Marshmallow’s reviews – Page 31

The Book Bunnies review the books of 2022

As this year’s last Saturday falls on December 31, New Year’s Eve, we thought we would try something new and New-Year-ish and talk about all the books we have read this year.

[2022 saw the bunnies read and review many books, both new and classic. You can find a full list here.]

The book bunnies review the books of 2022.

Sprinkles: So it is easiest for me to go over my posts for the year because I only wrote two. I wrote one on Children’s books about babies and where they come from on October 22, 2022, and another on Mathematical biographies for children (the Mathematical Lives series) by Robert Black on April 30, 2022.

I enjoyed all the mathematical biography I read. I’d recommend each and every one of the six books most strongly. And I have to say my favorite children’s book about babies and where they come from is still the first one I read myself when I was a young bunny: Where Did I Come From? The Facts of Life Without Any Nonsense and With Illustrations, written by Peter Mayle, illustrated by Arthur Robins, and designed by Paul Walter.

Sprinkles reviewed Where Did I Come From? The Facts of Life Without Any Nonsense and With Illustrations, written by Peter Mayle, illustrated by Arthur Robins, and designed by Paul Walter on October 22, 2022. — Sprinkles reviewed *Where Did I Come From? The Facts of Life Without Any Nonsense and With Illustrations*, written by Peter Mayle, illustrated by Arthur Robins, and designed by Paul Walter on October 22, 2022.

But that book was published in 1973 and does show its age. So if I were to pick something more recent, I’d go with What Makes A Baby? written by Cory Silverberg and illustrated by Fiona Smyth, or It’s NOT The Stork: A Book About Girls, Boys, Babies, Families, and Friends, written by Robie H. Harris and illustrated by Michael Emberley, for younger bunnies, and I’d pick It’s SO Amazing: A Book About Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families, written by Robie H. Harris and illustrated by Michael Emberley, for older ones.

Marshmallow: I reviewed a book by the team that created that What Makes a Baby? book you are talking about: You Know, Sex: Bodies, Gender, Puberty, and Other Thingsby Cory Silverberg and Fiona Smyth. That could also be a good option I think.

Sprinkles: I agree. I think that was one of the few nonfiction books you reviewed this year.

Marshmallow: I also reviewed Marley Dias Gets It Done And So Can You! by Marley Dias on April 9, 2022, The English GI by Jonathan Sandler and Brian Bicknell on November 26, 2022, and Hope in the Dark by Rebecca Solnit on December 17, 2022. Those three were also all nonfiction. but you are right that I mainly read and reviewed fiction this year.

Sprinkles: Caramel likes and reviews nonfiction a lot more I think. What were some of your nonfiction favorites this year Caramel?

Caramel: I reviewed so many! I reviewed Opposites Abstract by Mo Willems on March 16, 2022; Pangolins by Lisa Fanton on October 12, 2022; Robot by Roger Bridgman on November 2, 2022; Sea Bunnies by Kelly Hargrave on November 16, 2022; Hot Lava! Fiery Facts About Volcanoes by Alice Fewery on November 23, 2022; Glow Animals by K.C. Kelley on December 7, 2022; and 5000 Awesome Facts (About Animals) by National Geographic Kids on December 21, 2022.

Sprinkles: Yes, and there is clearly a pattern. You love animals and you read about animals; you like robots, and you read about robots. So I’d guess that Pangolins was your favorite animal book?

Caramel: Probably. As you know, they are my favorite animals. But 5000 Awesome Facts (About Animals) by National Geographic Kids was also pretty awesome because it had so many facts! Unfortunately they did not have too much about pangolins though…

Sprinkles: They did have a two-page spread on 100 Hard-Core Facts About Animals With Armor.

Caramel: Yes, true. And there are so many more animals in that book!

Sprinkles: And the Robot book: would you say that that was one of your favorites this year?

Caramel: Yep.

Some of Caramel’s favorite nonfiction books from 2022: from left to right: *5000 Awesome Facts (About Animals)* by National Geographic Kids, *Robot* by Roger Bridgman, and *Pangolins* by Lisa Fanton.

Caramel: And the Wild Robot books by Peter Brown, The Wild Robot and The Wild Robot Escapes were two of my favorite fiction books!

Sprinkles: You also read and reviewed most of the Wings of Fire books this year.

Caramel: Yes, I should not forget those. Wings of Fire is still my favorite book series.

Sprinkles: Having read all fifteen now, do you have a favorite among them?

Caramel: Well, I read the Legends books, too, so there are more than fifteen actually.

Sprinkles: Yes, true, you reviewed Darkstalker on September 14, and Dragonslayer on September 21. Do you have a favorite among those?

Caramel: Among the Legends I think I like the Darkstalker a bit more, but they are all pretty awesome. And among the original fifteen, I cannot choose one.

Sprinkles: So how about choosing one per five books? For the Dragonet Prophesy, which is your favorite?

Caramel: The fifth: The Brightest Night.

Sprinkles: For the Jade Mountain arc?

Caramel: The sixth: Moon Rising.

Sprinkles: How about the last arc?

Caramel: Probably the fourteenth: The Dangerous Gift. But I still read and reread all fifteen of them.

Sprinkles: I know. The books are still all over the house. I think you really like Tui Sutherland and her imaginary worlds. You and I both read and enjoyed Tui Sutherland’s shorter series, The Menagerie, that she wrote with her sister.

Caramel: Yes, that is true. I did not want to read them first, but after you finished them all, you sort of made me. I did not want to get out of the Wings of Fire world at first.

Sprinkles: But you did enjoy them in the end.

Caramel: Yep.

Sprinkles: That happens! So Marshmallow, let us talk about the fiction you have read this year.

Marshmallow: I reviewed a couple series this year. I read and reviewed the Magnus Chase books by Rick Riordan: The Sword of Summer, The Hammer of Thor, and The Ship of the Dead. I also began reading the Miss Peregrine books by Ransom Riggs. And it was fun to get back to Soman Chainani’s School for Good and Evil universe again: I first read and reviewed Rise of the School for Good and Evil and then went back and reread the book that started them all: School for Good and Evil. And I read and reviewed a new FunJungle book too: Bear Bottom by Stuart Gibbs. I loved each of these books.

Sprinkles: And you read a few classics this year, too.

Marshmallow: Yes. I read and reviewed Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes on October 1, 2022; Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell on October 8, 2022; and Great Expectations by Charles Dickens on October 29, 2022. Nineteen Eighty-Four was the one that affected me most.

Sprinkles: I remember reading that book and I felt the same way.

In 2022, Marshmallow read and reviewed three classics: from left to right, *Flowers for Algernon* by Daniel Keyes, *Nineteen Eighty-Four* by George Orwell, and *Great Expectations* by Charles Dickens.

Sprinkles: How about the other fiction you read? Can you share some of your highlights?

Marshmallow: I read and reviewed Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan on April 2, 2022; I think it is a really well-written book, though a bit sad.

Sprinkles: So this was overall a good year with lots of good books, right?

Caramel: Yes, I think so!

Marshmallow: I agree! And we are going to read and review a lot more next year!

Caramel: But we take January off.

Sprinkles: Yes, we should mention that. And what else do you all want to say to your readers?

Marshmallow: Happy new year!

Caramel: And see you in February 2023 for more book bunny reviews!

The book bunnies wish all bunnies around the world a happy new year and lots of good books in 2023!

Marshmallow reviews Library of Souls: The Third Novel of Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Marshmallow has reviewed the first two books of the Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children series by Ransom Riggs. (Her review of the first book is here: Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children, and here is her review of the second one: Hollow City.) Today she reviews the third book published in 2015: Library of Souls.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like books about magic and friendship, and if you enjoyed the first two books of the Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children series, then this might be the book for you.

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): First off, let me say that the story in this book starts where the second book, Hollow City, ended. And that book was a direct continuation of the first book: Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children. So you need to have read those two books (or at least read my reviews of them) before reading any further. Once you are ready, please do read on.

Jacob Portman recently discovered that he can not only see the monsters that have been plaguing him and his peculiar friends, but also track, control, and talk to them. These evil monsters (called hollows) consume the souls of peculiar children to transform into wights who look human except that they have all-white eyeballs. Both hollows and wights have been working to steal the souls of peculiar children for a long time, to regain their own humanity which they lost in a failed experiment for immortality. Leading his friends on a quest to save the peculiar people from those trying to destroy them, Jacob must first rescue their caretaker Miss Peregrine.

With the help of his friend / love interest, Emma Bloom, Jacob learns that the monsters are trying to break into the legendary Library of Souls. This supposedly non-existent place was rumored to be where the souls of peculiars went after death. Rather like a library, a peculiar would “check out” a soul when they were born, and give it back when they died. But if someone entered this library, they could potentially take the souls and gain more power.

Clearly the stakes are much higher than they realized. Jacob must rescue his friends and reunite with allies if they wish to defeat these monsters.

Marshmallow is reading Library of Souls: The Third Novel of Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. — Marshmallow is reading *Library of Souls: The Third Novel of Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children* by Ransom Riggs.

Marshmallow’s Review: Taking the peculiar world to a new level of weird, Ransom Riggs introduces new nuances in this book. I really liked how much Library of Souls added to the world of peculiardom. With these new details, the world of peculiar children felt much more realistic. The characters also developed more.

This seems to have been written as the final book of a trilogy, though I believe the author has written three more in this same world. I felt a little unsatisfied by the ending and felt that this wasn’t exactly an end. The main storyline resolves well, but in terms of character development, it did not feel completely finished. The relationship between the protagonist and Emma Bloom in particular is not settled, and there is still a need for continuation. So I wouldn’t say that this is a final end to the series, rather the end of a part of the story.

All in all, I really enjoyed reading Library of Souls and look forward to reading the next books in the series.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 96%.

Marshmallow rates Library of Souls: The Third Novel of Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs 96%. — Marshmallow rates *Library of Souls: The Third Novel of Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children* by Ransom Riggs 96%.

Marshmallow reviews Hope in the Dark by Rebecca Solnit

Marshmallow enjoys reading fiction and most often reviews works of fiction for our blog. But this week she decided to write about Rebecca Solnit’s Hope in the Dark: Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities, first written in 2004 and then republished with a new foreword and an afterword in 2016.

Marshmallow reviews Hope in the Dark: Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities by Rebecca Solnit. — Marshmallow reviews *Hope in the Dark: Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities* by Rebecca Solnit.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like nonfiction books that discuss current events, or if you are worried about the future because of said current events, then this might be the book for you.

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Rebecca Solnit goes over several depressing events of the recent years with a new perspective. She defines hope, not as optimism, but as the acknowledgment of possibilities for a better world. The author carefully analyzes the past and the present to demonstrate how hope is intertwined with action. Her rousing book encourages readers to keep sight of a brighter future, within reason. Diverging from the common conceptions of hope, this book presents a stronger, newer perspective:

Hope locates itself in the premises that we don’t know what will happen and that in the spaciousness of uncertainty is room to act.

Simply put, hope is not naive optimism but rather the ability to see the possibilities in the uncertainties that surround us and the capacity to act accordingly.

Citing recent events, famous people, and writers of old, Rebecca Solnit builds her case as to why hope is so relevant and important to our modern world. In each of her twenty-one short chapters, she focuses on a different aspect of hope and how we should nurture it. In the end, she builds a solid argument for why there is always hope, even in the darkest times.

Marshmallow is reading Hope in the Dark: Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities by Rebecca Solnit. — Marshmallow is reading *Hope in the Dark: Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities* by Rebecca Solnit.

Marshmallow’s Review: In these deeply troubled times, hope is difficult to find. This book is refreshing to read as it does not offer any easy solutions or fake comfort; rather it states clearly that things are not going to work out the way we want them to unless we start making changes. With clear evidence and reasoning, the author proves with finality that we are not inevitably doomed (the key word being “inevitably”).

This is a book that we should all read, though it might be a little advanced or confusing for younger bunnies. The clarity with which the author presents her position helps the reader engage effectively with her ideas. The flow of thought is easy to follow, and the chapters all have several ideas and concrete examples relevant to the main topic (hope).

Originally, I read this book for a project concerning hope. This book not only proved itself to be an invaluable resource for evidence, quotes, and ideas for my project, but also was a source of inspiration more broadly for life in a dark world. I found it wise that the author, Rebecca Solnit, never says it will get better. This specifically, I felt, was not just a sound decision, but also a main theme throughout the course of the book. If anything, I found this book to be a call to action— what this action must be, however, is more difficult to perceive. Yet, this book was extremely helpful to read, as it served as a reminder that we have the potential and opportunity to improve our world.

In this short book review, I hope I have done more than just inform you about a book I have read. I hope that I have also pointed you towards a refreshing idea, a new perspective, that I think can be both informative and beneficial for everyone.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 99%.

Marshmallow rates Hope in the Dark: Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities by Rebecca Solnit 99%. — Marshmallow rates *Hope in the Dark: Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities* by Rebecca Solnit 99%.

Marshmallow reviews Hollow City: The Second Novel of Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

A few weeks ago, Marshmallow reviewed Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs and ended her review telling us that she was eager to read the next book in the series. In the following weeks, she indeed found and read the second book, Hollow City, published in 2014, and today she shares her thoughts on it with our readers.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like books about magic and friendship, then this might be the book for you.

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Jacob Portman is peculiar. In Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children, the first book of the series, Jacob discovered that the fantastic stories his grandfather told him were all true. Upon his grandfather’s death, he went to the island where the stories were based and discovered a hidden world, one full of children who had been living sheltered in a time loop for decades. These children were hiding from the rest of the world because they all possessed a peculiarity that made life outside dangerous for them. (Some examples of peculiarity include having control over fire and being invisible) These children were protected by women who could turn into birds. Unfortunately, soon after Jacob’s arrival, the children who were living on the island were driven out of their home and their keeper, Miss Peregrine, was forced into her bird form. During his time with these children, Jacob formed a close bond with them, specifically a girl named Emma. When they were forced out, Jacob and his friends ended up in the 1940s and were on the run from monsters who wanted to eat children with magical peculiarities.

This second book starts more or less at the same time where the first one ended. The children are in rowboats, running away. They believe that Miss Peregrine is the only one who can help them, but since she is trapped in her bird form and seemingly cannot change back, Jacob and his friends must find another time loop run by another keeper who can help them. Unfortunately, the monsters who want to eat them are coming after them fast. Besides this serious worry, Jacob also learns that Miss Peregrine has only a few days left before she will be stuck in bird form forever. How long can Jacob and the children go before it’s too late to save Miss Peregrine? How can they find a new home that will keep them safe?

Marshmallow is reading Hollow City: The Second Novel of Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. — Marshmallow is reading *Hollow City: The Second Novel of Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children* by Ransom Riggs.

Marshmallow’s Review: I think Hollow City is a great followup to Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children, the first Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children book. And it definitely did not curb my enthusiasm, and I look forward to reading the next one. That said, I did find this book a little more confusing than the first. I think I have missed certain details during my first read and so had to go back and reread some parts to figure things out.

The plot twist at the end (though I suspected it) led to a great turn of events and made the book much more interesting! I liked how it shook the ending up and made the book lead into the next one. Of course this means that the end of this book is not the end of the series, and there is definitely a cliffhanger, and you know I am not too keen on cliffhangers. But the author introduces several new characters towards the end and they really intrigued me.

This edition of Hollow City is similar to the first book. There are many old-looking photos sprinkled in through the book, and the story connects with them, just like before. Most of the photos are eerie, like the ones from the first book, but maybe they are a tad less scary. Or I might just be getting used to the feel of these images.

Hollow City adds much more to the world of peculiar children. There are many new characters, both human and animal. I enjoyed reading it thoroughly. I should still repeat my warning for the first book however. This is a great book, but it might be too scary or complicated for children younger than 12.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 98%.

Marshmallow rates Hollow City: The Second Novel of Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs 98%. — Marshmallow rates *Hollow City: The Second Novel of Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children* by Ransom Riggs 98%.