The Nest

Oppel, K. (2016). Nest. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers

Reality and dreams are blurred in this suspenseful novel. Steve has a new baby brother. He was born with a serious disability. Around the same time, Steve starts to have dreams about an "angel". Steve's family discovers a wasp nest being built on the house. Soon Steve realizes it is not an angel visiting him in his dreams but the queen wasp. She informs him that she and the worker wasps are going to take his baby and leave a healthy perfect one for his family. Soon Steve realizes that taking his baby brother Theo is not a good idea and tries to stop the plan. However, the moths are determined and Steve's dreams, anxiety, and heroism collide in a thrilling ending.

I admit halfway through this book I wondered how is this considered a children's book. It seems very dark in nature. I thought it would turn out that Steve was bipolar and having a psychotic break. I  was very worried with how the novel would end.  As soon as I finished it my heart was still pounding. After thinking about it, I concluded that students with a taste for thrills might like this but I would caution any student who is very sensitive.