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A review by katykelly
Beetle Boy by M.G. Leonard
5.0
Hugely enjoyable children's mystery, but the quotes comparing it to Roald Dahl are unjustified. I don't mean to say that this isn't wonderful, just that it has nothing in common that I can see with Dahl and that the writer doesn't need to piggyback on the success of another author to do well.
This is original, funny, even educational. Darkus (best name ever in a children's book?!) has already lost his mum. Now he's having to live with his uncle after his dad goes missing from the Natural History Museum where he works. From a locked room. Everyone thinks he's run away or dead. Darkus knows this can't be true. Can he find him?
To top it off, he's had to move schools and has bullies on his case, and his new neighbours are forever fighting and living in filth. Can a particularly friendly and smart beetle help him out?
Just loved the idea of the beetle hero. It reminded me a little of the (very silly) film 'Joe's Apartment', but this also contains some very interesting information about the beetles, and the plot is exciting, with heroes, villains, dumb sidekicks, escapes, action, and of course the central mystery of Darkus's missing father.
And an amazing cover with a fantastic coloured inner spine decorated with beetles!
I wanted more of the school/bullies storyline, but the main plot involving a villain and Darkus's dad is great. Baxter the beetle is also superb as an anthropomorphic character and I would definitely want to read more about the children and their six-legged friends.
Nothing like Dahl, an entirely different genre and style. And in a league of its own - it is going to do very well with upper primary and lower secondary students.
This is original, funny, even educational. Darkus (best name ever in a children's book?!) has already lost his mum. Now he's having to live with his uncle after his dad goes missing from the Natural History Museum where he works. From a locked room. Everyone thinks he's run away or dead. Darkus knows this can't be true. Can he find him?
To top it off, he's had to move schools and has bullies on his case, and his new neighbours are forever fighting and living in filth. Can a particularly friendly and smart beetle help him out?
Just loved the idea of the beetle hero. It reminded me a little of the (very silly) film 'Joe's Apartment', but this also contains some very interesting information about the beetles, and the plot is exciting, with heroes, villains, dumb sidekicks, escapes, action, and of course the central mystery of Darkus's missing father.
And an amazing cover with a fantastic coloured inner spine decorated with beetles!
I wanted more of the school/bullies storyline, but the main plot involving a villain and Darkus's dad is great. Baxter the beetle is also superb as an anthropomorphic character and I would definitely want to read more about the children and their six-legged friends.
Nothing like Dahl, an entirely different genre and style. And in a league of its own - it is going to do very well with upper primary and lower secondary students.