The Nest

by Kenneth Oppel, Jon Klassen (Illustrator)

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?

Genres: Horror, Middle Grade, Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Magical Realism, Childrens

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 6, 2015

About the author

I was born in 1967 in Port Alberni, a mill town on Vancouver Island, British Columbia but spent the bulk of my childhood in Victoria, B.C. and on the opposite coast, in Halifax, Nova Scotia...At around twelve I decided I wanted to be a writer (this came after deciding I wanted to be a scientist, and then an architect). I started out writing sci-fi epics (my Star Wars phase) then went on to swords and sorcery tales (my Dungeons and Dragons phase) and then, during the summer holiday when I was fourteen, started on a humorous story about a boy addicted to video games (written, of course, during my video game phase). It turned out to be quite a long story, really a short novel, and I rewrote it the next summer. We had a family friend who knew Roald Dahl - one of my favourite authors - and this friend offered to show Dahl my story. I was paralysed with excitement. I never heard back from Roald Dahl directly, but he read my story, and liked it enough to pass on to his own literary agent. I got a letter from them, saying they wanted to take me on, and try to sell my story. And they did.

Reviews

[Maggie Stiefvater · Rating 5 out of 5]

The theme of this book is that nothing is perfect, but this book is a Liar McLiar, because this book is perfect.

This is a wise little tome of fairy-fuckery in the guise of a wasp nest. It's a magical story, and a kind one, and a giant in few words. I wish I had had it to give to my wry and unsentimental 11 year old anxious OCD-ridden self, but I'm very glad that I had it to give my wry and unsentimental 11 year old anxious OCD-ridden daughter. My favorite novel back then was The Fairy Rebel by Lynn Reid Banks; THE NEST grew from similar DNA.

All the stars.

[Jesse (JesseTheReader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was such a strange book. The writing wasn't my favorite, which is surprising, because I loved The Boundless by Kenneth Oppel. The writing in The Boundless was rich and lively, but the writing in The Nest was a little bit dry for my liking. I did enjoy the pictures drawn by illustrator John Klassen. Unfortunately though, this book just fell short for me.

[karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 love. (koff Rooftoppers koff)

but i do think that it's a good book for its intended audience. it touches upon real issues like OCD and anxiety and what happens to the family dynamic when confronted with a newborn who is very sick, and how to be a good big brother, and bravery and ingenuity in terrifying situations and all that good stuff. it's about the temptation of the easy path and how sometimes struggle is better than that quick fix. it's got a solid, character-building message and enough action and horror to hold even a reluctant reader's attention.

it also has nicely understated illustrations by john klassen. there's something that so perfectly evokes quiet, exhausted despair in this simple image.



in a way, it reads like a little-brother piece to A Monster Calls. it doesn't have the same emotional depth or lyricism, but there are similarities in its juxtaposition of dark supernatural elements against illness and grief. plus - drawings.

i think kids, particularly boys, will get more out of this than i did, so i would definitely recommend it for the MG crowd, but since this is my review about my own personal response, all i can say is that it didn't transcend into grown-up territory the way other MG books have. for me.

also - this is probably a bad idea:



come to my blog!

[Regan · Rating 4 out of 5]

a very interesting and weird tale

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a bizarre and creepy (very, very creepy) middle grade book. We follow Steve, who struggles so much with anxiety that he has panic attacks and sees a therapist. With a younger sister and a new baby brother, Steve definitely feels the weight of big-brother-responsibility on his shoulders.

To make matters worse, his baby brother is terribly ill; the doctors aren't really sure what's wrong with him, and because of this, Steve's parents have to spend a lot of time at the hospital with the baby. One night, Steve has a very strange dream in which angel-like creatures come to him to say they've come to help the baby. As the dreams continue, Steve becomes convinced that these angels are going to save his baby brother, but what the "angels" have in mind might not be quite what Steve is expecting.

This is definitely a very dark read. It will appeal to budding Stephen King and Dean Koontz fans, and it's certainly not going to be a good choice for everyone. I've seen some reviewers state that they do not think this is appropriate for the middle grade reading level due to content (there are some pretty graphic scenes and ideas). I think that's really underestimating what most kids can handle.

In fact, this book was included in the Ontario Library Association's 2017 Forest of Reading program in the book group for kids in grades 3 to 6. My niece (who was 10 at the time) read this as part of that program and actually enjoyed the book a lot more than I did, so I'm inclined to think that the librarians had the right idea ;)

Personally, I was disappointed that this book mixes mental illness with magical realism, something I've noticed happening a fair bit lately. I'm thrilled to see more and more books that incorporate mental illness into their stories, but when the very real symptoms get blended in with fantasy, it creates a confusing narrative about what mental illness actually is.

Overall, I give this book 3 very creepy stars.

[Melki · Rating 5 out of 5]

"People lie and say they don't want perfect. But really they do. Perfect bodies and minds and comfy chairs and cars and vacations and boyfriends and girlfriends and pets and children. Above all, children."

Steve's new baby brother is anything but perfect; the poor thing has a congenital disorder, and may not survive.



Everyone in the household is suffering from the strain, but no one more than Steve. He's been having vivid, disturbing dreams of a figure standing at the end of his bed. One night, his dreams seem to take on new life as an angel . . . or is it a wasp? . . . appears to him and promises that she can "fix" what's wrong with the baby. The dream turns nightmare, though, when Steve discovers just how the creature plans to make the baby better.

Though I'd categorize this as mild horror - it's not bloody, or insanely violent - it's extremely creepy and suspenseful. Jon Klassen's dark, brooding illustrations really add to the eerie atmosphere. I'm going to be on the lookout for more titles by this author.



This is yet another great title I found in the junior fiction/middle-grade reader section of the library. If you never venture out of the adult fiction section, you're missing out on a lot of fine books.

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, how I love middle grade horror. It’s a very specific breed of book, you know. Most people on the street might think of the Goosebumps books or similar ilk when they think of horror stories for the 10-year-old set, but that’s just a small portion of what turns out to be a much greater, grander set of stories. Children’s book horror takes on so many different forms. You have your post-apocalyptic, claustrophobic horrors, like Z for Zachariah by Robert C. O'Brien. You have your everyday-playthings-turned-evil tales like Doll Bones by Holly Black. You have your close family members turned evil stories ala Coraline by Neil Gaiman and Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn. And then there are the horror stories that shoot for the moon. The ones that aren’t afraid (no pun intended) to push the envelope a little. To lure you into a false sense of security before they unleash some true psychological scares. And the best ones are the ones that tie that horror into something larger than themselves. In Kenneth Oppel’s The Nest, the author approaches us with a very simple idea. What if your desire to make everything better, everyone happier, released an unimaginable horror? What do you do?

New babies are often cause for true celebration, but once in a while there are problems. Problems that render parents exhausted and helpless. Problems with the baby that go deep below the surface and touch every part of your life. For Steve, it feels like it’s been a long time since his family was happy. So when the angels appear in his dream offering to help with the baby, he welcomes them. True, they don’t say much specifically about what they can do. Not at the beginning, but why look a gift horse in the mouth? Anyway, there are other problems in Steve’s life as well. He may have to go back into therapy, and then there are these wasps building a nest on his house when he’s severely allergic to them. A fixed baby could be the answer to his prayers. Only, the creatures visiting him don’t appear to be angels anymore. And when it comes to “fixing” the baby . . . well, they may have other ideas entirely . . .

First and foremost, I don’t think I can actually talk about this book without dusting off the old “spoiler alert” sign. For me, the very fact that Oppel’s book is so beautifully succinct and restrained, renders it impossible not to talk about its various (and variegated) twists and turns. So I’m going to give pretty much everything away in this review. It’s a no holds barred approach, when you get right down to it. Starting with the angels of course. They’re wasps. And it only gets better from there.

It comes to this. I’ve no evidence to support this theory of mine as to one of the inspirations for the book. I’ve read no interviews with Oppel about where he gets his ideas. No articles on his thought processes. But part of the reason I like the man so much probably has to do with the fact that at some point in his life he must have been walking down the street, or the path, or the trail, and saw a wasp’s nest. And this man must have looked up at it, in all its paper-thin malice, and found himself with the following inescapable thought: “I bet you could fit a baby in there.” And I say unto you, it takes a mind like that to write a book like this.

Wasps are perhaps nature’s most impressive bullies. They seem to have been given such horrid advantages. Not only do they have terrible tempers and nasty dispositions, not only do they swarm, but unlike the comparatively sweet honeybee they can sting you multiple times and never die. It’s little wonder that they’re magnificent baddies in The Nest. The only question I have is why no one has until now realized how fabulous a foe they can be. Klassen’s queen is particularly perfect. It would have been all too easy for him to imbue her with a kind of White Witch austerity. Queens come built-in with sneers, after all. This queen, however, derives her power by being the ultimate confident. She’s sympathetic. She’s patient. She’s a mother who hears your concerns and allays them. Trouble is, you can’t trust her an inch and underneath that friendliness is a cold cruel agenda. She is, in short, my favorite baddie of the year. I didn’t like wasps to begin with. Now I abhor them with a deep inner dread usually reserved for childhood fears.

I mentioned earlier that the horror in this book comes from the idea that Steve’s attempts to make everything better, and his parents happier, instead cause him to consider committing an atrocity. In a moment of stress Steve gives his approval to the unthinkable and when he tries to rescind it he’s told that the matter is out of his hands. Kids screw up all the time and if they’re unlucky they screw up in such a way that their actions have consequences too big for their small lives. The guilt and horror they sometimes swallow can mark them for life. The queen of this story offers something we all can understand. A chance to “fix” everything and make the world perfect. Never mind that perfect doesn’t really exist. Never mind that the price she exacts is too high. If she came calling on you, offering to fix that one truly terrible thing in your life, wouldn’t you say yes? On the surface, child readers will probably react most strongly to the more obvious horror elements to this story. The toy telephone with the scratchy voice that sounds like “a piece of metal being held against a grindstone.” The perfect baby ready to be “born” The attic . . . *shudder* Oh, the attic. But it’s the deeper themes that will make their mark on them. And on anyone reading to them as well.

There are books where the child protagonist’s physical or mental challenges are named and identified and there are books where it’s left up to the reader to determine the degree to which the child is or is not on such a spectrum. A book like Wonder by R.J. Palacio or Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper will name the disability. A book like Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree by Lauren Tarshis or Counting by Sevens by Holly Sloan won’t. There's no right or wrong way to write such books, and in The Nest Klassen finds himself far more in the latter rather than former camp. Steve has had therapy in the past, and exhibits what could be construed to be obsessive compulsive behavior. What’s remarkable is that Klassen then weaves Steve’s actions into the book’s greater narrative. It becomes our hero’s driving force, this fight against impotence. All kids strive to have more control over their own lives, after all. Steve's O.C.D. (though it is never defined in that way) is part of his helpless attempt to make things better, even if it’s just through the recitation of lists and names. At one point he repeats the word “congenital” and feels better, “As if knowing the names of things meant I had some power over them.”

When I was a young adult (not a teen) I was quite enamored of A.S. Byatt’s book Angels and Insects. It still remains one of my favorites and though I seem to have transferred my love of Byatt’s prose to the works of Laura Amy Schlitz (her juvenile contemporary and, I would argue, equivalent) there are elements of Byatt’s book in what Klassen has done here. His inclusion of religion isn’t a real touchstone of the novel, but it’s just a bit too prevalent to ignore. There is, for example, the opening line: “The first time I saw them, I thought they were angels.” Followed not too long after by a section where Steve reads off every night the list of people he wants to keep safe. “I didn’t really know who I was asking. Maybe it was God, but I didn’t really believe in God, so this wasn’t praying exactly.” He doesn’t question the angels of his dreams or their desire to help (at least initially). And God makes no personal appearance in the novel, directly or otherwise. Really, when all was said and done, my overall impression was that the book reminded me of David Almond’s Skellig with its angel/not angel, sick baby, and boy looking for answers where there are few to find. The difference being, of course, the fact that in Skellig the baby gets better and here the baby is saved but it is clear as crystal to even the most optimistic reader that it will never ever been the perfect baby every parent wishes for.

It’s funny that I can say so much without mentioning the language, but there you go. Oppel’s been wowing folks with his prose for years, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a cunning turn of phrase when you encounter it. Consider some of his lines. The knife guy is described like “He looked like his bones were meant for an even bigger body.” A description of a liquid trap for wasps is said to be akin to a, “soggy mass grave, the few survivors clambering over the dead bodies, trying in vain to climb out. It was like a vision of hell from that old painting I’d seen in the art gallery and never forgotten.” Or what may well be my favorite in the book, “... and they were regurgitating matter from their mouths and sculpting it into baby flesh.” And then there are the little elements the drive the story. We don’t learn the baby’s name until page 112. Or the very title itself. When Vanessa, Steve’s babysitter, is discussing nests she points out that humans make them as well. “Our houses are just big nests, really. A place where you can sleep and be safe – and grow.”

The choice of Jon Klassen as illustrator is fascinating to me. When I think of horror illustrations for kids the usual suspects are your Stephen Gammells or Gris Grimleys or Dave McKeans. Klassen’s different. When you hire him, you’re not asking him to ratchet up the fear factor, but rather to echo it and then take it down a notch to a place where a child reader can be safe. Take, for example, his work on Lemony Snicket’s The Dark A book where the very shadows speak, it wasn’t that Klassen was denying the creepier elements of the tale. But he tamed them somehow. And now that same taming sense is at work here. His pictures are rife with shadows and faceless adults, turned away or hidden from the viewer (and the viewer is clearly Steve/you). And his pictures do convey the tone of the book well. A curved knife on a porch is still a curved knife on a porch. Spend a little time flipping between the front and back endpapers, while you’re at it. Klassen so subtle with these. The moon moves. A single light is out in a house. But there’s a feeling of peace to the last picture, and a feeling of foreboding in the first. They’re practically identical so I don’t know how he managed that, but there it is. Honestly, you couldn’t have picked a better illustrator.

Suffice to say, this book would probably be the greatest class readaloud for fourth, fifth, or sixth graders the world has ever seen. When I was in fourth grade my teacher read us The Wicked Wicked Pigeon Ladies in the Garden by Mary Chase and I was never quite the same again. Thus do I bless some poor beleaguered child with the magnificent nightmares that will come with this book. Added Bonus for Teachers: You’ll never have to worry about school attendance ever again. There's not a chapter here a kid would want to miss.

If I have a bone to pick with the author it is this: He’s Canadian. Normally, this is a good thing. Canadians are awesome. They give us a big old chunk of great literature every year. But Oppel as a Canadian is terribly awkward because if he were not and lived in, say, Savannah or something, then he could win some major American children’s literary awards with this book. And now he can’t. There are remarkably few awards the U.S. can grant this tale of flying creepy crawlies. Certainly he should (if there is any justice in the universe) be a shoo-in for Canada’s Governor General's Award in the youth category and I’m pulling for him in the E.B. White Readaloud Award category as well, but otherwise I’m out to sea. Would that he had a home in Pasadena. Alas.

Children’s books come with lessons pre-installed for their young readers. Since we’re dealing with people who are coming up in the world and need some guidance, the messages tend towards the innocuous. Be yourself. Don’t judge a book by its cover. Friendship is important. Etc. The message behind The Nest could be debated ad nauseam for quite some time, but I think the thing to truly remember here is something Steve says near the end. “And there’s no such thing as normal anyways.” The belief in normality and perfection may be the truest villain in The Nest when you come right down to it. And Klassen has Steve try to figure out why it’s good to try to be normal if there is no true normal in the end. It’s a lesson adults have yet to master ourselves. Little wonder that The Nest ends up being what may be the most fascinating horror story written for kids you’ve yet to encounter. Smart as a whip with an edge to the terror you’re bound to appreciate, this is a truly great, truly scary, truly wonderful novel.

On shelves October 6th.

[Josu Diamond · Rating 4 out of 5]

He leído este libro en prácticamente una sentada. Y no me ha dejado indiferente.

El nido es de esos libros que transcienden, que apelan a nuestros sentimientos y los retuercen. Es una historia dura, apta para lectores de cualquier edad, pues cada uno sacará una lectura diferente. Se mezclan elementos emotivos, valores de familia, al igual que un continuo sentimiento tenebroso que acompaña la novela desde el primer momento (y que se ve acentuado con las ilustraciones).

Me ha parecido un libro increíble. De verdad, de estos que no te dejan igual. Es mejor ir sin saber de lo que trata. Te sorprende muchísimo ver cómo se va desenvolviendo la historia, y además hay algunas tramas que no me esperaba para nada. Los giros en la trama que tienen son de estos que te dejan el culo torcido, en plan QUÉ NARICES ESTÁ PASANDO Y POR QUÉ TENGO LOS PELOS DE TODO EL CUERPO DE PUNTA.

No quiero dar muchos detalles de lo que viene siendo la novela (ni en cuanto a estructura, ni a evolución de la trama, ni nada de eso), porque creo que en conjunto funciona muy bien en cuanto a sorprender al lector. Solo diré que no se ha llevado las cinco estrellas porque me ha faltado algo en el final, quizá lo comente en un vídeo.

Sin duda alguna El nido es una novela que recomiendo sin lugar a dudas. Qué maravilla no solo cómo está escrita, sino el tema que trata y cómo lo trata, los personajes y la dinámica que estos tienen, y en general, la ambientación e inestabilidad que se transmite. Bravo.

[Mía Nauca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este es un libro de verdadero thriller psicológico para personas que recién estén entrando al género. Se trata sobre Steven, un niño que sufre de trastorno obsesivo compulsivo y cuya familia tiene un nuevo bebe que esta mal del corazón y no tiene muchas esperanzas de vida. Un día Steve tiene un sueño de unas avispas que le dicen que pueden curar a su hermanito y es ahí donde el mundo de nuestro protagonista cambiará.

A pesar de estar escrito desde la perspectiva de un niño, por lo que se utiliza un lenguaje muy simple, creo que puede ser analizado y comprendido desde una perspectiva psicológica muy interesante. Steve sabe que su TOC lo hace diferente por lo que no quiere creer que las avispas le estén hablando de verdad, así que el libro y la realidad nos sugieren que tal vez sufra de psicosis o hasta de esquizofrenia. Sin embargo, hay indicios de que tal vez sí sea verdad el poder hablar con estos insectos y no se lo esté imaginando o soñando.

Definitivamente juega mucho con la mente y los verdaderos deseos y lazos que forman al ser humano. Un libro con pocas páginas que te debería dejar pensando.

[Kelli · Rating 2 out of 5]

HOW is this appropriate for children?! This is intense and terrifying. Not elementary school fare in my opinion. Frankly, I’m surprised I didn’t have nightmares after finishing it. Would not recommend for children under 14, sensitive children or those with anxiety, anyone with a bee allergy or anyone with an Epipen.
I thought this was a bizarre story with depressing, heavy themes and a blurb that provides no insight or warning as to where this is heading. Here it is: A boy with anxiety and OCD is visited in his dreams by a queen wasp, who advises him that his dying infant brother will be replaced by a healthy baby that they are growing in a giant nest outside his window. The boy, allergic to wasps, eventually attempts to keep this from happening (with the help of a knife-sharpening dead man, who calls him on a toy phone and leaves knives at his doorstep) as the wasps overtake his home. The climax is so scary but throughout there is a very ominous feel of a child trying to manage and understand challenging concepts of illness, impending death and grief without the help of parents. And then there are the wasps. Call me crazy, but I don’t want my elementary-age children reading this...and they don’t have allergies or Epipens.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

What the hell?

Okay, this was super weird and I loved it and would recommend it to most of my adult friends here if you also like weird and creepy stuff...

But I borrowed this book from the children’s library?!!?! Why is something so strange and chilling being aimed at middle schoolers?

Anyways, great book, read it but don’t let your kids read it.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have a fear of wasps, this book will terrify you. If you don't have a fear of wasps, this book will still terrify you because you'll have developed a fear of wasps. Quite possibly the scariest middle grade book I've ever read.

[Diego Beaumont · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tengo que reconocer que ha sido una lectura muy adictiva. Una novela bizarra, muy fresca y con grandes dosis de intriga. No me esperaba para nada ese protagonista ni el desarrollo de la trama. Me ha gustado mucho porque me sorprendía con cada página que leía. Si te gustan las historias atrevidas y no te asustas fácilmente esta te fascinará.

[Sharon Siepel · Rating 5 out of 5]

When an adult can't put a book down that is geared to 8-12 year olds, that is really saying something. And I could not put this book down.

The main character in this book, Steve, is an anxiety-ridden boy who copes with his fear in a very OCD manner, going through ritual behaviors like hand-washing and repeating lists. Adding to his anxiety, his parents have just returned from the hospital with his newborn brother,Theo. Theo suffers from severe disabilities and life-threatening conditions. Tension, worry and sadness overwhelm Steve's family. That's when a wasp appears and offers Steve a solution.

I love allegories, slightly quirky stories, and suspense. This book offers all three. At times this book is terrifying (on a kids level). You are not sure till the end if the wasps are good or bad. Or if Mr. Nobody, who appears in strange ways, is threatening or benevolent. Steve must overcome his fears to figure out the truth and then find the courage to do what is right.

What else did I like about this book:
-it is extremely well-written
-Steve's parents are both loving, and smart
--it emphasizes that our weakness or faults do not make us less valuable as human beings, in fact they often make us better people

Parents/Teachers:
I think this book is appropriately marketed to 3-7 graders. But also a great book for older readers as well.
It is a bit creepy, but that part of what makes it so good.
There is absolutely no inappropriate language or sex.
I would recommend that parents and teachers read this book before or along with their child/students, simply so you have the opportunity to talk about the lessons learned

[Rachel Bea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-read 12/27
That I grew up anxious and feeling different or not normal means that I can relate to the protagonist, Steve. There's no explicit statement that Steve struggled with OCD and anxiety, but the proof is there in his various behaviors, like having a ritual at bedtime where he reads his lists. I found the story as emotional and creepy as the first time I read it, and possibly enjoyed it even more.

-----
Original review:
Disturbing as hell. I can't believe this is a kid's book. At the heart of it is a great message, but it's incredibly dark. The book deals with very serious themes such as mental illness and death. There are some genuinely creepy moments in this book that are scarier than anything I've read in an "adult" novel. Fantastic visuals and excellent pacing throughout. I couldn't stop listening!

[Lu❤am · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hacía tiempo que me quería leer este libro. Para empezar me dan pánico las avispas y mas con todo lo que se está viendo últimamente. Se que me va a gustar y hoy que estoy pachucha 😖 seguramente lo terminaré, tiene pocas páginas me lo regalo hace tiempo mi mejor amiga en formato digital.Inconveniente.. el de siempre la traducción pero bueno lo dejaremos pasar y me centrare en la trama

Pues lo comparo con un monstruo viene a verme, es una historia parecida contada por un niño con un trastorno y con miedos .Aquí cambiamos al árbol por avispas, con algo diferente pero enfocado a un mismo tema que no voy a desvelar, aunque con halo de esperanza. Me ha gustado? la historia es emotiva, ahora la traducción latinoamericana a mi me rechina, quizás debería haberlo leído en inglés y lo habría disfrutado más por este motivo solo le doy tres estrellas

[Korrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fast, interesting and suspenseful story. Read it in one afternoon because I was hooked. I highly enjoyed my time reading this one.

[Stefani Sloma · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s really hard to tell you what The Nest is about, because, well…it’s strange. Steve, whose family has been struggling to cope with his sickly new-born brother, finds his dreams suddenly invaded by angels who offer to “fix” his brother. But Steve realizes that his angel is actually a wasp queen. All he has to do is say yes to her and his problems will be fixed, but that’s such a difficult and powerful word.

The best words, to me, that describe The Nest are these: strange, haunting, lovely, sad, dry, unique, creepy, quick. The entire time you’re reading, you have this eerie feeling like something bad is about to happen, and it’s really well-done. You’re never really sure what’s real or not until the end. Plus, the queen is seriously frightening. She pulls you in and makes you want to like her even though you know she’s evil.

It’s a great book for its intended audience too. It touches on some real life issues that MG readers will face – anxiety, OCD, family dynamics, being brave even when it’s absolutely terrifying to do so. But I also appreciate the fact that I am 25 and I still enjoyed it and even related to several parts of it. I felt that Steve, an anxious kid who just wants to be normal, but what does normal even mean?

The bottom line: The Nest is unlike any other book I’ve read. It’s strange, but in the best way. It gets pretty creepy at times, and it’s a seriously fast read – I read it in just a couple of hours.

[Marcos Bueno · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 / 5

Neil Gaiman estaría orgulloso de esta novela. Me ha sorprendido muchísimo.

[Stepheny · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Nest was one of several audio books I picked up through Overdrive while waiting for more credits on audible. I’m a poor reader, and free is always nice.

I am so glad that I picked this one out of the pages and pages of options. As my original review stated, this book is delightfully fucked. It combines a few of my favorite things into one nice little book: Young Adult, Horror and mind-fuckery.

Let me introduce you to Steve. He’s a kid. 12? 13? Somewhere in that general age range. Steve is a worrier. He worries about his parents, their finances, his sweet little baby brother who is very ill. Steve worries that he’ll get stung. You see, Steve, like thousands of other kids, is deathly allergic to bees.

When he spots a nest being built on the side of the house, he all but loses his mind. His father offers to remove it. But the damage is done before he can…Steve gets stung. It’s a fairly big and dramatic event.

Shortly after being stung, Steve starts having dreams. These aren’t normal dreams. Or are they? Steve is being visited by the Queen Bee in these dreams and she is making bold promises. She tells Steve that she can “fix” his baby brother who is so sickly, and is facing a surgery he stands a very small chance of surviving.

I have to say this book is waaaaaaaaaaaaay different than what I was expecting. It was creepy as fuck, twisted and original. I really loved this. It was somewhat reminiscint of Coraline, if only for the creep-out factor in the setting of a children’s story. If you’re into some weird shit, don’t hesitate. Even if you’re not, I still think you’d like it. It’s well-written and surprisingly believable.

(The narration was really well done if you're into audio!! )

[Anita Vela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reseña completa: http://anitavelabooks.blogspot.com.es...

Es difícil hacer una reseña sin poder hablar mucho de la trama y personajes, por eso voy a dar mi opinión de forma general sin decir mucho más de lo que la sinopsis desvela.

El nido es una historia que me daba mucha curiosidad por todo ese misterio que la rodea, y una vez la lees, entiendes el motivo de ese misterio. Es una historia para leer “a ciegas” y de esa forma puedes adentrarte de lleno en la historia. Y eso que yo suelo leer este tipo de historias, pero con esta he me llevado una grata sorpresa, ya no solo por el misterio que la rodea, sino por el mensaje que te quiere transmitir y por lo bien llevada que está. Sinceramente me ha gustado mucho, aunque he de deciros que es una historia extraña, muy del estilo de Coraline, y a la vez es muy inquietante.

Además, es una historia que se lee en nada ya que es cortita y te atrapa de lleno, porque necesitas saber que está pasando. Más de una vez me ha dado mucha cosita y se me han puesto los pelos de punta, porque telita con algunos momentos. Y con esto no quiero decir que sea una historia de miedo como tal, creo que depende mucho de la edad con la que sea leída; supongo que un niño de 12 años vivirá la historia de manera diferente a lo que yo la he vivido.

Y no me olvido de las ilustraciones que acompañan la historia; son igual de inquietantes.

En resumen, El nido es una historia inquietante donde nada de lo que ocurre es normal, pero que te sorprenderá mucho y no podrás parar de leer.

[Liviania · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kenneth Oppel and Jon Klassen are both titans of children's literature. Their first collaboration is a creepy confection sure to delight fans of CORALINE. I hate to make the same comparison as the marketing, but this is one of those cases where it is true.

Steve's baby brother is sick. It is a congenital problem, and he needs surgery, and he might not ever be completely normal. That's when Steve first dreams about the angels, the wasps, who offer to help. At first it seems like his dreams might just be a sensitive boy dealing with a tough time, experiencing his family's stress the only way he can. But the dreams are getting more sinister, and Steve is starting to suspect that he shouldn't have agreed to let the wasp queen help. Of course, no adults will believe him that they need to protect the baby from the wasps.

Klassen's art is a terrific accompaniment to the story. In black and white his distinctive style looks quite sinister. It's startling white shapes on black backgrounds and shadows on shadows. Although the illustrations look quite simple, each enhances the mood of the text.

Oppel's writing is in fine form. The text is rather large on the page, so THE NEST is even shorter than it seems. The words are as deceptively simple as the illustrations. Even a slower reader probably won't take to long to get through THE NEST, excepting for breaks to slow the creepy-crawlies. As short as the story is, it's the kind that burrows into you and makes you look at the world around you in a different way, as everyday things become sinister. It's also a well done portrait of childhood anxieties, both normal kid fears and trying to understand the fears of your parents which you can sense even when they try to hide them.

I expect this scary story will become a new children's classic. If it doesn't, that's a true shame.

[RivetingReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice little strange & creepy story. I’m definitely not the target audience for this one but there were some parts that definitely would have scared me when I was younger! I listened to this one and the narrator was wonderful.

[Etienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome read!! There is a very creepy ambiance in this book, very creepy when you considered the fact that it,s consider a middle-grade book. Not too creepy, I think the kids can take it. The ambiance was awesome all the way through, at the end we get a more action pack scenes that look more like middle-grade action, but it was still entertaining. I like the weirdest of it all, the originality of it and the dark side it has. Kind of an unique read honestly! And also the dust jacket for this edition look like a sheet from a wasp nest so it's a very cool and beautiful book as an object in itself! Really glad I pick this one! Great discovery!

[Julia Sapphire · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ish

TW: anxiety and OCD

I wrote a very thought-out review and it got deleted so I'm bitter and not rewriting it:)

[Stephanie ((Strazzybooks)) · Rating 3 out of 5]

"'Young people are much more open-minded. Your brains are still so beautifully honest and accepting and supple.'"

This was an odd tale about creepy wasps, changelings, and a determined brother. It had themes of perfection, anxiety, family, and dreams.

I had no idea what direction this book would take - it was a random library find and the cover praise of it being “striking”, “unnerving”, and “haunting” pulled me in. I don’t think I enjoyed it quite as much as that praise, but it did make an interesting and psychologically-twisted middle grade story.

[Zakaria Minhaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

#Book_Mortem 98

#দ্য_নেস্ট

ছোটবেলায় প্রথম প্রথম একা রুমে ঘুমাতে গিয়ে অদ্ভুতুরে সব ভীতি কাজ করেনি এমন মানুষ পাওয়া দুষ্কর। কখনো মনে হতো এই বুঝি আমার খাটের নিচ থেকে কিছু একটা উঠে আসবে, কিংবা হয়তো রুমের সবচেয়ে অন্ধকার কোনাটায় লুকিয়ে আছে ভয়াল দর্শন কিছু একটা!!

দ্য নেস্ট এর গল্পটাও তেমনি এক কিশোরের। বিভিন্ন রকমের মানসিক ভীতি নিয়ে বিপর্যস্ত স্টিভেনের এইসব ভয় জয় করার গল্প দ্য নেস্ট। গ্রীষ্মের ছুটির আনন্দদায়ক সময়ে স্টিভদের ঘর আলো করে এলো তার ছোটো ভাই থিওডর। কিন্তু জন্ম থেকেই থিও'র বেশকিছু শারীরিক সমস্যা নিয়ে প্রায়ই হাসপাতালে দৌড়াতে হচ্ছে তার বাবা মা কে। ছোটবোন নিকোল কে নিয়ে বাড়িতে প্রায় সময় একাই থাকতে হচ্ছে স্টিভকে। মনে প্রাণে ছোট ভাইর সুস্থতা চাইলেও দিন দিন তার অবস্থার অবনতিই হচ্ছে শুধু। এমতাবস্থায় স্বপ্নে "একজন" তাকে জানালো সে চাইলেই সুস্থ হয়ে যাবে তার ছোট ভাই। শুধুমাত্র তাদেরকে "হ্যা" বলতে হবে।

গল্পে আমরা স্টিভের দৈনন্দিন জীবন যাপনের ব্যাপারে ধারণা পাই, ধারণা পাই তার বিভিন্ন বিষয় নিয়ে করা দুশ্চিন্তা কিংবা ভীতি নিয়ে৷ ইন্ট্রোভার্ট স্বভাবের স্টিভের সবচেয়ে বড় ভীতি হলো ভিমরুল বা বোল্লা। নিজের অ্যালার্জিক সমস্যার কারনে এই ভিমরুলদেরকে মনে প্রাণে ঘৃণা করে সে। গল্পে আরো আছে স্টিভের বাবা, মা, ছোট বোন নিকোল, তাদের বেবিসিটার ভ্যানেসা এবং ডা: ব্রাউন।

ভেবেছিলাম অন্যান্য কিশোর উপন্যাসের মতো বইটা গড়পড়তা ভাবেই শেষ হয়ে যাবে। কিন্তু এই বইটার ক্ষেত্রে তেমনটা হয়নি। গল্পটা কেমন যেনো অনেক বেশী হৃদয়স্পর্শী। গল্পে লেখক এমন এক অতিপ্রাকৃতিক প্রানী এনেছেন যারা মানুষের চেয়ে বেশী বুদ্ধিমান। পৃথিবী থেকে মানুষকে প্রতিস্থাপনের জন্য কাজ করে যাচ্ছে তারা। স্টিভের বিভিন্ন মানসিক টানাপোড়েন আর পারিবারিক পরিস্থিতি বেশ সুন্দরভাবে ফুঁটিয়েছেন লেখক। স্টিভের সাথে তার বাবা মায়ের কথোপকথন, ছোট ভাই বোনদের প্রতি তার আচরণ, পরিবারের জন্য কিছু করার তাড়না, মানসিকভাবে নিজেকে দৃঢ় করার প্রচেষ্টা সবকিছুই অত্যন্ত হৃদয়গ্রাহী ছিল। আর ছিলো ভিমরুল/বোল্লা!! এইগুলারে ভয় পায় না এমন মানুষ মেলা দায়। আমি নিজেও এগুলা কোনোভাবে রুমে চলে আসলে দৌড়ের উপর থাকি 🥶!! এই বই পড়ে সেই ভয়টা বাড়বে বৈকি!!

গল্পে সারাক্ষণই কিছু না কিছু ঘটছিলো যে কারনে বিরক্ত হওয়ার সুযোগ নেই। ভেবেছিলাম শেষে এসে হয়তো সব ভেঙ্গে পড়বে। কিন্তু অবাক হয়ে দেখলাম শেষটা রীতিমতো টানটান উত্তেজনাময় এক থ্রিলারে পরিণত হয়েছে৷ স্টিভের তার ছোট ভাইকে বাঁচানোর যুদ্ধ ছিলো একইসাথে রোমহর্ষক এবং উত্তেজনাপূর্ন। একটা কিশোর বয়সের ছেলের নিজের বুদ্ধি অনুসারে ঠিক যেসব উপাদান নিয়ে "ওই প্রানীগুলোর" বিপক্ষে যুদ্ধের প্রস্তুতি নেয়া স্বাভাবিক ছিলো, ঠিক তাইই দেখিয়েছেন লেখক। বইয়ে স্টিভের বয়সের উল্লেখ না থাকলেও, একটা ১২/১৩ বছরের ছেলে হিসাবে তাকে চমৎকারভাবে উপস্থাপন করেছেন।

শেষটা হ্যাপি এন্ডিং হলেও, কিছু প্রশ্নের জবাব মেলেনি। অতিপ্রাকৃতিক প্রানীগুলো আসলে কি ছিলো? কিংবা "মি: নোবডি" কিভাবে তৈরী হলো? আর প্রতিস্থাপিত শিশুগুলোরই বা কি হলো? হয়তো এই উত্তরগুলো না থাকাতেই বরং বইটার হরর এলিমেন্টটুকু টিকে ছিলো।

ওভারঅল নিজেকে কিশোর বয়সে নিয়ে গিয়ে পড়তে পারলে বেশ ভালো একটা বই এটা। শেষ দিকের ওই থ্রিলের অংশটুকু অবশ্য যেকোনো বয়সের পাঠকই উপভোগ করতে পারবেন।

#ব্যক্তিগত_রেটিং: ০৭/১০ (পরিণত বয়সে এসে বেশকিছু শিশু কিশোর উপন্যাস পড়লাম। কেনো জানি না আমার এখনো সেগুলো ভালোই লাগে। এই বইটা আমার কাছে নীল গেইম্যানের বিখ্যাত "কোরালাইন" এর চেয়েও বেশী ভালো লেগেছে)

#অনুবাদঃ ইরাজ উদ্দৌলা ভাইয়ের অনুবাদে এর আগে টাক এভারলাস্টিং পড়েছিলাম। সেটার অনুবাদ বেশ ভালো ছিলো। কিন্তু এই বইটায় মনে হচ্ছে যেনো নিজেকে আরো উপরে তুলে নিয়েছেন তিনি। অনুবাদটা অসম্ভব ভালো হয়েছে৷ চমৎকার শব্দচয়ন আর বাক্য গঠন মুগ্ধ করেছে আমাকে। কিছু ভারী শব্দ ব্যবহার করেছেন বিভিন্ন জায়গায় যেগুলো বহুল প্রচলিত না হলেও সহজবোধ্য ছিলো। খুব একটা সামান্য অভিযোগ হলো, কিছু ক্ষেত্রে একটা অল্প বয়সের কিশোরের মুখে অমন ভারী শব্দ কিছুটা বেমানান লেগেছে। এটা ছাড়া বাকী সব পারফেক্ট।

#প্রোডাকশনঃ প্রোডাকশনে প্রথমেই বলতে হয় প্রচ্ছদের কথা। জুলিয়ান ভাই প্রচ্ছদে আউটস্ট্যান্ডিং কাজ করেছেন। উনার চিরন্তন চারপাশে বর্ডার টাইপ প্রচ্ছদ ছেড়ে বেড়িয়ে এসে বইটার কন্টেন্ট অনুযায়ী দূর্দান্ত একটা কাজ উপহার দিয়েছেন। উনার প্রতি ধন্যবাদ এবং শুভকামনা রইলো। প্রোডাকশনের ২য় ভালো লাগার ব্যাপার এর পেইজ কোয়ালিটি এবং বাঁধাই। প্রায় দুইশ পাতার বই ছোট হলেও, এরচেয়েও শক্তপোক্ত বাঁধাই দেখেছি আমি। কিন্তু এই বইটার বাঁধাই অত্যন্ত নমনীয়, বইয়ের যেকোনো অংশে পুরোপুরি মেলে রেখে পড়া যায়। বইয়ে মূল বইয়ের অনুসারে বেশকিছু ইলাস্ট্রেশন ছিলো, যেগুলো বইটার ক্রিপি ভাইবটা আরো বাড়িয়ে দিয়েছিলো। সম্পাদনাও হয়েছে দূর্দান্ত। বানান ভুলও চোখে পড়েনি। পুরো বইটা সম্পাদনার দিক থেকে পারফেক্ট হয়ে যেতো, যদি ১৩১ পেইজের একটা প্যারায় এসে প্রথম পুরুষের বয়ান থেকে হুট করেই উত্তম পুরুষে চলে না যেতো!! এই একটা মিসটেক বইয়ে একটু কালিমা লেপে দিয়েছে।

#পরিশিষ্টঃ এখনো যদি নিজের কৈশোরের সময়গুলো নিয়ে মাঝেমাঝেই নস্টালজিয়ায় ভুগে থাকেন, তাহলে এই কিশোর উপন্যাসটা পড়ে দেখতে পারেন। আর যদি ভেবে থাকেন, ধুর!! আমি বড় হয়ে গেছি এগুলা আমার জন্য নয়, তাহলে এড়িয়ে যাওয়াই শ্রেয়।

☄️লেখকঃ কেনেথ ওপেল
☄️অনুবাদকঃ ইরাজ উদ্দৌলা দিবাকর
☄️প্রচ্ছদঃ জুলিয়ান
☄️প্রকাশনীঃ অনির্বাণ
☄️পৃষ্ঠা সংখ্যাঃ ১৯২
☄️মূদ্রিত মূল্যঃ ৩৮০ টাকা

[Fuzaila · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first audiobook, and this was…. WEIRD

First things first, This book should not be categorized as middle-grade

I don’t see why this book falls under that category. Just because the protagonist is some 10 years old? Huh, How about marking The Book Thief as middle-grade then? The Nest is more of a magical realism story, and I wouldn’t recommend it for kids.

Despite what the cover and title makes you believe, The Nest is not some spooky mystery.

It is told through the pov of Steven. Steven has a sister Nicole and both of them are excited when Mom and Dad brings home a little baby brother, Theo. But Theo is not completely fine, it seems. He has to undergo surgeries for heart problems which make Steve’s parents busy, going in and out of the hospital. One day Steve is stung by a wasp from the nest in their courtyard. That night, Steven dreams of an angelic wasp who promises to replace their ‘faulty’ brother Theo with a new perfect baby boy they’re ‘constructing’ in their nest. Steve dismisses the dream at first, but later on the Queen Wasp’s predictions come true, making him realize it was for real. Realizing he has made faulty promises, Steve is determined to save their baby brother from the wasps.


My first and foremost problem with the book is the plot itself. The author might have had good intentions of showcasing a big brother fighting alone to save his little brother. But the premise and the plotline don’t do much justice. Steven and Nicole lack a child’s innocence and curiosity. The insecurities of children with busy parents are also unreasonably portrayed. The whole climax scene was lengthy and the action felt forced. There were some incidents though like with the knifeman’s phone call which were quite interesting. But the overall story was boring to me. For whatever reasons, this book would not appeal to older audiences. At the same time, the subject is kind of inappropriate for younger audiences too.

Like I said, in one word, weird. Nothing like I have read before, definitely not what I expected. What makes it a 3-star read was the narration of the audiobook by Gibson Frasier. Otherwise, it is safe to skip this book.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5

The books which I award the highest ratings are the books that make me FEEL.

This book, though small in size, was great in substance. The brief synopsis intrigued me. The Nest is about an older brother, Steve, desperate to help his ailing newborn brother, enlists the help of an unlikely sort: a wasp queen. She tells him they can help his baby brother, but little does Steve know that there are sinister undertones in that promise. Strongly reminiscent of Coraline and David Bowie's Labyrinth, although this book is semi-fantastical, it is also dark, gritty, and scary.

Now, plot aside, my experience reading The Nest brought me to a deeply personal space within me. A good portion of this book discusses and deals with the severe medical issues that this infant baby boy suffers, and the possible prognosis of his conditions. Through Steve's eyes we see the parents struggle with hospital admissions, tests, surgeries, specialists, and the possibility that their baby may never talk, walk, feed himself, toilet on his own, or ever be able to fully think and learn. This all felt deeply personal to me because my husband and I have a young daughter with medical problems. Her symptoms are nowhere as severe as the baby in The Nest, but so much of what I read were exact thoughts I've had or experiences we've shared when she was younger. In fact, the baby's name is shockingly similar to our daughter's name, and at this realization I had to put the book down for a few moments and step back.

Illness, disability, death, and the suggestion of "what-if?" are all covered beautifully in this heartbreaking novel. This book was such an interesting and unique take on "If you could fix your child and start over, would you?" that it made me internalize a lot of my own dark thoughts and fears as a mother of a child with medical issues. I cried, I mourned, it kept me up at night, and it made me think. Mostly though, it made me feel, and feel strongly.

5/5

[KC · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually listened to the audiobook and it was thrilling and captivating. The story starts out somewhat seemingly normal. Steven, a tween aged boy has to deal with his anxieties, his OCD, and his family drama. His newborn brother Theo, was born with some congestive disorders and the doctors are very concerned with his prognosis. As his parents and baby brother frequently travel to and from the hospital, Steven is forced to grow up rather quickly, often overseeing the care his younger sister. Along the way, things take a very dark and twisted turn. There is a man who drives a knife truck roaming up and down the street like some sort of freaky ice cream vender, a large nest of white colored wasps that no one can identify, start to build a nest outside Steven's home, and Steven's dreams of angels and shadowy figures start to become all too real. This book is marketed for kids grades 3-7 but there is no way I would recommend it for anyone under 12, at least. I loved this book. It was spooky and scary and extremely descriptive but not for elementary aged kids.