Marshmallow’s reviews – Page 50

Marshmallow reviews Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

Marshmallow’s first contribution to this blog was a review of J.K. Rowling’s The Cursed Child. Recently she began rereading the original Harry Potter series in their illustrated versions, and today she offers us a review of the book that started the whole enterprise, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, illustrated luminously by Jim Kay.

Marshmallow reviews Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, written by J.K. Rowling and illustrated by Jim Kay. — Marshmallow reviews *Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone*, written by J.K. Rowling and illustrated by Jim Kay.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like Harry Potter, or if you are new to his world and want to dive right in, then this illustrated version might be the book for you.

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): When he was a baby and his parents were killed, Harry Potter was sent to live with his aunt and uncle Petunia and Vernon Dursley. The problem is that the Dursleys want to be ordinary and they don’t want anything to be out of the ordinary, which is bad because Harry Potter is anything but ordinary. Strange things happen when he gets scared or angry. For example, once when Dudley, his cousin who loves to punch him and hit him, was chasing him, he suddenly found himself on the roof of their school.

A little bit before his eleventh birthday, Harry receives a letter addressed directly to his “room”, a cupboard under the stairs, which his aunt and uncle, Petunia and Vernon, gave him out of the “goodness” of their hearts. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia dispose of the letter, and then more of the same letters come, still addressed to Harry in the cupboard under the stairs, and when his aunt and uncle move him to Dudley’s second bedroom, the address for the letters switches to the second bedroom. When Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon see the letters, they freak out and go to any lengths to make sure that Harry and Dudley don’t see the contents of the letter. They even travel long distances to hide away at a house by the ocean in the hope that more letters don’t come. Meanwhile, Harry’s birthday has been forgotten, and like every other year, none of the Dursleys says or does anything for his birthday.

Then, in the house in the ocean, a giant man, Hagrid bangs open the door and tells Harry that he is a wizard and he has been invited to Hogwarts, a school for witchcraft and wizardry.

Marshmallow is reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, written by J.K. Rowling and illustrated by Jim Kay. — Marshmallow is reading *Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone*, written by J.K. Rowling and illustrated by Jim Kay.

But Harry also learns that his parents weren’t killed in a car crash, as Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon told him. They were killed by a wizard so feared that no one says his name, instead calling him You-Know-Who. You-Know-Who killed Harry’s parents but couldn’t kill Harry, and he himself got destroyed, but some people, like Hagrid believe that he is still out there, waiting to come back.

When Harry goes to Hogwarts, he makes friends and has a good time, except for one professor who seems to hate him and seems to be doing suspicious things. When Harry investigates, with his friends Ron and Hermione, they learn that the nameless horror is trying to return to power. (Dun dun dun!)

We would be amiss if we did not insert the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001) Official Trailer. Enjoy!

Marshmallow’s Review: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is a really good book. And the illustrations by Jim Kay really make it even better. The characters and the plot are amazing. The plot all fits together and the characters are all very realistic. The illustrations really add to the story. I especially liked the pictures of the different types of dragon eggs. The world of Harry Potter is magical and fascinating. The movies brought the magic into life with amazing visual effects. The illustrations do the same in this book format.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 100%.

Marshmallow rates Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, written by J.K. Rowling and illustrated by Jim Kay, 100%. — Marshmallow rates *Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone*, written by J.K. Rowling and illustrated by Jim Kay, 100%.

Marshmallow reviews The Clockwork Crow by Catherine Fisher

This week Marshmallow reviews The Clockwork Crow by Catherine Fisher.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like books about mythology, and if you are open to being a little scared, then this might be the book for you.

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Seren Rhys is an orphan and so has been alone without a family for her entire life. Now that is about to change. She is now going to go live in Wales with her godfather, Captain Jones, and his wife, Lady Mair, and their son, Tomos, in their large house called Plas-y-Fran. While she waits at the train station, a tall, thin man comes and asks her if she can hold on to a package he is carrying, and that if “They” get him, she should not, no matter what, leave it there. When he doesn’t come back, she takes the package with her to Plas-y-Fran.

When Seren arrives at Plas-y-Fran, there are not many people, and the people there are not very welcoming. Seren senses that something is wrong but cannot tell what. On top of this, Captain Jones has gone somewhere to do something, Lady Mair is in London, and Tomos is nowhere to be seen. No one is talking about him, but it is clear that he is not with his parents.

Life in Plas-y-Fran is not turning out to be what Seren imagined. She is alone again: she doesn’t have anyone to play with, and her godfather and his wife aren’t there. And there is something wrong: whenever she tries to learn anything about Tomos, she is scolded or the topic is changed. As she investigates more, she thinks that “They”, magical creatures that steal children from people who took “Their” land, took Tomos. Whatever happened, it is clear that Tomos is gone, and no one is looking for him anymore (because they already looked and couldn’t find him).

Marshmallow is reading The Clockwork Crow by Catherine Fisher. — Marshmallow is reading *The Clockwork Crow* by Catherine Fisher.

Marshmallow’s Review: I think that this is a great book, but I must say that I think it is best for ages 9 or 10 and up. This is because, first of all, the plot might confuse younger bunnies, and second, this book is a bit creepy. I, myself, was kind of scared reading it. It would be especially scary for younger bunnies because the bad guys, the magical people or “faeries” who take children seem to do bad things to them, like taking their soul. This is one book I would NOT recommend reading at bedtime, or when it is dark, or any time close to night, as apparently that is when the bad guys (“faeries”) try to steal the children. In fact it might be a good idea for parents to read it first to see if they want their child to read it.

The characters are very well developed, they are very realistic, and they are relatable. The author, Catherine Fisher, is very good at creating suspense at the climax of the book. I was not able to put the book down until I had finished it, thus the reason I read part of it at night, and I really do not recommend doing that.

The Clockwork Crow is part of a series, only the first book of a trilogy. However, I think that it also works well as a stand-alone book, as there isn’t really a cliffhanger at the end. Still I think I want to read the second book in the series just in case. But first of all, I look forward to rereading The Clockwork Crow.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 100%.

Marshmallow rates The Clockwork Crow by Catherine Fisher 100%. — Marshmallow rates *The Clockwork Crow* by Catherine Fisher 100%.

Marshmallow reviews Restart by Gordon Korman

Last year Marshmallow reviewed The Unteachables, a 2019 book by Gordon Korman. This week she reviews an earlier book by the same author: Restart, which was first published in 2017.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you liked some of Gordon Korman’s other books, such as The Unteachables, or if you want to read books about kids having second chances with friends at school, then this might be the book for you.

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): After falling off of the roof of his house, Chase Ambrose’s memory “just [goes] out the window.” He remembers how to do most things, like talking and walking, but he doesn’t know his family or his friends. He doesn’t even know his own name. All he remembers is a little blond girl in a blue dress. When he returns to his high school, it is clear that some people think of him as a hero, and some people try to avoid him as much as possible, as they are really scared of him.

At school, his “best friends” complain about the community service that they must do as a result of having damaged a school piano. When he learns this, Chase starts to wonder who he really was and who he is going to be. At lunch, he sits with a kid named Brandon who is very scared of him. At some point, Brandon realizes that Chase actually has amnesia. Many people don’t believe that Chase has amnesia at the beginning, either because they can’t believe it because they were very close to him so they do not want to believe it — this is true for Chase’s best friends, Bear and Aaron, who were two of Chase’s accomplices in their bullying of Joel Weber — or because they hate him so much and do not trust him — this is the case for Shoshanna Weber, Joel Weber’s twin sister.

Shoshanna hates Chase so much that when she sees him in Heaven on Ice, a local frozen yogurt place, she goes up to him and dumps her frozen yogurt on his head. In fact, the piano that Chase, Bear, and Aaron damaged by putting cherry bombs in it, was the same piano that Joel was playing on, resulting in him almost going into cardiac arrest. Chase eventually learns that Joel and Shoshanna’s parents had to move Joel to a different school because of Chase’s bullying. So Chase has to decide who he wants to be and who he was does not seem to be so great.

Marshmallow is reading Restart by Gordon Korman. — Marshmallow is reading *Restart* by Gordon Korman.

Marshmallow’s Review: I really enjoyed reading Restart. The characters are particularly realistic and they are also relatable. I do not know who my favorite character is, because I like all of them. The book is written from the perspectives of different characters. For example, one chapter might be told from Chase’s point of view and the next one might be coming from another person, for example, Brandon or Shoshanna.

Though Restart is a great book, I think that it is best for 8 and up, as the plot might be confusing for younger bunnies. The plot is not particularly complex, but younger bunnies might be confused especially if they don’t know what amnesia is. And the author uses a bad word.

I think the central theme of amnesia in Restart is interesting, though I personally wouldn’t want to have amnesia at all, and the author, Gordon Korman, does a very good job of telling it. I think it was kind of sad that Chase forgot everything about his family and friends, but when it turns out that he will get his memory back eventually, he turns out to become a nicer person, and gets new friends. In the end, in this book, it seemed like having amnesia turned out to be a good thing for him. (Again, for him.)

I think that bigger bunnies might also enjoy Restart, and I am trying to get Sprinkles to read it too.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 95%.

Marshmallow rates Restart by Gordon Korman 95%. — Marshmallow rates *Restart* by Gordon Korman 95%.

Marshmallow reviews The Burning Maze (Book 3 of the Trials of Apollo Series) by Rick Riordan

This week Marshmallow continues with Rick Riordan’s Trials of Apollo series and reviews the third book: The Burning Maze.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like books about Greek and Roman mythology, then this might be the book for you. But I will add my usual warning again: if you have not read the earlier books in the Trials of Apollo series, I think you should go back and read those before you dive into this one.

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Zeus has turned Apollo into an average teenager and now he has a twelve-year-old master, a satyr guide, and an assignment to restore all Oracles. This time he has to help find the Oracle of Erythaea. He reaches California and meets some old friends and makes some new ones. Apollo and his friends learn more about the identity of the third emperor in Triumvirate Holdings, a company who is behind many of the assets that previous enemies used. Apollo and his friends learn that the third emperor is set on trying to become the new Apollo and wants to have an old enemy boil the current Apollo with Helios so then the emperor can eat them and become the new sun god. This will mean that Apollo and Helios will cease to exist. It seems that Zeus will allow this, and Apollo will die. The stakes couldn’t be higher for Apollo (and also for California, because the book has an interesting explanation of what is going on with California wildfires…)

Marshmallow is reading *The Burning Maze* (Book 3 of the Trials of Apollo Series) by Rick Riordan.

Marshmallow’s Review: I think that The Burning Maze is a great book because the author, Rick Riordan, adds jokes and, basically, comic relief to his books. Of course if you read some of his other books, from his Percy Jackson and the Olympians or Heroes of Olympus series, and more, then you would know that. Also another interesting thing in this book is that as the book and the series progresses, so does the character of Apollo/Lester Papadopoulos. He basically grows, though also quite physically, more down-to-Earth.

This book does talk somewhat about history, but you don’t really need to know anything about it, though knowing some Roman history would mean that you might be able to find out who the bad guys are faster. At the end of this book the heroes receive a prophecy of a sort, and it links to a character I really like.

Though this is a great book for everyone, I think that people (and bunnies) of age 9 and up might like it especially.

I really enjoyed reading The Burning Maze. I think that it’s funny, especially Apollo/Lester’s conversations with the Arrow of Dodona are very well-written. The plot is very well thought out and the clues are great. The characters are well developed, too; each character has flaws and skills that make them more realistic and more relatable.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 100%.

Marshmallow rates The Burning Maze (Book 3 of the Trials of Apollo Series) by Rick Riordan 100%. — Marshmallow rates *The Burning Maze* (Book 3 of the Trials of Apollo Series) by Rick Riordan 100%.