Marshmallow’s reviews – Page 59

Marshmallow reviews Matilda by Roald Dahl

A while back, as her second review, Marshmallow reviewed BFG by Roald Dahl. Today she wanted to write about the very first Dahl book she had read: Matilda. For this review she went back and reread it a couple times. Below is her review; enjoy!

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you liked some of Roald Dahl’s other books or if you like books about young people with supernatural powers, then this might the book for you.

Marshmallow’s Summary (with spoilers): Matilda Wormwood is an extremely amazing child with extremely dumb parents. She began to speak perfectly at age one and a half. She taught herself to read at age three, but her parents told her that she should stop talking because “small girls should be seen and not heard.” When her parents left home in the afternoon, she would walk to the library and read. Then she started school.

Matilda has a great teacher and she knows everything already, so school should have been easy for her, except that the principal, Miss Trunchbull, is a nightmare. Miss Trunchbull used to throw hammers in the Olympics and now throws little children instead to keep her right arm in practice. For example, there was a boy who was eating candy in class and Miss Trunchbull tossed him out of the window. After she threw him, she said that she had done a good job even though she hadn’t been practicing. (You’re probably wondering why the children wouldn’t just go home and tell their parents, but Miss Trunchbull makes sure that the stuff that she does is so ridiculous that no one would believe the children.)

Then one day, Miss Trunchbull comes into Matilda’s class in order to test them on what they have learned. But someone put a newt into Miss Trunchbull’s jug of water. Miss Trunchbull blames Matilda for the incident which makes Matilda mad. Matilda sits down but then something happens: she is able to magically push the glass that has the newt inside over on to Miss Trunchbull. Apparently Matilda somehow has the ability of telekinesis!

A lot more funny and strange things happen in the rest of the book. You will just have to read to find out how Matilda finally gets back on all the difficult and annoying people in her life.

Marshmallow is reading Matilda by Roald Dahl and enjoying the funny illustrations by Quentin Blake. — Marshmallow is reading *Matilda* by Roald Dahl and enjoying the funny illustrations by Quentin Blake.

Marshmallow’s Review: This is a great book for people who like to read about fantastic things. Matilda is now a classic and has been enjoyed by many people. Roald Dahl entertains the reader well and the plot comes together nicely. The way Matilda gets rid of Miss Trunchbull is a way that most people wouldn’t think of, a way only Matilda would. And I wouldn’t have suspected what happened at the end.

Dahl also makes the characters hated by the reader or pitied by the reader. Matilda’s parents Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood are really annoying and Miss. Trunchbull is really mean. My favorite character is Matilda because she is smart and takes matters into her own hands when they get to be too much. I also like her because we read the story from her perspective so it is easy to be on her side.

I think this book is good for all ages. I think that most readers will like it.

Matilda is also very funny. My two favorite chapters are The Ghost and The Platinum-Blond Man. The things Matilda does to the mean adults around her are not things that people should do though it is really fun to read.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 95%

Marshmallow rates Matilda by Roald Dahl 95%. — Marshmallow rates *Matilda* by Roald Dahl 95%.

Marshmallow reviews Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes by Rick Riordan

Last week Marshmallow described Rick Riordan’s introductory book on Greek gods: Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods. This week she wanted to talk about a related book, again by Rick Riordan: Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes. Sprinkles decided to join her and will be asking questions.

Sprinkles: So this week we will be talking about Rick Riordan’s book about Greek heroes. This is another 500-page book and you have been reading it over and over again.

Marshmallow: Yes, I think it is a pretty good book.

S: So what is this book about really?

M: It’s about Greek heroes like Hercules and Perseus and Theseus. And Perseus is apparently who Percy Jackson was named after.

S: I think we had learned that in one of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians books. It was at least in one of the movies.

M: Oh yes, I remember that scene.

S: So just like in his Greek gods book, in this one, too Percy Jackson is narrating and telling us stories about these famous heroes of ancient Greek mythology.

M: Yes.

Marshmallow is reading Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes by Rick Riordan. — Marshmallow is reading *Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes* by Rick Riordan.

S: I know you knew about some of the Greek gods before. But did you know about any of the heroes in this book before reading it?

M: Yes, I knew a little bit about Theseus and Perseus, and Atalanta, and Orpheus, and Hercules.

S: Oh, I didn’t know you knew that much about all these characters. Then did you learn anything new when reading this book?

M: Yes. I didn’t know about Otrera who started the Amazons. It is kind of a sad story really. And most of them are kind of sad stories anyways. But the chapter names are really funny.

S: Tell me some of your favorites then.

M: There is one called “Phaethon Fails Driver’s Ed”. And there is “Otrera Invents the Amazons (with Free Two-Day Shipping!)”. I also like “Atalanta vs. Three Pieces of Fruit: The Ultimate Death Match”.

S: I get the point. It seems like Rick Riordan always finds amusing chapter titles.

M: Yes, in his other books, the chapter titles are funny, too.

Marshmallow is looking at the colorful insert in Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes by Rick Riordan. The first page displays artwork by John Rocco of Perseus defeating a monster. — Marshmallow is looking at the colorful insert in *Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes* by Rick Riordan. The first page displays artwork by John Rocco of Perseus defeating a monster.

S: There is once again an artwork insert in this book, right?

M: Yes. There are eight full-page illustrations by John Rocco in full color, in the middle of the book.

S: Is there a picture for each chapter?

M: No, there are more than eight chapters. Okay, let me count them. Twelve chapters.

S: I’m guessing folks who enjoyed other Percy Jackson books will like this book, too, right?

M: Yes. But maybe it might be better for older readers (9 and up). There are some words that some parents might not approve. But actually Percy Jackson always uses that kind of language. He does not always use bad words, but sometimes a few less savory words slip in.

S: Then again maybe this is almost always the case for middle-grade books. You told me before that the FunJungle books also have somewhat similar language.

M: That may be true.

S: Okay Marshmallow, I am guessing this is a good time to wrap up this review. Do you want to rate this book?

M: Yes! I rate it 95%.

Marshmallow rates Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes by Rick Riordan 95%. — Marshmallow rates *Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes* by Rick Riordan 95%.

Marshmallow reviews Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods by Rick Riordan

Marshmallow has already reviewed the first three books of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. (Check out her reviews of The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, and The Titan’s Curse.) Today, instead of continuing with the series, which she strongly recommends readers to do, she wanted to talk about a different Percy Jackson book: Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods. Sprinkles has not read this one just yet, so she is asking Marshmallow questions and taking down her answers. Enjoy!

Sprinkles: So Marshmallow you have read this 400-page book rather quickly!

Marshmallow: Yes, it’s a pretty good book. It is also very funny.

S: So what is it about?

M: The book is about the Greek gods and goddesses, and the Greek myths. Percy Jackson adds his perspective on each of the stories.

S: So the book is narrated by Percy Jackson, the hero of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series?

M: Yes. You know what’s quite funny? Depending on whether he likes the particular god or goddess he is talking about, he inserts his opinions into the narrative. For example we know that Poseidon is his father, so he says that Poseidon is the coolest. He starts the chapter “Poseidon Gets Salty” by these words:

I’m biased. But if you’re going to have a Greek god for a parent, you couldn’t do better than Poseidon. Sure, I’ve had my problems with him. He’s not the most attentive dad. But, hey, none of the Greek gods is.
At least Poseidon has awesome powers and a laid-back attitude (most of the time).
He’s amazingly cool, considering how hard it was for him as a young god. He was the middle boy. He was always being compared to his brothers, like: Wow, you’re almost as handsome as Zeus! You’re almost as powerful as Zeus! Or sometimes: You’re not as much of a loser as Hades!
That can really grate a guy after a few centuries.

M: I don’t really understand why they are always so mean to Hades. But you get my point? Percy is a funny narrator.

S: I can see that! So it seems that you might need to know who Percy is when reading this book, Is that so?

M: I guess knowing who he is can be useful, but just having read the first of the series (The Lightning Thief) might be enough. He does mention Piper, a character from the Heroes of Olympus series, which I have not yet read.

S: But it still worked for you, right?

M: Yes.

S: So what else do you want to say about this book?

M: In the middle of the book there are eight pictures of the gods doing stuff. There is a picture each for Demeter, Hades, Poseidon, Zeus, Athena, Ares with Hephaestus, Apollo, and Dionysus.

S: Yes, that is a neat addition. They are full color and were drawn by John Rocco, the artist who illustrated the book covers of the five books of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.

Marshmallow is reading Percy Jackson's Greek Gods by Rick Riordan. She is at the beginning of the full-color insert of artwork by John Rocco. — Marshmallow is reading *Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods* by Rick Riordan. She is at the beginning of the full-color insert of artwork by John Rocco.

S: It seems like this is a book I might like to read! You had said that the Percy Jackson books could be good reading for all ages. What about this one? Is this a good book for bunnies of all ages?

M: It is probably best for ages 9 and up because it has some scenes that might be scary.

S: Alright, that is definitely good to know. How abut the myths? Do you think this is a good source for people looking to learn about Greek mythology?

M: I am not a Greek mythology expert so I honestly don’t know.

S: But maybe at least you can say whether it is a good book to get started or get more curious to learn more about Greek mythology?

M: Yes, I think so.

S: This might be a good place to wrap up this review. Would you like to rate it?

M: Yes. I rate it 95%.

Marshmallow rates Percy Jackson's Greek Gods by Rick Riordan 95%. — Marshmallow rates *Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods* by Rick Riordan 95%.

Marshmallow reviews Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Titan’s Curse (Book 3 of the Percy Jackson Series) by Rick Riordan

Marshmallow has already reviewed books 1 and 2 in Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series; you might like to check out her review of The Lightning Thief and her review of The Sea of Monsters before reading further.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you liked some of Rick Riordan’s other books or if you just like Greek mythology, then this might be the book for you.

Marshmallow’s Summary: Fourteen-year old Percy Jackson is not a normal teenager. He is a demigod, or a half-blood, as they call themselves. In the summer, he attends Camp Half-Blood and trains to survive in the world. (Monsters intent on killing them try to attack the half-bloods so they have to watch out and know how to fight back.)

Percy and his friends, Annabeth Chase and Thalia Grace, go to a boarding school where their friend, Grover Underwood, told them that there were two half-bloods. The school is having a party and they see the two half-bloods, Nico and Bianca de Angelo. They need to take them to Camp Half Blood. They meet the school’s vice principal Dr. Thorn, but when they use the Mist on him (Mist is a magical fog that the half bloods use to fool mortals, humans), he seems like he is still suspicious. While Percy, Annabeth, Thalia, and Grover are trying to act normal, Percy notices that the other half-bloods are gone. He goes after them and finds that Dr. Thorn is trying to take them away. When Percy tries to stop him, Dr. Thorn reverts back to his original form, a manticore. He forces Percy and the di Angelos towards a cliff where Dr. Thorn’s allies are approaching with a helicopter to take them away. But then Annabeth attacks Dr. Thorn with the help of her hat, which makes her turn invisible when she puts it on. As they fight, Dr. Thorn jumps off the cliff with Annabeth on his back, because he knows that he will come back. (Monsters in the books always come back once they are killed, but not necessarily immediately.) As the helicopter draws nearer, Artemis’s Hunters come from the woods and attack it. Once the helicopter is driven away, Thalia is very upset that Percy went to stop Dr. Thorn on his own.

When the friends arrive at the Camp, the Oracle, a mummy of the last Oracle of Delphi, announces a new prophecy.

“Five shall go west, to the goddess in chains, 
One shall be lost in the land without rain, 
The bane of Olympus shows the trail, 
Campers and Hunters combined prevail, 
The Titan’s curse must one withstand, 
And one shall perish by a parent’s hand.”

When Percy is not picked to go on the mission, he sneaks out on his own to do it anyway, using Annabeth’s invisibility hat. What can go wrong?

Marshmallow is reading Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Titan's Curse (Book 3 of the Percy Jackson Series) by Rick Riordan. — Marshmallow is reading *Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Titan’s Curse* (Book 3 of the Percy Jackson Series) by Rick Riordan.

Marshmallow’s Review: This is a very good book but it probably could be sad and scary for younger children. Annabeth appears dead at the beginning of the book and a couple other deaths occur in the book. Otherwise, it is a great book for people who liked Rick Riordan’s other books or just people who like reading about Greek mythology.

I think that you can relate with many of the characters in the book. Percy’s sadness after he believes Annabeth is dead makes you feel compassionate towards him. I also felt a lot of sympathy towards Nico because I too have a little brother (hi Caramel!).

This book will not make much sense if you have not read the first two. But if you do go ahead and read all three, you won’t be disappointed. These books are good!

Marshmallow’s rating: 95%.