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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
What a strange little book. Dark and creepy with parts I didn't like to read alone at night, but also with a fairly complex child character with anxiety and a few other, carefully unlabeled behaviors, who has to make an important moral decision.
I am a bit conflicted on its handling of Steve's emotional and social difficulties. I think they were carefully detailed and mostly unlabeled for a reason, and are probably true and reflective of many anxious children's experiences. But on the other hand, it is a story that blurs the line between magic, horror, and reality, and it seems to vacillate between trusting that its character is telling the truth and seeing reality, and implying that the character is seeing the world through the lens of his disorder(s) and is thus an unreliable narrator. I think by the end it comes down on the side of believing its character and believing in magical realism, but those moments in between were a source of confusion for me, too.
All that in mind, still not sure who I would recommend this book to. Perhaps fans of Skellig, a younger reader than A Monster Calls, or Challenger Deep (though I haven't read it yet), but definitely not for those frightened of insects and scary things invading your home.
I am a bit conflicted on its handling of Steve's emotional and social difficulties. I think they were carefully detailed and mostly unlabeled for a reason, and are probably true and reflective of many anxious children's experiences. But on the other hand, it is a story that blurs the line between magic, horror, and reality, and it seems to vacillate between trusting that its character is telling the truth and seeing reality, and implying that the character is seeing the world through the lens of his disorder(s) and is thus an unreliable narrator. I think by the end it comes down on the side of believing its character and believing in magical realism, but those moments in between were a source of confusion for me, too.
All that in mind, still not sure who I would recommend this book to. Perhaps fans of Skellig, a younger reader than A Monster Calls, or Challenger Deep (though I haven't read it yet), but definitely not for those frightened of insects and scary things invading your home.
This is probably the weirdest DCF book I have read thus far.
The nest has a hidden purpose and this purpose terrifies those who know, especially the syrup sweet queen.
I admit I was attracted to this book because of the cover. Illustrated by Jon Klassen, his pictures wrap a spell around you that make this tale even creepier. I do not like horror or scary stories. But The Nest has an eerie quality, like an old fashioned ghost story, subtle and suggestive, enough to keep you intrigued with that feeling that something is just not right. Woven through this book is the idea of being "normal" both physically and mentally and the secret desires we harbor to try to make things perfect.
I have no idea what child or age I would recommend this book to. There is a dark morality side to this story that while many scary popular stories deal with death, The Nest's approach is a little different. I guess if you knew of a little 6th grade goth-er who can see thestrals and is OK with that, this would be a great book for them.
I have no idea what child or age I would recommend this book to. There is a dark morality side to this story that while many scary popular stories deal with death, The Nest's approach is a little different. I guess if you knew of a little 6th grade goth-er who can see thestrals and is OK with that, this would be a great book for them.
a lovely story about the perils of being perfect. didn't do much for my wasp phobia, though.
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I do NOT want to see the movie made from this book!
This is the creepiest book I've read in while. It's all about those insidious times when we just wish everything were...normal. Steve longs to be able to "fix" everything for his baby brother, born with a damaging congenital condition. But what would he--or any of us--be willing to do to make that happen?
Oppel coolly avoided all the things that could have made this a lesser book. No stickily sentimental baby bonding; no lectures on disability; no political opinions on medical intervention. He doesn't have to stoop to sweet meditations on the nature of love, because he's showing it to us.
This story reminded me of all the tales of changelings, the fairy child left in the place
This is the creepiest book I've read in while. It's all about those insidious times when we just wish everything were...normal. Steve longs to be able to "fix" everything for his baby brother, born with a damaging congenital condition. But what would he--or any of us--be willing to do to make that happen?
Oppel coolly avoided all the things that could have made this a lesser book. No stickily sentimental baby bonding; no lectures on disability; no political opinions on medical intervention. He doesn't have to stoop to sweet meditations on the nature of love, because he's showing it to us.
This story reminded me of all the tales of changelings, the fairy child left in the place
Spoiler
of a healthy human one. I imagine the stories arose from observations of children who did not thrive. Oppel turns those folktales around the other way: what if the family could choose a healthy changeling to replace their "damaged" offspring? The queen wasp makes an insidious little comment about what her other changeling wasp babies have done: "gone on to change the world." Shudder. Gasp.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated