The Nest in What's the Name of That Book???

Jun 18, 2015 karen rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: thank-you-bea-or-ala, upstairs-neighbors

this is a case of good book, wrong reader. i gave it a three because i liked it, but i didn't crazy-like it. i've liked oppel's YA novels in the past, and i was excited that this was going to be available at BEA, but when i saw it was middle-grade instead of YA i was a bit wary. i'm just a little too old to appreciate books for the 8-12 age range. picture books, yes; YA, yes, but middle grade is the overlooked middle child in my reading spectrum, and it has to have a pretty solid hook to win my ...more

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Jan 11, 2016 Jessica rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: middle-grade, fantasy

Wow. So if SKELLIG by David Almond is Santa Claus, then THE NEST is the Krampus. Sort of the same in principle, but ending on a much more brutal note. Jon Klassen's black on black illustrations add just the right amount of ominous creepiness, and the cover (both look and feel) add to it as well. ...more

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Feb 01, 2019 Kate rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks, age-middlegrade, 2019, magical-realism

Steve's new baby brother has a heart defect. After Steve is stung by a wasp, he dreams about the strange wasp nest outside his house and enters into a deal with the wasp queen. The wasps will grow a new baby inside the nest, a perfect baby that will replace the defective one. But as the date for the baby's surgery approaches, Steve begins to second-guess what he agreed to.

This was a strange little story! For a while I wasn't sure who the intended audience was. It read like YA, but eventually we ...more

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Jan 01, 2016 Megan rated it really liked it

Shelves: award-winner, love-this-cover, whatthehelljusthappened

So. Weird. Creepy. Unsettling. Bizarre. Fantastic writing. Made me uncomfortable but I can't stop thinking about it. Unlike anything I've every read before. ...more

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Nov 10, 2015 Laura rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: old-reads, mt-bookpile-2011-2015

Perhaps a little too creepy for kids already scared of wasps and the like? I enjoyed the mystery about who, exactly, was talking to Steve in his dreams, the realistic way in which Steve was worried/scared about his brother and what could be done to "fix" things. When the story veers into horror, readers will go right along with it because by then, we're invested in figuring out what Steve will do and if it will work. Even better, this is longer than a short story but not so long that readers wil ...more

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Feb 07, 2016 Janet rated it it was amazing

Shelves: horror, fantasy, yanovels, psychic-trauma, thriller

There is a lot packed in this short novel:

An exciting horror story that reminded me of Stephen King and Neil Gaiman.
A fearful boy dealing with OCD.
A family coping with a baby with severe health problems.
Terrifying wasps (or are they creepy fairies?).
Fears of abandonment and betrayal.
Nightmares which may or may not be real.

Most of all, it is about a boy facing his fears and weaknesses in order to protect his baby brother. I loved it.

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Dec 31, 2015 Marianne rated it really liked it

If you like a creepy, eerie book--this book is for you. Steven's baby brother is sick, and this worries Steven a lot. A mysterious angel-like creature that Steven first meets in a dream promises to help make things better. But there is a catch--and it's one that only award-winning author Kenneth Oppel could come up with! This gothic tale will make you shiver, especially if you have a fear of wasps! In addition, this book touches on themes of dealing with a sibling with disabilities and coping wi ...more

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Jan 02, 2016 Trin rated it it was amazing

Shelves: canadian-lit, 2010s, fiction, childrens

The Nest sets a high bar for itself: this a book for middle-grade readers about a kid with OCD who becomes convinced that a telepathic wasp queen is communicating with him through dreams, promising to "fix" his deathly ill baby brother. There are so, so many places where a novel with this premise could go horribly wrong, but author Kenneth Oppel is some sort of literary gymnastics champion and totally sticks his landing. The tone of book is perfect throughout; Oppel, to continue the gymnastics m ...more

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Jul 27, 2015 Clarissa rated it it was amazing

This book is brilliant, and so creepy! Steve's baby brother has something wrong with him, it's genetic. Their parents are worried about the baby. Steve is worried about the baby. Beings begin to come to Steve in his dreams, offering to help fix the baby, who are they and what are their real intentions? I don't want to say too much, but this is am amazing book! ...more

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Apr 04, 2016 Jess rated it really liked it

Shelves: juv, horror

I don't know quite how to categorize this one, but it was creepy and powerful and sad - but ultimately hopeful. Reminded me a bit of Skellig (sick baby, mysterious things, but this one leans more towards horror than magical realism). ...more

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Jan 04, 2016 Carmine added it · review of another edition

Shelves: juvenile-fiction

Just too scary for me. Yeah, I know it is written for middle graders, but it put my maternal anxiety levels through the roof. The mastery here is how well the dread is crafted.

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