space – BookBunnies

Caramel reviews Star Wars: Lost Stars by Claudia Gray

Today Caramel is reviewing a book recommended by a friend of the blog: Star Wars: Lost Stars, written by Claudia Gray and published in 2015. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: Finally we are talking about the space book you had promised us a couple weeks ago.

Caramel: Yes, it’s a Star Wars book this time.

S: What do you mean by that? Is it about the movies? You reviewed three books like that: Ultimate Star Wars: New Edition, Star Wars Encyclopedia of Starfighters and Other Vehicles by Landry Q. Walker, and Star Wars: Complete Vehicles – New Edition. Or is it fiction about the Star Wars universe?

C: All those were cool! But this one is fiction.

S: Oh great! You have reviewed two fictional works about the Star Wars universe before: 5-Minute Star Wars Stories by LucasFilm Press and A Jedi You Will Be by Preeti Chhibber and Mike Deas. But according to Wikipedia, there are almost a million books about the Star Wars universe, and many of them, this one included, basically expand the universe with storylines touching the stories of the original three movies.

C: Yep, maybe not a million, but a lot! And this is one of them. It is what they call a “young adult” book. I am young but pretty far from being an adult.

S: Hmm, I can see it is a lot thicker than those two books you reviewed before and there are no illustrations or cute drawings.

C: No, unfortunately, it’s more of a romance thingy.

S: I guess when they call books “young adult”, sometimes romance shows up. And I know illustrations are always cool, and especially for space and technology related books, they would be really helpful.

C: Yeah, I wish it had drawings, too.

S: But you have also read many books without illustrations. Almost all the Wings of Fire books for example, not counting the graphic novelizations. So sometimes the story will still carry you along, because words help you see things too.

C: Yes, that is true.

S: Okay, so tell us a bit about the story itself. I understand we are in the Star Wars universe and there is some romance. But there has to be a story.

C: It’s about two people: a boy named Thane Kyrell and a girl named Ciena Ree. They live on an Imperial world. The boy is relatively rich and the girl is poorer. They become good friends and end up learning how to fly.

S: Okay, you will have to slow down for me a bit. An Imperial world, what do you mean by that?

C: It is a planet which is governed by the Galactic Empire. You remember the Galactic Empire from the movies?

S: Oh yes, I do. Okay, I cheated and looked it up: Wikipedia says that “[t]he book is set before, during, and after the events of the Star Wars original trilogy (A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi), in which the Galactic Empire has tightened its stranglehold on systems in the Outer Rim while the Rebel Alliance also grows in strength.”

C: Don’t cheat! You should read the book if you want to know that! But anyways, yes, that is correct.

S: Okay, so we know the setting, kind of. But they learn to fly? You mean space ships?

C: Yep, they fly space ships, mostly inside atmosphere ships. Then they get really good, and they sneak into a show of the empire, and grand moff Tarken is there. The moff finds them and can see that they have potential. They then sign up to join the Imperial Navy, also known as the space people. They are the people who fly the TIE fighters.

Caramel is reading Star Wars: Lost Stars by Claudia Gray. — Caramel is reading *Star Wars: Lost Stars* by Claudia Gray.

S: Wait, you are going way too fast for me. What is a show of the empire? And what is a moff?

C: They sort of just show off their power and ships.

S: Oh, kind of like a military parade or an air show?

C: Yeah, except more dictator-like.

S: Well, the empire is kind of authoritarian, so that adds up. Okay so what is a moff? Sounds like a military rank then.

C: it’s some sort of important military leader

S: I see. Then what happens?

C: Well, basically they are split up and one stays with the Empire while the other one joins the rebels.

S: Is that how it ends?

C: No, that is kind of in the middle.

S: I see; that is good. At least we have not given away too many plot secrets. But it sounds like an interesting tension, of two friends who take different sides in a very big conflict. The romance is between the two of them, I am assuming?

C: Yes, it is.

S: But from all that you are telling me, the romance is there, but the story could work even if we just assumed they were two very good friends who are facing the dilemma of choosing different paths.

C: Yep, and honestly I’d have preferred that.

S: I know you and Marshmallow do not love romance. But for many readers, that sometimes adds just some extra flavor. But it seems to me the Star Wars backdrop is actually quite engaging too.

C: Yes, but it is not really a backdrop. It is really like you are living in the time of the movies and the world is very real.

S: Okay, then. That sounds good to me. Would you recommend it to other bunnies who like the Star Wars universe?

C: Maybe bunnies older than elementary school because younger bunnies do not like the mushy stuff too much.

S: I can’t imagine which younger bunnies you are talking about!

C: Hmm, me neither.

S: Okay, let us leave it there then. But the story was cool, no?

C: Yeah, it was neat to learn about how they got into flying. And it was a story of love and betrayal. And that can be kind of epic, you know. And I always love to read about the Star Wars universe and the ships and such. It was cool for example that Thane and Ciena were flying TIE fighters and we have seen them in all the movies.

S: Yes, I can see how that could be neat. Okay, so maybe this is a good place to end this review. What would you like to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading Star Wars: Lost Stars by Claudia Gray and is now looking through a whole pile of other Star Wars books to pick the one to read next. — Caramel enjoyed reading *Star Wars: Lost Stars* by Claudia Gray and is now looking through a whole pile of other Star Wars books to pick the one to read next.

Sprinkles reviews Flatland: A Journey of Many Dimensions – The Movie Edition by Edwin A. Abbott

Today Sprinkles reviews a 2008 edition of a unique classic: Flatland: A Journey of Many Dimensions – The Movie Edition, credited to “Edwin A. Abbott, with Thomas Banchoff and the Filmmakers of Flatland“.

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin A. Abbott was originally published in 1884. As Wikipedia tells us, this was a novella written by “A Square” who lived in a two-dimensional world called Flatland. The main plot of the book involved the Square meeting a Sphere, coming into Flatland and teaching him about the third dimension. The Square, his consciousness now widened, began to stipulate the existence of fourth and higher dimensions, which in turn confused the Sphere.

The book’s story is amusing, and for many young minds it could be a welcome introduction to the mathematics and philosophy of higher dimensions. The adults reading the book together with their young one would also appreciate the satire underneath it all. Abbott’s pointed comments about the second class status of women in Victorian England, on the other hand, can be comprehended by some of the young crowd. (In Flatland, men are two-dimensional — they are polygons of various types — but women are one-dimensional; they are very very pointy and have no depth.)

The bottom of the Wikipedia article on Flatland lists several online places where one can access the full text of Flatland, as it is now in public domain. (Here, for example, is the Project Gutenberg version.) But I wanted to review this particular 2008 edition of the book because it not only contains the full text but also has some information about the 2007 movie made based on it. As such there are many colorful illustrations in the book, and this might make it even more fun for a young bunny to look through and read along.

Sprinkles is reading Flatland: A Journey of Many Dimensions - The Movie Edition by Edwin A. Abbott, with Thomas Banchoff and the Filmmakers of Flatland. — Sprinkles is reading *Flatland: A Journey of Many Dimensions – The Movie Edition* by Edwin A. Abbott, with Thomas Banchoff and the Filmmakers of *Flatland*.

Abbott’s original novella is not too long, so it takes about half of this large-format book. The rest of the book is also worth reading however. There is a short introduction by the mathematician Thomas Banchoff at the beginning, which is worth reading to contextualize what is to come. Then the whole text of the classic Flatland follows. After that, the second part of the book starts. This section is titled “Flatland: The Movie” and includes three brief essays (“Finding Flatland” by producer Seth Caplan, “Imagining Flatland” by director Jeffrey Travis, and “The Visual Design of Flatland: the Movie” by director and animator Dano Johnson), lots of colorful images on high-quality paper, and then the screenplay of the whole film.

Trailer of Flatland: The Movie, from YouTube.

The movie is also worth watching, actually, and it seems to be available in a bunch of places, including YouTube. Apparently right around the same time, some other folks made a second movie based on Flatland, so sometimes people get confused, but the book I am talking about here and the trailer above are both related to the shorter movie voiced by actors like Martin Sheen, Kristen Bell and Tony Hale.

All in all, I recommend Flatland very highly; you should read it and you should introduce all the bunnies around you to it. The 2008 edition here is a good place to start, but it is also fine if you choose the movie version first. I should note that the women are not one-dimensional in the movie: the Victorian satire tends to go on the back-burner there, and the math seems to come to the fore. Which is fine by me but your preferences might be different.

Sprinkles enjoyed reading Flatland: A Journey of Many Dimensions - The Movie Edition by Edwin A. Abbott, with Thomas Banchoff and the Filmmakers of Flatland, and recommends it to all bunnies young and old. — Sprinkles enjoyed reading *Flatland: A Journey of Many Dimensions – The Movie Edition* by Edwin A. Abbott, with Thomas Banchoff and the Filmmakers of *Flatland*, and recommends it to all bunnies young and old.

Caramel reviews Space Case: The Graphic Novel by Stuart Gibbs and Ward Jenkins

Caramel has reviewed many books by Stuart Gibbs before. Today he talks about a recent graphic novel adaptation, Space Case: The Graphic Novel, of a 2015 book written by Gibbs; this version was published in August 2025 and was illustrated by Ward Jenkins. As usual Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Caramel reviews Space Case: The Graphic Novel, written by Stuart Gibbs and illustrated by Ward Jenkins. — Caramel reviews *Space Case: The Graphic Novel*, written by Stuart Gibbs and illustrated by Ward Jenkins.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, today we are talking about a brand new graphic novel by Stuart Gibbs. And I know you and Marshmallow both love books by this author. So I am guessing this was something you were curious to read?

Caramel: Well, to be honest, I did not know about it before last week, but when I did, then I really did.

S: What does that mean? You just dove into the book and read it and now know everything about it?

C: Kind of, but I will try to explain well.

S: That is good. So please do go ahead. What is this book about?

C: It is about a boy named Dash who is living on the moon.

S: Wait. He is living on the moon. How is that possible?

C: Yeah, he lives with his mom and dad who are scientists, and work there.

S: Okay, I see. Is the story happening in the near future then?

C: I think so, but the specific date is not stated.

S: I see. Would you like to be living on the moon Caramel? I mean, if it were safe and there were a base and other folks living there and so on.

C: Maybe, I don’t know.

S: Okay. I understand. There are just too many possibilities, and I have to say I love seeing the blue skies and the trees and the mountains and so on. On the moon you would not see those. Then again you could see the Earthrise! And that might be worth at least a trip…

C: Yeah, if it’s for a day or a week, maybe it may work, but for a long time, no way.

S: Yeah, we bunnies quite like this planet!

Caramel is reading Space Case: The Graphic Novel, written by Stuart Gibbs and illustrated by Ward Jenkins. — Caramel is reading *Space Case: The Graphic Novel*, written by Stuart Gibbs and illustrated by Ward Jenkins.

S: Okay, let us get back to the book then.

C: So anyways, one day, Dash hears a conversation, and hears the scientific leader of the mission, or at least a leader of something, Then a little bit later, that scientist is found dead.

S: Hmm, sounds mysterious. So this is a murder mystery?

C: Yeah, kinda.

S: Gibbs sure likes to write mysteries! You basically read and reviewed all his Spy School books and Marshmallow read and reviewed all his FunJungle books, and both series are mysteries. Weird things keep happening around the main character and the main character and their friends have to figure things out.

C: Yes, I have read and reviewed all the Spy School books, and they were good. And this is very good too.

S: Apparently it is also a part of a series. Did you know that this is the graphic novel version of a book from 2015 and there are two more books in this series? They are called the Moon Base Alpha series.

C: Really?

S: Yes. But the other books are still only regular books. No graphic novel version yet.

C: Hmm, kind of like the Spy School books. He first writes the books, and then the graphic novel versions come out, one by one, but really slowly…

S: Yes.

C: I might like to read those other books, too, then. I am not sure I can wait till the graphic novels come out.

S: Okay, so does that mean this book was really good, too?

C: Yes, very good. It was a lot of fun but also exciting!

S: So I am understanding that you liked the book a lot and would not mind looking into the other books in the Moon Base Alpha series.

C: Yeah, why not? It was a good book.

S: By the way, a new Spy School book is coming out soon. I am guessing you would like to read that, too?

C: Yes! Of course!

S: I think we understand each other, Caramel. I will start looking into getting those books for you. And you will start looking into going to bed.

C: Yup. I think this is a good place to end this review.

S: Great! So what would you like to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel loved reading Space Case: The Graphic Novel, written by Stuart Gibbs and illustrated by Ward Jenkins, and is looking forward to reading more about Dash and his adventures. — Caramel loved reading *Space Case: The Graphic Novel*, written by Stuart Gibbs and illustrated by Ward Jenkins, and is looking forward to reading more about Dash and his adventures.

Caramel reviews The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Today Caramel is talking to Sprinkles about The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the 1979 book by Douglas Adams that originated from a 1978 radio show and then went on to evolve into a whole “comedy science fiction franchise”, according to Wikipedia.

Sprinkles: So we are talking about The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy today. I am excited! I had really enjoyed reading this book myself.

Caramel: Yup, this book was surely a really good read. I had a lot of fun reading it.

S: Yay! So maybe we can start with a brief introduction to the story for anyone reading our blog who might not know about it.

C: Sure. It is a scifi book that is infused with a lot of comedy.

S: It is funny, I agree. Tell us more.

C: This book tells the story of a guy named Arthur Dent and another one named Ford Perfect.

S: It is actually Prefect, as in Ford Prefect, the car.

C: Yes, I knew that but somehow forgot. Yes, he is actually named that because he came to Earth fifteen years before the start of this story, maybe around when the car came out, you see Ford Prefect is an alien from Betelgeuse Seven.

S: Yes, apparently the author at some point said that Ford “had simply mistaken the dominant life form on Earth” (again according to Wikipedia).

C: Yes, when you look at it from outer space, apparently, humans don’t look like the dominant species on Earth. So Ford Prefect thought he should blend in and gave himself the name of a common car. But actually humans are really not the dominant species on Earth, according to The Hitchhiker’s Guide. It is the mice who are the smartest species on our planet.

S: That is funny! I mean, we have read many books about clever mice, remember Poppy and Ragweed?

C: Yes, then there is Ralph and Babymouse. So to me it sounds reasonable!

S: But this book is not really about mice, is it?

C: No, it is about the adventures of Arthur and Ford. So Ford comes to Earth to work on a guide book, and then is stuck. At the time when the book starts, Ford knows that the planet is going to be destroyed soon and wants to save Arthur and he tries to teach him about life in the universe. He tells him about this amazing guide book, The Hitchhiker’s Guide, that anyone who is going out traveling in space should have.

S: So the book The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is about a book called The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy?

C: Kind of, but it is more about Ford and Arthur.

S: So what happens? Do they leave the Earth together? And why on earth is the Earth going to be destroyed?

C: Because the planet is in the way of an intergalactic highway that some people want to build.

S: Ouch! That’s rough! Okay, so Earth cannot appeal and they have to leave, right? What do they do? Does the Earth really get destroyed in the book?

C: Yes, the entire planet is destroyed and turned to ash.

S: You said this was a funny book. That sounds pretty terrible.

C: Yes, but you know it is fiction when you are reading it. And the book is funny! Really funny. And they do not go into the details of the destruction at all really; that is almost an excuse to get Ford and Arthur traveling together.

S: And also telling us that our planet is one of many and maybe we should not be so full of ourselves if they can just demolish it to make a highway, like we do not really matter in the grand scheme of things.

C: When you say it like that, it maybe does not sound so funny, but it is really funny Sprinkles.

S: I know Caramel, and actually I like being reminded that we should not be too full of ourselves. Our lives matter, what we do matters, but we are not at the center of the universe. It is a small world after all but it is inside a very big universe.

Caramel is reading The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. — Caramel is reading *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* by Douglas Adams.

S: Anyways back to the book. So what happens in the end? You know there are many more books in the series?

C: They get picked up on accident by an alien ship, and are then thrown out of the ship, and then are picked up by another ship. Apparently Arthur is the only human remaining from Earth, and it is kind of funny because he is just a normal guy. Anyways, along the way a lot of hilarious things happen and we learn from Ford about the Guide and all sorts of weird facts from it.

S: Oooh, you like facts! But of course these are probably fictional facts, right? Can you tell me a couple?

C: Yep, they are fictional but also really fun. One is about the Babel fish which feeds off of brain waves and can translate any language.

S: Ooh, cool, like the universal translator in Star Trek or in Doctor Who, but it is a fish! Awesome! One more?

C: There is a thing called the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster, which is a cocktail that contains Ol’ Janx Spirit, a particularly vicious alcoholic drink, and is so strong that you will need to recuperate in a hospital.

S: That sounds bad. Okay, so maybe it is time to wrap up this review. Overall it seems like this book kept you entertained, right? Do you want to read the next book in the series? It is called The Restaurant at the End of the Universe. I think there are five more books in total.

C: Sure, why not?

S: Alright, we will see if we can get you a copy. Okay, Caramel, what would you like to tell our readers as we wrap up this review?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams and is keen to read more from this series. — Caramel enjoyed reading *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* by Douglas Adams and is keen to read more from this series.