by Kenneth Oppel
Oppel, K. (2015). The nest. New York: Simon & Schuster.
When Steve is stung by an unusual looking wasp which begins to build a nest in the eaves of his home and an angel-like creature starts visiting him in his dreams, he becomes consumed. The visitor has told him that the wasps can help make his baby brother, who has a congenital genetic disorder, whole. Steve says "yes" when asked if he will help, but begins to have doubts as the details are unveiled.
I'm not going to lie. This book creeped me out. The thought of a baby growing inside a wasp's nest and a child being recruited to switch it out with his real baby brother, whom the wasps are planning to eat, was quite disturbing on various levels. However, if I look past that, I can honestly say that Kenneth Oppel did an excellent job knitting this story together. I was guessing until the very end as to whether or not Steve was psychotic versus experiencing reality and whether the queen or Mr. Nobody was the good guy. It explores the spiritual realm, genetic anomalies, right vs wrong, and mental illness. The suggested age group for this fiction novel is ten and up. I definitely agree that the subject matter is too mature for children younger than this and that there is no age cap for this book. However, in my opinion, not all ten-year-olds will be ready for this thriller. Seventh grade might be a better starting age.
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Author, Kenneth Oppel's website: http://www.kennethoppel.ca/
Book trailer:
A word from the author:
When Steve is stung by an unusual looking wasp which begins to build a nest in the eaves of his home and an angel-like creature starts visiting him in his dreams, he becomes consumed. The visitor has told him that the wasps can help make his baby brother, who has a congenital genetic disorder, whole. Steve says "yes" when asked if he will help, but begins to have doubts as the details are unveiled.
I'm not going to lie. This book creeped me out. The thought of a baby growing inside a wasp's nest and a child being recruited to switch it out with his real baby brother, whom the wasps are planning to eat, was quite disturbing on various levels. However, if I look past that, I can honestly say that Kenneth Oppel did an excellent job knitting this story together. I was guessing until the very end as to whether or not Steve was psychotic versus experiencing reality and whether the queen or Mr. Nobody was the good guy. It explores the spiritual realm, genetic anomalies, right vs wrong, and mental illness. The suggested age group for this fiction novel is ten and up. I definitely agree that the subject matter is too mature for children younger than this and that there is no age cap for this book. However, in my opinion, not all ten-year-olds will be ready for this thriller. Seventh grade might be a better starting age.
🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮
Author, Kenneth Oppel's website: http://www.kennethoppel.ca/
Book trailer:
A word from the author:
