Candy Bunny Reader

  Here are my answers for this year's Midyear Freakout Tag! I do these every end of July.  Let me know what you think! 1. Best book of the year so far? If You Still Recognize Me by Cynthia So 2. Best sequel(s) you read so far? Serafina and the Twisted Staff, and Serafina and the Splintered Heart, both by Robert Beatty 3. New releases you haven't read yet but want to. Funny Story by Emily Henry 4. Most anticipated releases for the 2nd half of the year. Silverborn, The Mystery of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend  Sylvia Doe and the 100 Year Flood by Robert Beatty My Salty Mary by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows 5. Biggest disappointments of the year. Ellie Engle Saves Herself by Leah Johnson Little Women by Louisa May Alcott Heartstopper Volume 5 by Alice Oseman 6. Biggest Surprise of the Year Bianca Torre is Afraid of Everything by Justine Pucella Winans 7. Favorite new author. Robert Beatty! 8. Some new favorite character(s). I got several: Ermengarde in A Little

  Well, did you know this movie is based off a book by Eiko Kadono ? Or have you ever read the book after watching the movie version? The book follows the similar premise of a 13 year old witch named Kiki who comes from a long line of witches. She also leaves on a full moon night with her talking black cat Jiji to a city by the sea, stays with a baker named Osono and her husband, and also runs a delivery service.  Other similarities include Kiki meeting an aviation-loving boy named Tombo, becoming friends with an artist lady who lives in the woods, making a delivery for an elderly woman, and becoming popular in her community.  The similarities end there. There are many things the book has that were not in the movie, or were changed for the movie.  For one, book Kiki has waaay more deliveries. There is one delivery at least every chapter after she arrives in the city. Some smaller ones are not even explained in great detail. In the movie, I think she only had 3 or 4 deliveries? Sometim

Another underrated masterpiece by my new favorite author! Willa of the Wood by Robert Beatty is a historical fantasy middle grade book about Willa, who is a Faeran. The Faeran are a magical creature species that live in the Appalachian Mountains' forests, and live in clans. Willa is a jaetter--which, in her clan, are Faeran who are assigned to steal items from day-folk (humans) during the night for the padaran (the clan leader who is basically treated like a god).  But within the swoop of one night, she discovers some things that changes everything she knew about her clan and day-folk in general. To put it simply, the old ways, wisdom, and magic of her clan are dying, and many of those in her clan aren't as benevolent as they seem to be.  Willa feels like her world is shattering, but she finds solace and company in the least expected of people.  This book was full of unexpected surprises! What I love about Robert's Beatty's writing is how atmospheric and emotional it i

 TW: Mentions of pandemics, queerphobia, racism, and cancer Now I am in the mood for White Rabbit candies!  Messy Roots by Laura Gao is a graphic novel memoir of the author's experience growing up Chinese-American, struggling with their identity, and other typical experiences of growing up. She and her family also happen to be from Wuhan--which would make international headlines in 2020 as that is where the Covid-19 pandemic began. But the pandemic part of the story is quite minimal--the real focus is on Laura tells us their own story on how she came to accept and celebrate every part of themselves.  This was a great memoir! The artwork is one of my favorite aspects of this book. I am not an immigrant myself but I do have immigrant parents, and I related heavily to a lot of the experiences Laura had, especially with her parents. Laura Gao is queer, too, and they briefly talks about it.  I gave it 4.5 stars . I had to take off half a point for some triggering subject matter (the pa

Note: Please read the full list of trigger warnings at this link before proceeding:  https://booktriggerwarnings.com/Felix_Ever_After_by_Kacen_Callender Another popular book I was pleasantly surprised that I ended up liking! Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender is about Felix Love--a transgender teenage guy who's never fallen in love, but really wants to. He also is stressed out about putting together a good art portfolio in order to get a scholarship into the prestigious art program at Brown University. He believes if he gets into the program, it will be a ticket for a better future for him and his struggling single father.  Unfortunately, Felix is competing for the position with Declan Keene--who just so happens to be the rather toxic ex-boyfriend of his best friend, Ezra Patel.  But one day, somebody in Felix's school finds pictures of Felix before he transitioned--and they put them up all over the school where everyone can see them. Whoever did it also deadnamed him. Felix

  Do you like Monster High, Ever After High, or both?  Either way, Here's a crossover book between my two of my favorite doll franchises! Was this story good? Well... The Legend of Shadow High by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale starts off with Frankie Stein and Draculaura from Monster High who hear rumors about a high school monsters historically went to called Shadow High. They find a map and try out some spells to take them to this  Shadow High, but they end up in Ever After High instead! When their sudden appearance causes chaos and gets them in trouble, they are taken under the wings of Apple White and Raven Queen, and they become friends. Well, the new friends find out that Raven's mother, the Evil Queen, wants to also get to Shadow High and take over the World of Stories. The World of Stories happens to be the world where all fictional characters (monsters and fairy tale characters mostly) live, separate from our world by the Fourth Wall (get it?). They have to stop the Evil

  More books I've read during my lifetime that need more love on the Internet. Tell me your favorite underrated books!  Starting with this part, I will instead give 1 sentence summaries of what the books are about. If you want longer summaries, you can click on the book's title to take you to its Goodreads page.  Here are parts 1-6 if you missed them: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 And here's Part 7's list: 1. It's Not the End of the World by Judy Blume. A classic YA book about a girl dealing with her parent's recent divorce. 2. The Last Cherry Blossom by Kathleen Burkinshaw A YA historical fiction book loosely based off the the author's mother's experience during and after WW2 in Japan.  3. Absolutely Normal Chaos by Sharon Creech A middle grade book told in diary format of a girl's unforgettable summer--mostly focused on her cousin trying to find his birth father.  4. Amelia's Notebook series by Marissa Moss This colorful, funny, and

  All the books I read in June! I read a total of 5 books.  As always, I hope you had a great reading month, too. Links to my full reviews will be added if applicable.  What was your favorite book that you read in June? 1. Frieren Volume 5 by Kanehito Yamada-3 stars 2. Unfamiliar Volumes 1 and 2 by Haley Newsome-both 5 stars! 3. Bianca Torre is Afraid of Everything by Justine Pucella Winans-5 stars 4. The Pirate Captain's Daughter by Eve Bunting-4 stars