Just a dot?

M: Yes.

S: Then what happens?

M: Well, I don’t want to give away the full story, but her teacher supports Vashti by showing that she values Vashti’s work even when Vashti does not think much of it. And then Vashti gets inspired to create more and more. And in the end, we see her encouraging another young person like her, who believes they are not creative at all, by telling them to “just make a mark and see where it takes you”.

S: So the idea is that you just get started, and then things go from there. Right?

M: Yep. You do not have to feel creative, you do not have to think you know what you are doing. But just get started, and just make your mark. The rest will follow.

Marshmallow is reading The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds. — Marshmallow is reading *The Dot* by Peter H. Reynolds.

S: The author / illustrator dedicated this book to Mr. Matson, his seventh grade math teacher who “dared” him “to make [his] mark”. So even though the book is about art, it could be seen as a fable that is about any other thing we are not confident about, no?

M: Yes, I think so. I think the book is really inspiring.

S: I agree. What do you think of the illustrations and the visual aspects of the book?

M: I really like Peter Reynolds’ style. It is very simple, minimalistic, and sparse. But with the very few strokes of his pen, he draws really effective images.

S: Agreed.

M: I also like the way he uses color. Most of the book is in black and white but there are several well-placed splashes of color, which bring attention to specific items on the page. They add a lot to the feel of the whole book. By the way, the illustrations were apparently done with water color, ink, and tea. I wonder how he uses tea.

S: I have no idea!

M: I would like to know. But anyways, all in all I think this is a really neat book.

S: I agree. But Marshmallow, this is a picture book, and you do not review picture books much anymore. Do you perhaps not think this is for young bunnies only?

M: No, I think it can be inspirational for any bunny. Everyone needs some encouragement now and then.

S: Alright, that works for me. Maybe it is time to wrap up this review. What do you want to tell our readers?

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

Marshmallow enjoyed reading The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds and recommends it to all bunnies little and big who need a little bit of courage to get started. — Marshmallow enjoyed reading *The Dot* by Peter H. Reynolds and recommends it to all bunnies little and big who need a little bit of courage to get started.

Marshmallow reviews How to Be a High School Superstar by Cal Newport

Last week Marshmallow reviewed How to Become a Straight-A Student by Cal Newport. This week, as we dive into the new school year, she is continuing with a similar book, How to Be a High School Superstar, first published in 2010. Sprinkles is asking questions and taking notes.

Sprinkles: So Marshmallow, it is back to school time, and you are reading all these books about how to be a good student. You just reviewed How to Become a Straight-A Student by Cal Newport last week. And now we are looking at How to Be a High School Superstar, which was written later but is meant for a younger audience.

Marshmallow: Yes, this one is for bunnies who are beginning high school and want to know about how to make the best of it. The other book was mainly intended for college bunnies.

S: I see. So what kinds of advice do you find in this book?

M: The main ides is to be an interesting student so that you can get into college.

S: What does that mean?

M: So Cal Newport thinks that it is not how many As you get in your classes and how many activities you are involved in that matters. He thinks that college admissions folks look at the whole package and want to admit students who look interesting.

S: So what does interesting mean?

M: He suggests that you should leave yourself a lot of free time to explore new directions and find a thing or two that you are really into and you can really advance in, so you can be more than just a good student.

S: So I am assuming he takes it for granted that you will be a good student, or at least a good enough student, and then he tells the reader what else to do to round out one’s college application package. Right?

M: Yes, I think so.

S: So the book is very much directed towards high school students who are looking to get into college.

M: Yep.

Marshmallow is reading How to Be a High School Superstar by Cal Newport. — Marshmallow is reading *How to Be a High School Superstar* by Cal Newport.

S: Okay, so tell me how one can become a more interesting person.

M: According to Cal Newport, doing less is more, so focus on one thing and do that really well. Like, he thinks that doing a sport and doing some volunteering and doing theatre and doing band and so on all at once without really paying any special attention to any one of them makes you dilute your efforts, and while trying to be well rounded you end up being mediocre in all things.

S: That reminds me of something I had heard from a college faculty member I know. He said something like, “while people are looking for well roundedness, I want to find all the sharp knives.”

M: I think I can see what he means by that! I think Cal Newport would agree.

S: Besides this big idea, what other recommendations does he make in this book?

M: Well, I think that is really the main point of the book. He uses the phrase “relaxed superstar”. He thinks that is what one should aspire to be.

S: I see. That sounds nice.

M: I think so, too.

S: So how would you rate this book then?

M: I’d rate it 100%. I think it makes a good point about being intentional about how one goes about doing high school. Wow! I managed to make one sentence with three “about”s!

S: Yes, I give you 100% for that! So this is a good place to wrap up this review, I think. What would you like to tell our readers?

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

Marshmallow rates How to Be a High School Superstar by Cal Newport 100%. — Marshmallow rates *How to Be a High School Superstar* by Cal Newport 100%.

Marshmallow reviews How to Become a Straight-A Student by Cal Newport

Marshmallow is a young bunny who is always curious about how she can improve herself. Today she is talking to Sprinkles about a 2006 book by Cal Newport about being a good student: How to Become a Straight-A Student.

Sprinkles: So Marshmallow, I know you occasionally read non-fiction books that are full of advice. I remember, for example, that you reviewed Getting Things Done for Teens by David Allen, Mike Williams, and Mark Wallace and The Confidence Code for Girls by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman. So I guess this book makes sense to talk about now because school is starting again, and it might be a good idea to think about how one can be a good student.

Marshmallow: Yes, exactly.

S: So tell me a bit about what this book is about, something more than the title of the book.

M: Well, I should first start with the full title. The full title is How to Become a Straight-A Student: The Unconventional Strategies Real College Students Use to Score High While Studying Less.

S: Hmm, so this is about how to be a straight-A student in college actually.

M: Yes, but the strategies can probably apply to other school contexts. Which is why I am reading this. I am not off to college just yet!

S: Thankfully! I am not ready for that!

M: Me neither.

S: Alright, so tell me about the book then.

M: So Cal Newport is a computer science professor today, but when he wrote this book, he had just finished college. And he had sone really well, and he wanted to write a book about how he did so well. But he does not only talk about his own experiences. He interviewed and surveyed a lot of college students asking them about their study habits and time management choices that they made, and put the book together with all that data.

S: That sounds like a good premise for a solid advice book. So tell me about some of the main ideas.

M: One of the main ideas Newport is talking about is efficiency. So for example, he calls it pseudo-work when students are spending all night in a library but not working efficiently.

S: So I can see that there are inefficient study habits. But what are his alternatives? What does he suggest? How should one study efficiently?

M: He suggests making a schedule, taking smart notes, researching better, with big ideas in mind. And there are a lot more. There are a total of three parts in the book. The first part is titled Study Basics. Then there are a series of chapters under the heading of Quizzes and Exams. Finally there are several chapters under the name of Essays and Papers.

S: So basically he talks about a variety of ways to work more effectively and efficiently for different types of assessment tasks. That makes sense to me.

Marshmallow is reading How to Become a Straight-A Student by Cal Newport. — Marshmallow is reading *How to Become a Straight-A Student* by Cal Newport.

S: So the book is intended for college students. As a bunny who is still far too young for college, did you find the book off-putting or somehow inaccessible in parts?

M: No, not at all. Though it did make me a bit worried about how much work one needs to do in college.

S: Do you like Newport’s author voice?

M: Yes, he is confident but very relatable. I also liked that he emphasizes that you need to ensure that you have a social life, that it is possible to have a social life that complements good grades and academic achievement. So I like that. It is hopeful.

S: That’s good. So do you see yourself applying any of this advice in this coming school year?

M: I will definitely try. I have a nice planner now and I want to start with planning. And I want to figure out how I can study more efficiently.

S: These all sound great to me Marshmallow. So all in all, you seem to have enjoyed this book. How would you rate it?

M: I’d rate it 100%.

S: Nice! Okay, I think it is time for us to wrap up this review, which is the last one before schools start in our part of the world. So what would you like to tell our readers?

M: Stay tuned for more amazing reviews from the book bunnies! And I hope you all will have a lot of fun if school is starting in your part of the world too!