Candy Bunny Reader

  Happy Trans Day of Visibility!  Here are some of my favorite books featuring trans characters in them, whether they are the main or side characters. Either way, they are all great stories with great representation. Links to their Goodreads pages are provided! 1. Snapdragon by Kat Leyh 2. Loveless by Alice Oseman 3. Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender 4. Speak Up! by Rebecca Burgess 5. Cheer Up! Love and Pompoms by Crystal Frasier 6. Magical Boy duology by The Kao (links to the first book) 7. Bianca Torre is Afraid of Everything by Justine Winans 8. Stars in their Eyes by Jessica Walton 9. Monk and Robot duology by Becky Chambers (links to the first book) 10. I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver 11. Basil and Oregano by Melissa Capriglione 12. The Baker and the Bard by Fern Haught

  And it's this book! I just could not get into it...  Seriously, it's like every time I participate in a readathon or a book challenge of some kind, I end up DNFing or giving a low rating to most of the books I read. I think I might have to take a break from readathons for a while. I am still doing the 12 books 12 friends challenge for the rest of the year though!

  ...the movie was better. I gave the book version of Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones 3 stars . Honestly one of the main reasons I even read the book was just to compare it to the movie. I can say now this is a rare case where the movie is way better than the book.  But here are some things I actually did like about the book: Sophie's sisters play a bigger role in the story We actually get some context as to why Sophie ran away from the hat shop without telling anyone (her stepmother was exploiting her as a worker) We get to see Michael/Markl's backstory on how he came to live with Howl. (Michael is his name in the book, his name is Markl in the movie) We get to see Howl's family, and they live in Wales Now here's everything I didn't like which is why I gave it a low rating: I could not stand Sophie and Howl's relationship in this book, it was sooo toxic!  Howl is such a bossy manchild and Sophie is really grumpy and cynical.  They also real...

  Have you read any of these? Or are now planning to? Additionally, these are all middle grade books! Coincidentally, all with 13 year old protagonists. Perfect for Middle Grade March! Or any time of the year. As usual, I put links to each book's Goodreads page if you want to learn more Check out the navigation page above for the previous parts of my underrated books series! 1. Double Identity by Margaret Peterson Haddix --when 13 year old Bethany's parents start acting strange and leave her with an aunt she's never met before, she slowly finds out the truth about her own existence. 2. The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings --the classic bittersweet story about 13 year old Jody and his pet fawn, Flag.  3. Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick --13 year old Stephen deals with his younger brother's ALL diagnosis.  4. The Unfinished Angel by Sharon Creech --the adventures of a guardian angel and 13 year old Zola in a small town in the Swiss Alps.

  Yeah, only guess what? I DNF (did not finish) this one too! It was too sad. With everything going on in the world right now, I prefer reading something a lot more uplifting.  That's all for today. 

   I finally picked up the first volume of this popular manga series! Did I like it? Well.. Delicious in Dungeon by Ryoko Kui is set in a fantasy world where a member of a group of travelers gets eaten by a dragon while venturing near a dungeon. The member's name is Falin, and she is the sister of the leader of the group. His name is Laios. To rescue Laios's sister Falin, they have to venture through the underground dungeon and deal with its monsters. But they can't do any of it on an empty stomach! So with the help of their new friend Senshi, they learn what animals and plants in the dungeon are safe to eat and how to prepare them. The gang gets to try so many new, delicious foods. I really liked the character dynamics, and the mythical creatures and plants in the world of the story were really cool! Seeing them being cooked and eaten by the characters felt really cozy. It kind of reminded me of Witch Hat Kitchen , the chill spin off of Witch Hat Atelier . But I did give i...

  Unfortunately, I DNF (did not finish) this one... I just couldn't get into it. It was kinda boring and confusing.  Hopefully the next book I had planned to read (Liesl and Po) won't be as disappointing.

  The little frog in the corner is not part of the book. It's just a candy wrapper of mine that I saved.  The first volume of Our Not-So Lonely Planet Travel Guide by Mone Sorai is about two guys who are boyfriends who plan to travel to different countries around the world before getting married. One guy is named Asashi, who is very practical and serious. The other guy is named Mitsuki, and he is more laid back and cheerful. In this first volume, they visit Thailand, India, and Georgia (the country), in that order. They meet some interesting people along the way, as well as an old friend. Each person they meet shows them something cool about the country, from landmarks to food. Sometimes things go qrong, but at the end of each day Asashi and Mitsuki have fun!  I am so glad I decided to finally pick this up! It's such a simple but sweet story so far. The queer representation is great, and you do get to learn some things about other countries along with the characters. The ...

TW: Mention of parents dying  This is the first book I read from Jodi Meadows that she wrote herself. Before this I read The Lady Janies series and The Mary series that she co-wrote with Cynthia Hand and Brodi Ashton.  Bye Forever I Guess is about 13 year old Ingrid Ant, who lives with her grandmother, who taught her how to knit and has her own knitting channel on YouTube (her grandma, not Ingrid). Ingrid also likes gaming, and she became friends with a girl named Lorren who is also her age through an virtual massive role player game. Lorren and Ingrid also bond over their favorite book series, Essa Starlight . Ingrid got into the series as a source of comfort after losing her parents in a car accident. Ingrid has a Scrollr (like Tumblr) account where she posts texts conversations she has with wrong numbers. It's called "Bye Forever I Guess" because the first wrong number text she got was from someone who ended the conversation with "bye forever I guess" afte...

 TW: Mention of a parent dying This is Morgan Matson's middle grade debut, and I had a blast with it!   Firefly Summer is about Ryanna, who lives with her father, who is a famous movie director, and stepmother. One day they get a letter in the mail from Ryanna's maternal grandparents, the Van Camps, whom she's never met. They want her to come to their vacation house to meet the rest of her late mom's side of the family. The vacation house happens to be situated it what was formerly a summer camp site, that was also owned by the Van Camps. Ryanna's father is a little relunctant to send her at first since he had a falling out with his in-laws after his wife's death, but when he sees a note in the letter that it might be the last summer the Van Camps might be able to get together as a family, he agrees to send Ryanna. It coincidentally happens to be around the same time he has to go to Hungary to film a new movie, too.  When Ryanna gets there, things get off to a...

Yes, it's another graphic novel about foodies and food. I've noticed this seems to be my favorite thing to read not just in graphic novels but in general. I should make a post in the future recommending books if you love cooking, baking, food in general, etc. Batter Royale by Leisl Adams is about a high school senior named Rose who loves baking. She works at an old fashioned diner run by the mom of her best friend, Fred. She often gets in trouble for experimenting with baking desserts during her shifts. Rose needs the money so she can pay for college. She gets accepted a world-renowned culinary school, but money still tight in her family, and her parents just announced that they might be separating. Fred's mom's diner is also losing business since a new unicorn themed cafe opened up across the street, and Fred and Rose try to figure out ways to save the diner. But then Rose gets a chance to get money for college and save the diner when a world renowned food critic visi...

  ...and by one of my favorite authors, too! Funny enough, I realized this book also fits the prompt from Middle Grade March of reading from an author with three names. The Strangers by Margaret Peterson Haddix is about three siblings: Finn, Emma, and Chess. They have a relatively normal live in their small town in Ohio with their single mother. That is, until one day news come out that three kids identical to them--down to the same first names and birthdays--are kidnapped several states away in Arizona. The three are shocked at these news--but when these news break out, their mother starts to act really strange. Then all of a sudden, their mother says she'll be going away and don't know when she will return. She leaves them in the care of Ms. Morales, one of her friends. The three siblings befriend Ms. Morale's daughter, Natalie, and they all try to figure out what's the deal with their mom. It leads to them finding out something they never knew about their own house.....

Who's your favorite Disney princess? Mine is a tie between Tiana and Rapunzel! Kilala Princess by Rika Tanaka is about Kilala, a girl who loves all things princessy. One day she comes across a mysterious boy named Rei, and he happens to be the prince of a faraway kingdom. He is looking for a magical tiara and the princess who will help save his kingdom. At first, Kilala thinks that her best friend Erica might be who Rei is looking for, as she just won a princess contest. But then Erica gets kidnapped by some mysterious men, so Kilala goes and saves her. Along the way she magically ends up in the world of Snow White. After stopping the Evil Queen, Kilala learns some valuable lessons from Snow White. After that, Kilala and Rei continue to encounter more troubles, and meet more princesses and their lessons. She meets Ariel, and at the end of volume 3 we leave off on a cliffhanger where she meets Cinderella after almost dying when trying to protect Rei from someone he thought he could...

So this is the first book I read for Middle Grade March. It is the second book of the Amari series by BB Alston . I read the first book, Amari and the Night Brothers last month. You can read the review for that here . I can't get too into detail with this second book, Amari and the Great Game , because it's a sequel. I will say though this book was way more intense than the second one! I really love the way BB Alston writes. The story had me on the edge of my seat. I love Amari and her friends. The worldbuilding is cool, too. The mystery was mind blowing. I can't wait to read book 3!

  I've known about this challenge for years but only now I decided to partcipate in it.  So here are the prompts for this year's middle grade March and the books I have decided to read for each: 1. Part of a series: For this I chose book two of the Amari series by BB Alston . I already read book one last month (review for that here). Book two is titled Amari and the Great Game . 2. An author with three names. I chose Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones . I will also be comparing it with the Studio Ghibli movie.  3. Include travel: Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver 4. Flowers on the cover: Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder 5. Published in the 1900s: The Railway Children by E. Nesbit I am so excited to read all these books! I love middle grade fiction. 

  I read a total of 12 books and I DNF 7 . Reviews are linked when applicable.   The following books got 5 stars from me: 1.  Amari and the Night Brothers by BB Alston . Full review here . 2. Basil and Oregano by Melissa Caprigione . Full review here . 3. Moment of Truth by Kasie West . Full review here . 4. Hotel Balzaar by Kate DiCamillo . Full review here . 5. Witch Hat Kitchen Volume 4 by Kamome Shirahama 6. The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity Volumes 4 and 5 by Saki Mikami 7. Neighborhood Story Volumes 1 and 2 by Ai Yazawa . Full review here .   The following books got 4.5 stars: 1. I Hope this Doesn't Find You by Ann Liang . Full review here . 2. A Sign of Affection Volume 8 by Suu Morishita .   This book got 4 stars: Greenglass House by Kate Milford . Full review here .   The following books I DNF because I thought the story was bad/didn't enjoy them: 1. When the Sea Turned to Silver by Grace Lin 2. Hang the Moon by Jeannette Walls 3. Don't...