Tag: ocean

Marshmallow reviews Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan

Marshmallow has reviewed several book series by Rick Riordan for the book bunnies blog. Today she talks about a stand-alone book by Riordan, Daughter of the Deep, published first in 2021. Sprinkles was curious about the book, too, so she is asking questions and taking notes.

Marshmallow reviews Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan.
Marshmallow reviews Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan.

Sprinkles: So Marshmallow let us start with your one-to-two sentences overview of the book.

Marshmallow: If you like to read books about family, friends, and ocean life, or if you have enjoyed books by Rick Riordan before, then this might be the book for you.

S: Well, that is a good start. Tell me a bit about the story.

M: There is this girl named Ana Dakkar, and she is wrapping up her second year at a special high school intended for young people who want to go into professions involving the ocean. The school is named Harding-Pencroft Academy, and honestly it sounds like an awesome place to be.

S: How so?

M: It is a fancy private school, but more importantly, the classes are all oriented towards the ocean. The students are split into four houses, a bit like the four houses in Hogwarts…

S: Well, I can see how that sounds similar, but a lot of boarding schools have such things.

M: In any case, the school is not like Hogwarts at all in any other way. For example, it is in Southern California. And they have climbing walls and cinnamon rolls and other fancy things, like a lot of exciting classes about the sea. And they also study things like cryptography, and navigation, and communication, and defense.

S: So okay, I see. HP is kind of like a naval academy, but at the high-school level. Let us get back to the story now. What is going on in the book?

M: On the last Friday of her second year at her school, Ana and her classmates go on a field trip, and they are supposed to face a challenge or something. But then the school blows up!

S: Wait, what??

M: Yes, everyone else in the school is gone, all at once. And Ana’s brother, who was a senior at Harding-Pencroft, was there, too. So Ana is understandably heartbroken. And Ana does not have her parents anymore, so she feels totally lost. Their teacher, who was coming along to the field trip with them, tells the class that their school was attacked by a rival school.

S: Wow, that is some serious rivalry.

M: Yes. It is called the Land Institute, and they are pretty serious. They are also a marine biology oriented school. But HP is more research-oriented, and the Land Institute is more militaristic. Anyways, from here on, it is open war with the Land Institute, and it turns out that along the way Ana learns a bit about her own family history.

S: Hmm. That is kind of cryptic.

M: I don’t want to spoil it too much. Okay, but if the readers have read Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, and some of his other books, then they have a lot of fun revelations to look forward to.

S: Hmm. I’m getting quite curious. And I have some ideas…

M: Maybe you should read the book then.

S: I think I will.

Marshmallow is reading Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan.
Marshmallow is reading Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan.

S: Okay, so how did it feel like reading another book by Rick Riordan?

M: I thought it would be about mythology again, and I was kind of surprised that it was not. It was a pleasant surprise. It is a really well-written book.

S: Tell me more about how it is written.

M: Well, the story is all told in first person through the voice of Ana herself. And as you might recall from my reviews of the Percy Jackson books, Riordan is really great at channeling the thoughts and voice of his characters.

S: Is Ana funny?

M: Not as funny as Percy, but she felt like a real person, and I really liked her. Though I was kind of confused about how she could be so empathetic towards the sentient submarine that killed–

S: Wait, don’t you think that is kind of a big spoiler??? And a sentient submarine! Wow!

M: Yes, it is a really interesting book! You just have to read it Sprinkles.

S: I am starting to think that Caramel might like it, too, with his love of robots…

M: We did watch the movie version of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea together. So I agree, he might like this book, too.

S: Okay, then, but I will have to read it first.

M: Sure.

S: So let us wrap up this review then. What would be your rating, Marshmallow?

M: I’d rate it 100%.

S: Sounds good. And what do you want to tell our readers?

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

Marshmallow rates Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan 100%.
Marshmallow rates Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan 100%.

Caramel reviews Sea Bunnies by Kelly Hargrave

Caramel loves books with facts. He also loves soft squishy toys. So he could not help but get exceptionally excited when he visited the book fair in his school and he saw Sea Bunnies, a 2021 book by Kelly Hargrave. The book was colorful and full of interesting facts, and on top of all that goodness, it came with a new squishy friend! So of course today Caramel is talking about Sea Bunnies. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Caramel reviews Sea Bunnies by Kelly Hargrave.
Caramel reviews Sea Bunnies by Kelly Hargrave.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, you saw this book and had to read it!

Caramel: Yes! Can you imagine me passing by a book about our distant relatives? They are called sea bunnies, so they must be related to us somehow, right?

S: Hmm, i’m not so sure. Guinea pigs are not really related to pigs. So what are these sea bunnies? Are they mammals like regular bunnies are?

C: Well, not really. They are sea slugs.

S: Hmm, so they are not really bunnies after all.

C: No, but they have antennas that look like bunny ears, so people call them sea bunnies. And they are cute! Though maybe not as cute as most bunnies. Still they can be our friends.

S: Especially your new squishy friend, right?

C: Yes! My squishy friend is very cute. He might actually be cuter than the real sea bunnies, but that’s alright I think.

Caramel and his new squishy friend are reading Sea Bunnies by Kelly Hargrave.
Caramel and his new squishy friend are reading Sea Bunnies by Kelly Hargrave.

S: So let us get back to the book. Tell us a bit about it please.

C: The book has fifty pages. On each two-page spread, you learn about a new type of sea slug or sea bunny. There are about thirty different types they talk about. For example, there is one they call a Ninja Sea Slug. Then there is a sea angel. There is a leaf sheep. And so on.

S: So they all have interesting names!

C: Yes, in the beginning the author says “each sea slug featured in this book has been given an awesome nickname.” And they are awesome nicknames!

S: I agree. They are all pretty imaginative and evocative nanes.

C: Those would be some words I could use to describe the book!

S: I guess so. But I’d also assume you would want to say “colorful” and “fact-full”, right?

C: Yes! The book is very colorful and full of facts!

S: Any facts that were new for you?

C: Of course! I didn’t even know that there was an animal called a sea bunny, to start with. So yes.

S: True, the name was new, but what else did you learn about these creatures?

C: They have tentacles, and some have wing-like extensions. Some glow in the dark. Some are pink and have toxins. They can be all sorts of colors. There are over two thousand different types of sea slugs!

S: Those are all very interesting facts Caramel! I’m glad you read this book.

C: Me, too! And I’m glad I have a new squishy friend!

S: I know. Okay, this is probably a good time to wrap up the review so you can continue to play with him. What would you like to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny adventures!

Caramel and his new squishy friend strongly recommend reading Sea Bunnies by Kelly Hargrave and learning more about these amazing creatures. And of course who doesn't want another squishy friend?
Caramel and his new squishy friend strongly recommend reading Sea Bunnies by Kelly Hargrave and learning more about these amazing creatures. And of course who doesn’t want another squishy friend?

Caramel reviews The Aquanaut by Dan Santat

Caramel loves graphic novels and he loves all books by Dan Santat. So when he heard about The Aquanaut, the new (2022) graphic novel by Dan Santat, he knew he had to read and review it as soon as possible for the book bunnies blog. This is that review. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Caramel reviews The Aquanaut by Dan Santat.
Caramel reviews The Aquanaut by Dan Santat.

Sprinkles: Please tell us about this book Caramel.

Caramel: The book starts with a ship sinking, and someone’s brother dies. And then four sea animals convert the man’s diving suit into a walking suit so they can move on land. They go on land with this suit to find Aqualand, the dead man’s marine reserve.

S: That is an interesting premise for a story. What are the four animals?

C: There is a dumbo octopus, who is the engineer, a hermit crab, a blanket octopus, and a Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle.

S: I had never heard of these animals before, except hermit crabs, who I know take over shells abandoned by other animals. So in some sense taking over a diving suit is perfectly appropriate for a hermit crab. But I had never heard of a blanket octopus.

C: Apparently the males are as big as a walnut but the females can get as large as six feet!

S: That is very interesting!

C: But I had heard of the dumbo octopus before, too.

S: That is neat. You do know a lot about ocean animals! You have read all the Narwhal and Jelly books, and reviewed The Magnificent Book of Ocean Creatures by Val Walerczuk and Tom Jackson for the blog too.

C: Yes. But I learned from this book that Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles are the rarest and most endangered sea turtles in the world. And the others think the ocean is getting a little too dangerous so they think Aqualand should be safer.

S: How do they learn about Aqualand?

C: They find the notebook of the man who died. His name is Michael and he wrote about Aqualand in his notebook.

Caramel is reading The Aquanaut by Dan Santat.
Caramel is reading The Aquanaut by Dan Santat.

S: So Aqualand is a marine life reserve, right?

C: Michael and his brother Paul founded it to be a reserve, and Michael’s daughter Sophia still thinks it is one, but when the aquanaut crew, that is the four animals using the diving suit, come to Aqualand, they find out that it is now just an amusement park. And the animals there are not happy. So they set free an orca and …

S: Hmm, that reminded me a lot of the FunJungle books Marshmallow reviewed. In particular, Belly Up.

C: I can see that! Belly Up was also in an amusement park, but it was supposed to be a zoo where the animals would live their lives as naturally as possible.

S: So in The Aquanaut, the animals that steer the diving suit meet Michael’s daughter Sophia, right?

C: Yes. And both Sophia and Paul help the four animals escape and get back to the ocean.

S: That sounds like a sweet story Caramel.

C: Yes definitely. Can we put here the video that Dan Santat recorded for the book?

S: Yes, sure. Here it is.

The Aquanaut by Dan Santat – YouTube video by Scholastic, the publisher.

S: So what would your three words be to describe this book?

C: Colorful, exciting, and sweet. You said that word and I think it works for the book, too.

S: Sounds good to me. So do you think Marshmallow would like this book?

C: Yes, I think so. She loved the FunJungle books and she likes graphic novels too. I think actually that any bunny who likes the ocean and who likes the environment would like this book.

S: That is a solid endorsement Caramel. So what do you want to tell our readers as we wrap up this review?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel loved reading The Aquanaut by Dan Santat and recommends it to any bunny who loves graphic novels, the ocean, and other living creatures.
Caramel loved reading The Aquanaut by Dan Santat and recommends it to any bunny who loves graphic novels, the ocean, and other living creatures.

Caramel reviews Sea Monsters (Magic Tree House Fact Tracker #17) by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce

Caramel has reviewed several Magic Tree House books already: Night of the Ninjas (Magic Tree House #5), Afternoon on the Amazon (Magic Tree House #6), Knights and Castles (Magic Tree House Fact Tracker #2), Sunset of the Sabertooth (Magic Tree House #7), Midnight on the Moon (Magic Tree House #8), and  Dolphins at Daybreak (Magic Tree House #9). This week he wanted to talk about another fact tracker book: Sea Monsters. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Caramel reviews Sea Monsters (Magic Tree House Fact Tracker #17) by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce.
Caramel reviews Sea Monsters (Magic Tree House Fact Tracker #17) by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, you found another book about real things, I see.

Caramel: Yes. This is a book about ocean “monsters”.

S: So who are these monsters? Can you tell me a few of them?

C: There is the angler fish, the giant squid, the goblin shark, the cookie cutter shark, the hairy angler fish, the vampire squid, the dragon fish, oar fish, …

S: Okay, I get the point.

C: … giant tube worms. There is also this dunkleosteus–

S: Hmm, I have never heard of most of these. But this last one does not sound familiar at all. What is a dunkleosteus?

C: It is a giant armored fish, I think it is about forty feet long. Its teeth are actually bone.

S: And it is extinct, right?

C: Yes. And there are other extinct species too. There is the liopleurodon, and the megalodon–

S: So I understand. The book talks about large sea creatures, then. Right?

C: Yes. And my favorite is the liopleurodon.

S: Why?

C: Because it is not armored but it has a giant head. I think it looks really interesting!

S: I’m not sure I’d like to face one under water any time soon!

C: You don’t have to worry about that. They are already extinct!

S: That’s good.

C: Not for them.

S: That is right Caramel. This does seem like an interesting book, with many different types of facts in it. So tell me how it is organized.

C: Chapter titles! Here you go: The first chapter is called Sea Monsters. Then the second is Exploring the Oceans. The third is Squids, Octopuses and Other Creatures. Then there is a chapter called Creatures of the Deep.

S: That’s where we learn about the angler fish!

C: Yes. then there is Prehistoric Seas. And there we learn about the liopleurodon, the megalodon and similar creatures. And then the last chapter is called Sea Monster Tales.

S: Which chapter was most interesting for you?

C: I think I liked the Prehistoric Seas chapter most.

S: I know you like prehistoric animals. You have reviewed a Magic Tree House book about the saber tooth before. And another book on dinosaurs. No wonder you chose the liopleurodon as your favorite sea monster.

Caramel is reading about the liopleurodon in Sea Monsters (Magic Tree House Fact Tracker #17) by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce.
Caramel is reading about the liopleurodon in Sea Monsters (Magic Tree House Fact Tracker #17) by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce.

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

C: It has a lot of pictures and tons of facts! Jack and Annie from the Magic Tree House books tell us all sorts of things. There is also some facts about Steve Irwin and about Jacques Cousteau.

S: We watched a lot of episodes of Steve Irwin’s show together, right? It is sad he died of a sting ray sting. And Cousteau was a famous explorer who was one of the first to go deep into the oceans and to explore. That is great that you read a bit about both. So tell me the most interesting fact you learned from this book.

C: It’s about the largest jellyfish. So let me find it… Okay, here I will read it to you: “The longest animal in the world is not a whale. It is a special jellyfish called a siphonophore. Its tentacles can reach 131 feet long!”

S: Wow, that is long! Wikipedia tells us that “a siphonophore may appear to be an individual organism, each specimen is in fact a colonial organism composed of medusoid and polypoid zooids that are morphologically and functionally specialized.” That is really interesting! I had never heard of them before.

C: Me neither!

S: Okay Caramel, it is probably a good time to wrap up this review. Would you like to tell our readers your three words on this book?

C: Factful, curious because these are really curious animals, and black-and-white because all the illustrations are black and white.

S: Maybe instead of factful we can say “informative”?

C: Yes, that works too!

S: Great! I think then it is finally time for you to say your closing words!

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel recommends Sea Monsters (Magic Tree House Fact Tracker #17) by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce, to all curious little bunnies who want to know more about ocean life.
Caramel recommends Sea Monsters (Magic Tree House Fact Tracker #17) by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce, to all curious little bunnies who want to know more about ocean life.