[BOOK REVIEW] Another Monster at the End of this Book by Jon Stone

Title:  Another Monster at the End of this Book

Author:  Jon Stone

Artist: Michael Smollin

Genre:  Children's / Humor / Monsters

Year Published: 1996

Year Read:  2019

Publisher: Golden Books Publishing Company, Inc.

Series: The Monster at the End of this Book #2

Source:  Purchased

Content Rating:  Ages 4+  (Nothing Objectionable)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

I remembered watching “Sesame Street” a lot when I was a child and I used to collect a few books that featured the Sesame Street gang.  One of the books that I got was “Another Monster at the End of this Book” by Jon Stone, along with artwork by Michael Smollin.  This book is the sequel to “The Monster at the End of this Book” and it’s such a hilarious and cute story!

The book starts off with Grover and Elmo discovering about the monster at the end of the book and Elmo wanted to see the monster. But Grover didn’t want to see the monster at the end of the book and he spent most of the book trying prevent both him and Elmo from seeing the monster at the end of the book.

Wow!  I never would have expected to enjoy this book as much as I did!  Even though I grew up watching “Sesame Street” when I was little, I didn’t really collect that many books that were based off of “Sesame Street.”  But I found this book to be so adorable and hilarious that I just could not help but fall in love with this book!  Jon Stone did a fantastic job at writing both Grover and Elmo as they are both extremely faithful to their characters from the TV series.  I loved the fact that Grover is being shown as the cautious one as he does not want to see the monster at the end of the book (although kind of justified since he had the same problem in the first book). Meanwhile, Elmo is shown as being the one who is excited at the idea of seeing the monster at the end of the book.  I also loved the relationship between Grover and Elmo as Grover acts like an older brother who is trying to protect Elmo from the monster at the end of the book, while Elmo is the younger sibling who is very curious about the world around him.  Michael Smollin’s artwork is completely faithful to the characters of the “Sesame Street” TV series as Grover and Elmo look faithful to their designs from “Sesame Street.”  I also loved the way that Michael Smollin drew the humorous moments in this book such as showing Grover trying to block the pages by either putting up building blocks or gluing the pages together to prevent the reader from turning the pages.

Overall, “Another Monster at the End of this Book” is a fantastic sequel to “The Monster at the End of this Book” and if you are a huge fan of “Sesame Street,” then you will definitely enjoy this book!  I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book.

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[ARC REVIEW] Downward Dog: Very Serious Haiku from a Very Serious Dog by Samm Hodges and Phinehas Hodges (@downwarddog_abc , @sammhodges)

Title:  Downward Dog: Very Serious Haiku from a Very Serious Dog

Authors:  Samm Hodges and Phinehas Hodges

Artist: Idil Gozde

Genre:  Animal / Pets / Humor 

Year Published: 2017

Year Read: 2017

Publisher:  Animal Media Group

Source:  eARC (NetGalley)

Content Rating:  Ages 10+  (Some Suggestive Humor)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository

I would like to thank NetGalley and Animal Media Group for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I will be honest here:  I did not know that there was going to be a TV series for ABC called “Downward Dog” since I barely heard any promos for the show.  However, when NetGalley offered me a chance to check out the book that is going to spawn into a TV series called “Downward Dog: Very Serious Haiku from a Very Serious Dog” which is written by Samm Hodges and Phinehas Hodges along with artwork by Idil Gozde, I just knew that I had to check this book out and I must admit that this book has got me interested!

The story is about a dog named Martin, who ends up being left at home by his human owner, Nan and during that time, Martin has decided to write a haiku about his life as a dog and you will be quite interested to hear what he has to say about his life!

I must admit that I found this book to be pretty creative and cute at the same time!  I liked the way that both Samm Hodges and Phinehas Hodges wrote this story as it is styled in a haiku type of poetry and we get to see how Martin the dog views his life while relating his story and his relationship with his human owner Nan, to the audience in poetic form.  I also liked the way that Samm Hodges and Phinehas Hodges incorporated some humor in this story, with my favorite moments being of Martin looking at Big Bird from “Sesame Street” on TV and commenting on it and Martin mentioning about how he would fart in bed with his owner.  Idil Gozde’s artwork is both simplistic yet humorous at the same time as the artwork looks like children’s drawings, which would make sense since Martin the dog is supposedly the one who is writing this book; the artwork would often downplay the introspective nature of Martin, but does it in a humorous way!

The reason why I gave this book a four-star rating was because while I thought it was creative for the story to be told in a poetic narrative, it was a bit hard to understand exactly what Martin is saying throughout the book. Since the book is written in a way where various sentences are shortened in order to fit in with the structure of a haiku, I found some of Martin’s thoughts to be a bit incomplete and therefore, it was hard for me to see where Martin was going with his inner thoughts on his life.

Overall, “Downward Dog: Very Serious Haiku from a Very Serious Dog” is a truly cute book for anyone who loves reading about dogs and who loves reading haikus!

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[BOOK REVIEW] Avatar the Last Airbender: The Promise Part 2 by Gene Luen Yang

Title:  Avatar the Last Airbender: The Promise Part 2

Author:  Gene Luen Yang

Artist:  Gurihiru

Genre: Comedy / Action / Adventure / TV series


Year Published: 2012


Year Read: 2013


Publisher: Dark Horse Books

Source:  Purchased

Content Rating:  Ages 8+ (Some Intense Moments)

Introduction:

After reading part one of “Avatar the Last Airbender: The Promise,” I was excited to check out the second part of this fantastic series and I was definitely not disappointed by the results of this volume!

What is this story about?

In this volume, after Fire Lord Zuko turns down the Harmony Restoration Movement for the Earth Kingdom, there seems to be an impeding war brewing between Zuko and Earth King Kuei and it is up to Aang and Katara to prevent that war from happening!  Meanwhile, Toph and Sokka try to train Toph’s bumbling students in the art of metal bending in order to defend the school against a class of fire benders!

What I loved about this story:

Gene Luen Yang’s writing: Gene Luen Yang’s writing continues to amaze me with its faithfulness to the legendary TV series!  I loved the way that Gene Luen Yang continues to develop each character, especially Aang and Katara’s relationship with each other, which actually fully reached its “CUTE AND HAPPY” and not the “WILL THEY OR WON’T THEY” status at last!  I was also sitting on the edge of my seat whenever Zuko confronts his father, since it seems that Ozai has an ulterior motive up his sleeves as he is always smiling slyly whenever Zuko visits and it makes me wonder just what kind of impact Ozai still has on Zuko and how it would affect Zuko’s ruling as the new Fire Lord.  We are definitely seeing Zuko starting to crack under the pressure with his present ruling of the Fire Kingdom and I loved the way that Gene Luen Yang portrayed that as it made the situation even more interesting to watch!  I also loved the side story about Toph starting a school for metal bending and how she tries to teach her bumbling students how to metal bend.  It was such an enjoyable experience to see Toph actually teaching students her abilities and I am interested in seeing how this will all play out in future volumes!

Gurihiru’s artwork:  Gurihiru’s artwork continues to remain faithful to the characters’ designs and I really loved the images of Sokka continuing to be the comic relief in this series! My favorite artwork of Sokka in this volume was when he and Toph jumped off of Appa to land at Toph’s new school at the beginning and you can see Sokka panicking throughout the whole ordeal!

What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:

Not really a big deal, but the only problem I had with this volume was that there was not that much action in the story like the first volume.  Even though this volume does have comedic situations happening to the characters, such as Toph and Sokka trying to teach three students how to metal bend, I actually did wanted to see some battle sequences in this volume.  But, I did enjoy the rising tension with Zuko caving in to pressure of being the new Fire Lord and the possible battle that is about to come between Zuko and Earth King Kuei.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, “Avatar the Last Airbender: The Promise Part Two” is a brilliant continuation of the first volume and I cannot wait to see more adventures from Aang and the gang as they try to undo all the harm that the Fire Nation brought to the world!

[BOOK REVIEW] Avatar the Last Airbender: The Promise Part 1 by Gene Luen Yang

Title:  Avatar the Last Airbender: The Promise Part 1

Author:  Gene Luen Yang

Artist:  Gurihiru

Genre: Comedy / Action / Adventure / TV series


Year Published: 2012


Year Read: 2013


Publisher: Dark Horse Books

Source:  Purchased

Content Rating:  Ages 8+ (Fight Scenes)

Introduction:

Now, I am a huge fan of the “Avatar: The Last Airbender” TV series and when I heard that there was going to be a comic book series that would continue from where the TV series last ended, I was so excited that I had to pick up this series!  “Avatar the Last Airbender: The Promise Part One” continues from where the TV series ended its run and I have to admit that this was a brilliant continuation of the world-acclaimed TV series!

What is this story about?

After the events of “Avatar the Last Airbender” where Aang finally defeats Fire Lord Ozai and brings peace to the world, Aang along with the new Fire Lord, Prince Zuko, try to bring peace to the world by establishing the Harmony Restoration Movement.  Unfortunately, when Zuko goes to visit the Earth Nation, he realizes that there are still tensions from the Fire Nation’s takeover and this might put his friendship with Aang to the test. What’s even worse is that before all this, Zuko asked Aang to kill him if he starts acting like his father and Aang is unsure of doing this, since he is a peaceful person who does not like to kill anyone. 

Will Aang go through with his promise to kill Zuko if he starts acting like his father?

Read this volume to find out!

What I loved about this story:

Gene Luen Yang’s writing: I never would have thought that I see the day that there would be a comic book adaptation of “Avatar the Last Airbender” and manages to stick faithfully to the spirit of the TV series (unlike a certain movie adaptation of the TV series).  Gene Luen Yang’s writing is both intense and hilarious at the same time and it brilliantly captures the spirit of the TV series!  I loved the way that Gene Luen Yang wrote each character as they remain faithful to their TV counterparts, such as Sokka still being the comic relief of the group, Aang still retaining his peaceful and child like nature and Zuko still being the troubled son of the former Fire Lord.  I loved the way that Gene Luen Yang added more character development to Zuko’s character as now we are seeing that Zuko is worried about becoming just like his father and is also trying to handle the duties of being the new Fire Lord. It really added so much drama and tension to Zuko’s character as we find ourselves wondering whether or not Zuko will become like his father and how he would handle the duties of being the Fire Lord without resorting to the same tyrannical tendencies of his father.  I also loved the way that Gene Luen Yang made the stories flow so well with the events that happened in the TV series as it felt like I was watching another episode of “Avatar the Last Airbender” (or in this case, the fourth season that never came) and it makes me feel so delighted to see more development from each of these characters!

Gurihiru’s artwork:  Gurihiru’s artwork brilliantly captured the designs of the characters from the TV series such as Katara still having her long brown hair and large blue eyes and Aang still having his large blue and innocent eyes, while his bald head still contains the famous blue arrow tattooed on his head.  I also loved the way that Gurihiru drew the characters’ clothing and the world they live in as it brilliantly reflects the culture of Asia, making the world truly exotic!

Final Thoughts:

Overall, “Avatar the Last Airbender: The Promise Part One” is a brilliant volume that superbly reenact the world-acclaim TV series and I am definitely looking forward to reading the second part of this series pretty soon!

[BOOK REVIEW] Serenity: Better Days by Joss Whedon and Brett Matthews

Title:  Serenity:  Better Days

Authors: Joss Whedon and Brett Matthews

Artist:  Will Conrad

Genre: Science Fiction / Action / Adventure / Comedy


Year Published: 2008


Year Read: 2013


Series:  Serenity #2


Publisher: Dark Horse Books

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 13+ (Fight Scenes)

Buy or Add on:  Amazon  //  Goodreads

Introduction:

After reading the first volume “Serenity: Those Left Behind,” I was determined to read up on all the “Serenity” comics being made by Joss Whedon after the TV series “Firefly” was abruptly cancelled.  Now, I finally got a chance to read the second volume of the “Serenity” series called “Serenity: Better Days” and man, was it one hilarious and action-packed volume!

What is this story about?

When the crew of Serenity ended up finding a huge pile of cash, they all start having daydreams about what they will do with the money while at the same time, taking a nice vacation.  Unfortunately, a soldier who is out for vengeance on the “dust devils” (terrorists who work within the Independents) is doing everything in his power to ambush the crew of Serenity.

What I loved about this story:

Joss Whedon and Brett Matthews’ writing:  Once again, both Joss Whedon and Brett Matthews managed to write a completely hilarious, action-packed and emotional story rolled up into one volume!  After reading, “Serenity: Those Left Behind,” I assumed that this volume was going to continue after the events of that volume.  But, I was pleasantly surprised to see that this is a one-shot story about what the Serenity crew would do with so much money and how their lives would change if they actually had a successful heist.  I loved the way that Joss Whedon and Brett Matthews portrayed each character’s fantasy about being rich, with my favorite daydreams being Jayne’s and River’s since theirs were the funniest in the entire sequence!  I also loved the fact that Joss Whedon and Brett Matthews managed to explore how the characters all feel about being rich as their reactions were both expected and unexpected!  It was also interesting in introducing a new threat for the Serenity crew in the form of a soldier who wants revenge on the “dust devils” for killing so many innocent people.  I loved how this brought in a new viewpoint on the Battle of Serenity and how the independents (the group of survivors that Mal and Zoe are from) are being viewed as the bad guys, despite them fighting for their independence from the Alliance.  I also viewed the term “dust devils” as being a sort of derogatory term for the independents, which really adds so many layers to the after effects of the war of Serenity Valley.

Will Conrad’s artwork:  Will Conrad’s artwork as usual brilliantly grabs the close likeliness of the characters from the “Firefly” TV series; such as the artwork of Mal looking exactly like the actor, Nathan Fillion and the artwork of Jayne looking exactly like the actor, Adam Baldwin. I also loved the way that Will Conrad drew the action sequences as they look truly intense and exciting and I was so mesmerized by the various explosions and gunfights that occurs in this volume!

What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:

The reason why I took off half a point from the rating was that I felt that this story was a bit too short.  I actually wished that this volume a bit longer and explained more about the characters’ reactions to being rich.  I also wanted to know more about the “dust devils” situation with the soldier and how he knew about Mal and Zoe’s involvement with the Independents during the Battle of Serenity Valley. 

Final Thoughts:

Overall, “Serenity: Better Days” is an extremely interesting read full of humor, emotion and action that would make “Firefly” fans proud! I would highly recommend this volume to anyone who is a huge fan of the “Firefly” TV series and enjoys a good stand-alone story!