Bug Boys: Outside and Beyond

Bug Boys #2

by Laura Knetzger

Little bugs, big feelings! Rhino-B and Stag-B are back for more in this all-new graphic novel perfect for readers of Investigators and Catstronauts.

These best friends are ready for new adventures!

Meeting a bat? They're on it! Getting lost in a labyrinth? Might be scary.

Each day is new and exciting for these two beetles, and together they'll face challenges and help their friends along the way.

Laura Knetzger returns with a story filled humor, hijinks, and a lot of adventure. Rhino-B and Stag-B lead the way on a life filled with mindfulness, fun, and an exploration of the natural world perfect for kids.


"Bug Boys has a wonderful blend of silliness, introspection, adventure and the right amount of weirdness. I loved how Rhino-B and Stag-B deal with the pressure of being true to each other and to the new friends they make on their journeys." - Drew Brockington, author of CatStronauts

Genres: Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Comics, Childrens, Graphic Novels Comics, Animals, Juvenile

272 pages, Library Binding

First published February 9, 2021

About the author

Laura Knetzger graduated from the School of Visual Arts in 2012. She has worked as a storyboard artist for Adventure Time. She lives in Seattle and makes comics about feelings.

Reviews

[Spencer Orey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the two bugs and their wonder filled world that's just a small sci fi step next to ours. The bug world has all kinds of intense history to it and its own strange magic. The stories are a bit uneven but mostly I just wanted to keep going.

[clara irene · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh my heart <3

[Peoria Public Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

Katy rated it 3 stars.
Spencer rated it 3 stars.

[Yem · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bugs-They’re just like us!

[keely · Rating 4 out of 5]

do not fret, this will not count towards my reading goal. i just desperately needed to log it because it was such a delightful experience and it fuelled my current obsession with bug drawings 🪱🐞🐌🐛🐜🪰🪲🕷️

[jude · Rating 5 out of 5]

cute episodic stories about bug best friends, occasionally interspersed with some surreal weirdness. bug boys always hits the spot for me. they teach good lessons and have such a love and appreciation for nature.

[Penny Geard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked that the stories in this one were a little bit longer and we’re getting more character connections between the different stories. Every time Rhino-B cries, I want to cry as well. I love him. Super cute and funny with lots of great messages.

[Phoenix · Rating 5 out of 5]

More like 4.5, but this one was much stronger than the first! More focused and the worldbuilding was intuitive and fun!

[Lindsay Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading children's or middle grade books as an adult for many different reasons. One because they are fun and comforting and have many themes that are important to remember even in my 30's. I wish I had these books when I was growing up! But also because I'm asked a lot for recommendations and I want to be able to provide books for all age groups that I can vouch for! This series is AMAZING. Has such great ideas around friendship and home and existence outside of our comforts and communication and stories and so! much! more!

[Jasen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute read aloud!

“Bug Boys - Outside and Beyond” by Laura Knetzger

“When a story has many different endings, how do you know the truth of what happened?
They’re all a little true .... but I believe in the endings that feel right to me.
I like the endings where everyone goes home .... and things don’t change too fast. And everybody gets just enough of their happy ending ....Even if it’s just a story, I believe.” P.106-107

“Wow.

And it helps them have “night colors.”

What’s that’s?

It’s not like a literal color. Night colors is a feeling. When the night is peaceful and your flight is true.

It’s a state of mind. When life is good ...” P.217

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

The bar was set pretty high with the first BUG BOYS comic. It looked on the surface to be just a cute and light junior graphic novel, but ended up exploring some unexpectedly deeper emotions, dilemmas, and life lessons--widening its age range appeal considerably.

This second Bug Boys adventure is still creative and fun, but lacks the emotional depth of its predecessor for the most part. This one is more just a kids' comic.

[Naomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Boys being gentle with each other's emotions and thoughtful about their impacts on the world around them at the same time as having adventures and bits of childish gross-out humor to boot? SIGN ME UP. Such a wonderful presentation of masculinity.

[Samantha Small · Rating 3 out of 5]

THIS BOOK IS SO CUTE! Love the stories and the humor but I definitely need to read the first one next!

[Loz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good fun with very good bug boys

[Elys · Rating 4 out of 5]

BUG BOY FAN OVER HERE!!!!

[mickey · Rating 4 out of 5]

they are bugs!!! and they are friends!!!

[itselv:#&309;]

was feeling overwhelmed because of academic changes, needed some time to adjust and get back to track but everything felt against that need. this was the best thing to help me get through, grateful to the moon and back♡♡♡♡♡

[kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love everything about these books i hate finishing them!! i love how they love each other and do cute things together and are so positive and encouraging and adorable

[Josephina · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️4.75 stars

[Shane Malone · Rating 4 out of 5]

giggling and kicking my feet

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a cute graphic novel. I loved the artwork! All of the stories were really great too. I think the one where they go to the library convention was my favorite of all of the stories. Thanks to NetGalley for a free ARC!

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who knew bugs could be so cute and sweet? This is the second volume of Bug Boys, the adventures of two best friends. Rhino-B and Stag-B (the B stands for Beetle!) go on more adventures around Bug Village to help Dome Spider expand their library, and assist other assorted critter friends, new and old! Bug Boys is perfect for fans of Steven Universe and Adventure Time, a wonderful blend of simplicity, humor, exploration, and kindness. I never thought I would become so attached to a group of insects!

[Gabs · Rating 5 out of 5]

The bug conference was everything

We’re back in a brand new adventure with stag B and rhino B and friends! We’re going beyond bug village to explore disappearing buildings, ancient relics, library conferences and MORE! Still just as adorable and thought provoking as the first, I’m super looking forward to volume three in 2023!

[Andréa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

[Cami · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second installment of "Bug Boys" is very similar to the first, so every compliment that I had for the first book transfers over to this one: the art, the characters, the vibes, and so on. Yet I didn't enjoy it as much, for some reason, and I've noticed this with other graphic novels. My working theory is that second installments don't have the same novelty as the first book, and it's easy to get a little impatient as a reader and think, "Now that this world has been established, is the author going to do anything with it?" It's OK if the answer is, "No, this is a simple slice-of-life series, so there will be no overarching plot or big revelations." But there are moments in "Bug Boys" where I feel like the opposite could be the case, where Laura Knetzger is leading into something more dramatic. I plan to keep reading this series regardless, and I will do my best to keep an open mind and enjoy the journey, wherever it takes me.

[Scot · Rating 4 out of 5]

The heroes of our stories, Rhino B and Stag B are two of the most wholesome, curious and entertaining characters I have come across in YA graphic novels. As bugs living in Bug Village they interact with fellow bugs, local animals, nature and each other in the most beautiful ways. They have each others backs and know each others strengths and jump into new adventures and challenges with the perfect level of care, thought and abandon.

My favorite stories were "Ultimate S'mores" which reminds us that we all have our own roles to play in making the world a better place; "Little Bugs in the Big City" which reminds us to appreciate where we come from; and "Wave's World," which introduce new friends who remind us to appreciate the unknown.

This was book 2 and even though I liked the first volume a wee bit better, this was still fantastic and highly recommended for your young ones and old readers, like myself, alike. I look forward to Volume 3.

[Theediscerning · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really weird – after two short chapters that didn't exactly patronise the audience but certainly managed to patronise the characters, we see some extended fantasy scenes, concerning the two main beetle characters. So a ghostly dragon thing forces people to look into their hearts, and raspberry bushes have glowing crystalline souls. It's an attempt to get well-meaning morals across about generosity, sharing compliments and suchlike, but with the oddball, unsettling manner of "Dougal and the Blue Cat", to use a very different critic's reference point. Not my thing, and I can see it being quite a Marmite title for the intended readers, too.

[D.T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bug Boys: Outside and Beyond gets trippy and philosophical and breaks the 4th wall often! But I enjoyed it just as much as the first book. Stag-B and Rhino-B are still as adorable as ever. The artwork is oh-so lovely with green foliage and cartoony expressions.

I would recommend this for middle grade readers because some of the more philosophical bits may confuse younger kids (but also an opportunity to create discussion). Also, Stag-B’s insecurities about Rhino-B growing up faster than him will probably resonate more with middle grade readers because they’re in a transitory period.

[Molly Lazer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with my six-year-old twins, who loved it like they did the first Bug Boys book. I really enjoy the series and the characters, and I appreciate how Knetzger deals with some really serious mental health issues that kids face. I actually had to take a break from reading after the story with the dragon's pearl because I found it so emotionally devastating. (We went back to it about 15 minutes later, of course.) My kids' favorite story is the one with the RPG, which they've had us read them many times over already.

[Maia H · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25!

Wholesome, sweet, and fun, I loved going on adventures with these bug boys and seeing the world through their childlike eyes. Bug City and the Pearl Dragon's castle were my fave chapters, especially when they talked about doubt and insecurities. I wish there were more mental health discussions though.

I also LOVED the colors of this volume, so whimsical and beautiful! And the recipes + coloring pages at the end!! Any kid would love this, but I think an adult trying to nurture their inner child would benefit too. Can't wait for book 3! I need alllll of themmm