Review: The Nest

Title: The Nest
Author: Kenneth Oppel
Genre: Middle Grade
Publisher: HarperCollins
Source: Purchased
Release Date: October 6, 2015
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

For some kids summer is a sun-soaked season of fun. But for Steve, it’s just another season of worries. Worries about his sick newborn baby brother who is fighting to survive, worries about his parents who are struggling to cope, even worries about the wasp’s nest looming ominously from the eaves. So when a mysterious wasp queen invades his dreams, offering to “fix” the baby, Steve thinks his prayers have been answered.

All he has to do is say “Yes.” But “yes” is a powerful word. It is also a dangerous one. And once it is uttered, can it be taken back?

Review:

This is a great middle grade book!

The story was quite creepy at times. It reminded me of Coraline and Skelig. The children in those stories also encountered supernatural things in their backyards.

Steve had very realistic dreams that haunted him during the day. I’ve had dreams that seem like they’re really happening and it can be very scary. But the wasps in his nightmares also appeared to him outside. I kept wondering if Steve was really going crazy!

This story is a great learning experience for children. Steve has to learn to cope with his ill baby brother. Though he doesn’t want him to be sick, he also wouldn’t want to replace him with a perfect baby. Many children have to deal with a sick relative at some point, and though it is difficult, we have to learn to deal with illness. Steve also has anxiety, which is not often depicted in children’s stories, but children can get anxious too.

This is a great story for middle grade and adult readers.