The Royal Rabbits of London (Books 2 and 3 in the series)

 The Royal Rabbits of London (Book 2 and 3 in the Series) by Santa Montefiore and Simon Sebag Montefiore  

Book 2: Escape From the Tower    224 pages

Book 3: The Great Diamond Chase    212 pages

Escape From the Tower

When last we saw Shylo Tawny-Tail, a shy country bunny, he had just helped the Royal Rabbits of London save the Queen from a most humiliating experience, devised by the evil Ratzis.  The RRL’s were so grateful and impressed that he was made a member of the secret society, complete with their badge imprinted on his paw.

The Ratzis (the grossest rats that ever lived) have a new scheme in mind. This time they want to embarrass the Royal Family and the President and First Lady of the United States in front of the entire world and ruin the relationship the two countries share!  Ohhhh those nasty creatures! They have uncovered the President’s biggest secret and plan to expose it during a televised State Dinner.

Readers learn more about the Ratzis, especially Papa Ratzi who controls this revolting gang of very large, very stinky two hundred rats. No one has ever seen him and he communicates via hologram texts.  

Can Shylo and the rest of the RRL’s save the two countries, especially the United States, from becoming the world’s laughingstock?  Surely Shylo can…thanks to the RRL’s motto: “Anything in the world is possible---by will and by luck, with a moist carrot, a wet nose, and a slice of mad courage!”

A fun little book that chapter book readers will surely enjoy.

The Royal Rabbits of London: Escape From the Tower gets 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

The Great Diamond Chase

Oh! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!

Little Shylo Tawny-Tail has fallen asleep while on guard duty. He was supposed to be guarding the palace, but he alarms wake him, and he knows he’s in big trouble. Lots of things could have gone wrong, but the worst case scenario has happened: Someone has stolen the Siberian Diamond, the most valuable diamond in the world! The Queen is beside herself, crying almost hysterically!

The Royal Rabbits of London are already on the case, having herd the alarms deep in The Grand Burrow beneath the Buckingham Palace.

Shylo learns that the diamond was found in Russia 132 years ago by a peasant. It was sent to Catherine the Great.  One hundred years later, legend has it that the diamond was lost in a bet the Tsar had with his cousin, the King of England.

And worse, the RRL’s learn that the minks are town, more than likely to steal the magnificent jewel. And it gets even more complicated: the Ratzis want in on the action---they want to steal it for themselves and then there is Amura, the white Siberian tiger. What the heck is she up too?

How will the RRL’s find the diamond and return it to its rightful place in the palace’s Diamond Room.  Readers are offered the opportunity to learn about the rabbits that make up the Royal Rabbit’s. Sometimes I got a little confused on who was who, but the authors did a great job in detailing the idiosyncrasies of each rabbit.

Kids ages 8-12 or grades 3-7 will love this tale!

The Royal Rabbits of London: The Great Diamond Chase gets 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

Who's Dead, Doc?

Who’s Dead, Doc? (Book 2 in the Jules and Bun Mystery Series) by J. M. Griffin 320 pages

 This is the second book in Jules and Bun Mystery Series.  Like this one, the first one was cute.

Juliette “Jules” Bridge rescues ad provides lifelong shelter for rabbits.  She has one, Bun, who is her best friend and plays Watson to her Sherlock. While the bond between the two is undeniable, it’s their ability to communicate telepathically with each other.  A stretch I know, but it works.  I wish I had telepathic abilities with my pet rabbit; it would be useful.

Jules’ Fur Bridge Farm is in rural New Hampshire, although the lack of scenery could make this Anywhere, USA. Jules makes her living taking the rabbits to kids’ birthday parties along with a friend who does a puppet show.

At this outing, Evelyn, a local woman, is found dead near the party. Bun has a desire to get involved with the investigation, but Jules is reluctant, especially given the events from Book One. 

Against his better judgement, Sheriff Jack Carver enlists Jules’ help. Evelyn was the judge at a local rabbit competition, which is much like a dog show. So Jules and Bun go undercover to help solve Evelyn’s murder.

The cast of characters from Book One are also here: the college kids who help out at Fur Bridge Farm, Jessica the vet who has a clinic at said farm, the rabbits (especially Willy Walkabout, a bun who is an escape artist), Molly who runs the gift shop and teaches spinning classes and more.

If you’re looking for a page-turner, this isn’t the book for you. However it is fun.  I already miss Jules and Bun. Can’t wait for Book Three!  “Who’s Dead, Doc?” receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

 

 

Left Fur Dead

 

Left Fur Dead (Book 1 in the Jules & Bun Series) by J. M. Griffin 368 pages

When a librarian friend emailed me the covr of this book, there was no way tha I could pass it up. If the bunny was gray, it would look a lot my sweet rabbit, Gracie.

Juliette Barnes and operates Fur Bridge Farm where she cares for rescued rabbits. I’m sorry to say that there are two major errors in the story’s beginning that made me cringr. First, rabbits don’t get yearly shots. They do need to go to the vet twice a year though. Second, rabbits should never be given a drip bottle for their water. They can’t enough at one time, which can lead to frustration/aggression and dehydration, which if gets too severe can lead to death.

Those two points weren’t enough to deter me from what ends up being a delightful read. Bun is a black-and-white rabbit, and if he’s the one on the cover, he’s of the Duthc breed. Of all the bunnie in Jules’s care, Bun is the only one who lives indoors. He has a special talent that makes their bond even more special. Bun can communicate, telepathically, with Jules. And he is quite the opinionated little dude.

Life is going just fine until one afternoon, while on their walk, Bun and Jules find a dead body. They are shocked to learn that they know the man; someone Jules works with on occasion. While that doesn’t scare them too bad, it’s not until Jules is attacked in the barn one night by a unknown person who’s features she can distinguish, that the plot heats up. The attacks continue, although Jules is never badly hurt, and the rabbits are never harmed (whew!), the intruder is bent on freeing the bunnies.

Who, and more important, why would someone want to hurt Jules. Could it be the high school kids who work for her sometimes. Or the young girl she has just hired to run  Fur Bridge’s gift shop. Or maybe it could be that homeless man who is living in the woods and seems to be keeping an eye on the place.

Except for those two errors I mentioned earlier, this cozy was a fun read. That’s why “Left Fur Dead” receivs 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. Regardless, I can’t wait for Book 2.

One to Ten: Squirrel's Bad Day

One to Ten: Squirrel’s Bad Day by Carole P. Roman; Illustrations by Mateya Arkova   38 pages

 

Poor Squirrel is having a bad day. As Squirrel is running along a limb with an armful of acorns, he/she stumbles and all the acorns tumble into the stream below. Squirrel is devastated.

Friend Rabbit comes along and give Squirrel some advice as to how to cope with what has happened. I got it, but I’m not sure that the age groups targeted would get it. Rabbit told Squirrel what to do, but not how to do it. Rabbit did give some instructions, but it didn’t go far enough in my opinion. Therefore, One to Ten: Squirrel’s Bad Day receives 3 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

The Royal Rabbits of London

The Royal Rabbits of London by Santa Montefiore and Simon Sebag Montefiore   208 pages

I love books about animals. Remember the All Creatures Great and Small series by James Herriot that came began in 1973? If you haven’t read them, do so. They are wonderful.  I also love rabbits, so how could I pass up a chance to read a book about a little rabbit that has to wear an eyepatch to help correct his vision?

I couldn’t, and I’m glad that I didn’t. This novel, aimed at middle school readers, is adorable and a fun read, even for middle-aged adults.

In this first book in the Royal Rabbits series, readers are introduced to Shylo Tawny-Tail, the runt of his litter and Mom’s pet. Shylo has made friends with an elderly rabbit who lives on the other side of the pasture. Horatio, the old rabbit, tells Shylo about the Royal Rabbits, the noble defenders of the royal family, a secret society of rabbits that live beneath Buckingham Palace.

On his way to visit Horatio, Shylo encounters his oldest brother, Maximilian. Rather the divulge his secret path, Shylo takes off in a different direction and looks for a low place to hide. He is successful and Maximilian soon tires of chasing him. As he waits to make sure that his brother has truly left, three Ratzis, under the control of Papa Ratzi, amble up the path, making plans to snap photos of the Queen in her nightie and selling it to the tabloids for big bucks.

When Shylo finally makes it to Horatio’s burrow and explains what he has just heard…and smelled, Horatio convinces him that the only way to save the Queen from total humiliation is for Shylo to travel to London, find the Royal Rabbits, and alert them to be on guard. Shylo, small and timid, rises to the challenge.

What an adventure Shylo has! This is a fun, light-hearted that teaches children about privacy, facing your fears, and being the best bunny that they can be.

The Royal Rabbits of London gets 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane  by Kate DiCamillo   200 pages

Ya gotta love a book about a rabbit. I bought this book to read to Gracie, my pet bunny. She likes to be read to; she’ll sit in my lap and try to nibble at the pages, but I can tell by the position of her ears that she is listening. Maybe not to me, but she’s listening to something J.

Edward Tulane is a very, very spoiled china rabbit. He has an entire wardrobe of clothes, shoes, and hats. He’s also a little arrogant, thinking he’s above everyone else in the world, especially in the world of his owner, a little girl named Abilene.

Every morning before she leaves for school, Abilene dresses Edward and sets him in chair, positioned so that he can look out the window. The gold watch rest in his lap will help him know when it’s time for the little girl to come home.

One day, Abilene and her parents set off on the Queen Mary, bound for London. And so begins the Edward’s harrowing journey. The places he winds up are enough to make a bunny lose all his hair. But Edward is a stalwart little dude, and where he eventually winds up, made me smile.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane gets 5 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

Lord And Lady Bunny – Almost Royalty

Lord And Lady Bunny – Almost Royalty
by Polly Horvath                               
293 pages
 

Mr. & Mrs. Bunny are back and this time they have co-authored the book.  They have decided to travel to England because Mrs. Bunny has decided that she needs to be Queen and figures that the best way to make that happen is to be in England.  Meanwhile, Madeline’s parents want to buy more land so that they can grow organic vegetables to sell and they want to take a vacation.  They have no money but luckily some relatives just died and left them a sweet shop in England.  They find a way to travel for free and head off to England with Madeline’s friend, Katherine, to run the sweet shop for the month of August, where they expect to earn enough money to buy the land they want.  Madeline is all for this plan because she hopes they will make enough money that she can fill up her college fund.  Mr. & Mrs. Bunny end up traveling on the same ship as Madeline and staying near them in England and of course, nothing goes quite as planned.  Mr. & Mrs. Bunny must help Madeline’s family and maybe Madeline can help Mrs. Bunny with her dream as well.  A fun sequel to Mr. & Mrs. Bunny- Detectives Extraordinaire, although the first book wouldn’t have to be read first, kids who like humorous talking animal books will probably love Mr. & Mrs. Bunny.