Marshmallow wrapped up 2020 with a review of The Hidden Oracle, the first book in Rick Riordan’s Trials of Apollo series. She begins 2021 with a review of The Dark Prophecy, the second book in the series.
Marshmallow reviews The Dark Prophecy (Book 2 of the Trials of Apollo Series) by Rick Riordan.
Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you have enjoyed reading some of Rick Riordan’s books or if you just like reading about Greek mythology, then this might be the book for you.
Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Apollo has been transformed into a teenager with flab, acne, and no “eight-pack abs”. His demigod master has left him and now he has been flying with two other heroes (whom we have met before in the Heroes of Olympus series). Finally they land in Indiana, only to find that a lot of the people there are not human, they are blemmyae, monsters that are pretending to be humans, waiting for Apollo. Apollo and his two friends are captured by these blemmyae, but luckily for our heroes, the blemmyae are obsessed with being “polite” so when they are going to try to kill Apollo, they are still obsessed with making sure that they say thank you. So when they are trying to kill him, they are sure to make sure that they listen to his “last words”, which turns out to be a hilarious summary of the first book.
Eventually Apollo and his friends are rescued and brought to a magical building. There is much to learn about this building. In this book, the reader will uncover some of those as well as some other secrets that Apollo keeps buried deep inside.
Marshmallow is reading The Dark Prophecy (Book 2 of the Trials of Apollo Series) by Rick Riordan
Marshmallow’s Review: I think that all of Rick Riordan’s book in general, at least the ones I have read, are all really well thought-out and really well-written. This one, especially, is very well thought out as the author takes mythology and adds it to his own earlier stories to make a very well designed and intricate plot. If you know a thing or two about Roman history, then that might help you because at the beginning you don’t exactly know everything about who the bad guys are. There are clues of course: the clues are stuff like someone whose name means “Little Booties” and someone who likes to think of himself as “The New Hercules” and more.
But if you are going to read this series, like always, I will recommend that you start by reading the first two series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Heroes of Olympus. The characters’ background stories from earlier series add a lot to the current series.
This is a great book for all readers, but it may confuse younger readers, as the story gets a bit convoluted (in a good way!), so maybe it is better for ages 7 and up.
Marshmallow’s Rating: 100%.
Marshmallow rates The Dark Prophecy (Book 2 of the Trials of Apollo Series) by Rick Riordan 100%.
Marshmallow reviews The Hidden Oracle (Book 1 of the Trials of Apollo Series) by Rick Riordan.
Sprinkles: So Marshmallow, you finally got your paws on Rick Riordan’s third series on Greek and Roman mythology. How did you like this one?
Marshmallow: Well, I have only read the first two books so far, but I think that they are really successful. The previous series were written by demigods, but this one is narrated by Apollo, the sun god. Except that he is no longer a god: he has become mortal because Zeus got mad at him for something he did in the Heroes of Olympus series and turned him into a mortal as a punishment.
S: That sounds like an interesting premise for a new story line.
M: Yes! Apparently he had been made mortal before and he knows what he is supposed to do to become a god again. He has to find a demigod who will claim him and he has to serve this demigod as they together attempt a quest.
S: So there is again a quest in this series? Or a series of quests, one per book?
M: Sort of. There is one big quest, involving oracles, but there are smaller things Apollo has to do in each of the books.
S: So you said this book is narrated by Apollo, or—what is his mortal name?
M: His name is now Lester Papadopoulos. And yes, he is narrating the story.
S: How do you like that?
M: He is a fun narrator to read. He is funny and likes to glorify himself. As the god of sun and poetry and such, Apollo is a bit full of himself. When he becomes mortal, he is still full of himself. Listen:
“The only thing I knew for certain: my punishment was unfair. Zeus needed someone to blame, so of course he’d picked the handsomest, most talented, most popular god in the pantheon: me.”
pages 2-3
S: That does sound hilarious! I thought that in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, Riordan really seemed to enjoy narrating through Percy’s perspective. And in the Heroes of Olympus series, I had the sense that he most enjoyed being Leo, even though the narration was in the third person, listening to him go on and on as Leo, I felt that he was at his best. So here we now read through Apollo / Lester’s voice, and it sounds like it is once again pretty good.
M: I think Riordan likes humorous narrators. Making them goofy and making us laugh with and at the narrator. Apollo is really fun to read. He puts haikus at the beginning of each chapter.
Marshmallow is reading The Hidden Oracle (Book 1 of the Trials of Apollo Series) by Rick Riordan. Here she is showing us how each chapter starts with a haiku.
S: It sounds really like I might have to read this book Marshmallow! So tell me a bit more about this first book. This is when Apollo is coming to terms with being mortal and figuring out how to get back, right?
M: Yeah. We see him try and find a demigod to serve. And it seems like he wanted Percy Jackson to be the one but he was claimed first by a girl named Meg.
S: Ooo, so we meet a new demigod! Meg.
M: Yes. Meg is yet undetermined. We do not know her godly parent at the beginning. There are some clues already in the first few chapters, and we figure things out by the end of this first volume.
S: That is intriguing. Hmm, so Percy is still around in this book, too?
M: Yes. And later on in the other books, some of the other demigods we know from the earlier series begin to show up too.
S: So who is your favorite character in this book then?
M: There is a peach spirit, named Peaches. I think that he is my favorite character because he is really loyal. He is kind of a demon baby, but he is nice to the good people in the story. But back to Percy and Apollo and Meg. Here is a dialog Apollo has with Meg about Percy that can give you more of a sense of what Lester / Apollo is like:
“Meg,” I said, “I realize some demigods are not good. I could tell you stories of all the ones I’ve had to kill or transform into herbs–” “Herbs?” “But Percy Jackson has always been reliable. You have nothing to fear. Besides, he likes me. I taught him everything he knows.” She frowned. “You did?” I found her innocence somewhat charming. So many obvious things she did not know.
pages 24-25
S: That sounds like a book I want to read! So let us wrap this up so you can give me the book! How do you want to rate The Hidden Oracle?
M: I rate it 95% only because one has to have read the earlier books to get all the jokes and really appreciate this book. (You might also benefit from knowing some things about the Beatles…)
S: That is perfect Marshmallow! Let us now wrap up your last review of the year. Do you want to say something to our readers?
M: Yes. Happy holidays and happy new year to everyone! I will have more book reviews for you in February 2021!
Marshmallow rates The Hidden Oracle (Book 1 of the Trials of Apollo Series) by Rick Riordan 95%.
Today Marshmallow reviews a book that her school teacher introduced her to: Wonder by R.J Palacio.
Marshmallow reviews Wonder by R.J. Palacio.
Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like books about school and friendship, then this might be the book for you.
Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): August (Auggie) Pullman was born with health issues that caused him to look very different from a lot of other kids. He had been homeschooled because he would get sick and possibly die if he went to school with other children. But now that he is stronger, his parents are now trying to get him to go to Beecher Prep, a private school. At first he is reluctant but eventually decides to go.
The principal, Mr. Tushman, introduces him to three kids who take him on a tour of the school: Julian, Jack Will (Jack is his first name, and his last name is Will, but for some reason people sometimes call him Jack Will), and Charlotte. Charlotte and Jack are nice enough, but Julian asks questions like, “what happened to your face?” and “was your face burned in a fire?” But on the bright side, August likes Jack Will and wants to be friends with him.
When August starts school, people try not to touch him or be next to him. At lunch, nobody wants to sit with him, not even Jack Will. But then a girl named Summer comes over and sits with him, and they become friends. Jack Will and August eventually become friends, too. Then on Halloween, August comes as a Bleeding Scream, not a Boba Fett (August is completely obsessed with Star Wars) as he said he would. He sits at a different desk and he overhears Julian and two mummies (he assumes they are Miles and Henry, two of Julian’s friends) saying mean things about him. But then he recognizes one of the mummies, and it is not Henry or Miles.
Marshmallow is reading Wonder by R.J. Palacio.
Marshmallow’s Review: Wonder is a great book for bunnies of many different ages. I think that it is especially meant for bunnies of ages 8-13 but it can still be enjoyed thoroughly by bunnies younger and/or older than that. Even grownup bunnies would enjoy reading it! (I am still trying to convince Sprinkles and Caramel to read it.)
A very interesting thing about Wonder is that different people narrate its different parts. For example. the first section is narrated by August, the second by August’s sister, Via (short for Olivia who looks like other kids), the third by Summer, and the fourth by Jack Will. And then there are many more sections. It is fun to read a book written in first person from many people’s perspectives, especially since their writing style is different.
Wonder has also been made into a movie though I have not seen it yet. Here is the trailer for it if you are interested:
The trailer for the movie Wonder.
Wonder is a great book also because the plot is well-written and well thought-out. The characters are well-developed and really realistic. R. J. Palacio has created:
“A crackling page-turner filled with characters you can’t help but root for.”
Today Marshmallow reviews the epistolary novelElla Minnow Pea: A Novel of Letters by Mark Dunn, a book recommended to her by her school teacher.
Marshmallow reviews Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn.
Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like books about free speech or books about fighting against suppression, or alternatively if you like playing with letters and thinking about language, then this might be the book for you.
Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Ella Minnow Pea lives on the fictional island of Nollop, which is home to Nevin Nollop, who is the supposed creator of the famous sentence, “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog”, a sentence that contains all letters of the English alphabet. This sentence is on a memorial statue of Nevin Nollop in the island.
The people of Nollop think very highly of Mr. Nollop, so when the letters of the sentence on the memorial statue start to fall off, the Council says that it is Mr. Nollop who has spoken from beyond the grave. They claim that it is Mr. Nollop’s will that people stop using the letters that have fallen. So you can’t use words, or read books, or write words that have the letters that have fallen. Even if you use them by mistake, you are still punished. For the first offense, you are scolded publicly. For your second offense, you get lashing or stocks, the violator can choose. A third offense is punished by banishment, and if the violator refuses, death. You can see how this would make things difficult! As the story progresses, things get more and more complicated.
Marshmallow is reading Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn.
Marshmallow’s Review: I think that Ella Minnow Pea is a great book for kids eight and up because it has a well-written plot and developed characters. I say eight and up, because the plot is a bit complicated, so younger bunnies might have a harder time trying to understand what is happening.
This is especially true since Ella Minnow Pea is written in letters, like the book To Night Owl From Dogfish, which I reviewed before for this blog. It is interesting to read a book written in letters, because then you can see multiple people’s views, especially if they write in different styles.
Still if little bunnies want to read Ella Minnow Pea, they can read with their parents. This way if the younger ones don’t understand something, they can ask their parents. This can also help open up some of the important themes of the book.
The main theme in Ella Minnow Pea is freedom of speech because the Council is trying to have everyone stop using the words that fell from the statue. Once they lose the letter “D” they even change the names of the days, with Sunday becoming “Satto-gatto” for example. The book is about the importance of speech and language and how important it is for these to be free. In the end it is language (and people’s determination of course!) that saves the world.
Marshmallow’s Rating: 100%.
Marshmallow rates Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn 100%.
BookBunnies 