The Nest

By Kenneth Oppel

'The first time I saw them, I thought they were angels.'

The baby is sick. Mom and Dad are sad. And all Steve has to do is say, 'Yes' to fix everything. But 'yes' is a powerful word. It is also a dangerous one. And once it is uttered, can it be taken back?

Treading the thin line between dreams and reality, Steve is stuck in a nightmare he can't wake up from and that nobody else understands. And all the while, the wasps' nest is growing, and the 'angel' keeps visiting Steve in the night.

A haunting coming of age story that will hold you captive, The Nest is lyrical, surreal and one of the most moving stories you'll read this year.

• Language: English
• Publisher: David Fickling Books
• Release date: Mar 3, 2016
• ISBN: 9781910200889

Kenneth Oppel

KENNETH OPPEL is the bestselling author of numerous books for young readers. His award-winning Silverwing trilogy has sold over a million copies worldwide and was adapted into an animated TV series and stage play. Airborn won a Michael L. Printz Honor Book Award and the Governor General’s Literary Award; its sequel, Skybreaker, was a New York Times bestseller and was named Children’s Novel of the Year by the Times (UK). Kenneth Oppel is also the author of Half Brother, This Dark Endeavor, The Boundless, The Nest, Every Hidden Thing, Inkling and the Bloom trilogy. His latest novel is Ghostlight. Ken Oppel lives with his family in Toronto.

Reviews for The Nest

[sandsing7 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have not read a contemporary book that is more Kafkaesque than this! Strange, fascinating, and just a bit disturbing.

[tessa.johnson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a really interesting book about a boy who has to contemplate what is "broken" and what is "perfect" when it comes to people he knows and loves. He feels broken, his baby brother is broken, and he has the opportunity to "fix" the baby, but at what cost? The books was thought-provoking, however it also got very intense and likely scary for many when the boy has to defend himself, his baby, and his home against a huge swarm of wasps. I was captivated, scared, and wondering what my students would think about it. I have made a note in my catalog system to alert students to the potential scare factor and make sure they know what they are getting in to before reading it. It would be a great book for discussion topics.

[lilibrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Steve has always had vivid dreams and anxiety issues. Now is family is in turmoil following the birth of his baby brother, Theo. Theo has congenital birth defects and his survival is in doubt. In his dreams, a strange wasp tells him that he can help his brother. In real life, these unusual wasps are infesting his home. Unclear where reality ends and dreams begin, Steve knows he must face his fears and help his baby brother.

[mountie9_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Good StuffOnce again Oppel excels at writing a story that both children, critics and educators will loveOppel is one of those rare and gifted writers who writes books that don't talk down to children. This my friends is a rarityNot a word wastedHauntingly beautiful and wonderfully creepySimple, yet complex. So many layers and the story will mean so much more as a child ages. This is one to keep and read again as a child grows olderHonest and real (yes in spite of the paranormal aspect)The cover and art work, make this a treasure that you will want to highlightSteve is such a beautifully flawed and lovely little boy that I just want to take in my arms and say, its going to get better. Such a brave and wonderful little boy.Ok, silly I know, but I geek out a little when an author makes a mention of a Canadian city or landmarkThe Not So Good StuffI am already creeped out by wasps dammitFavorite Quotes/Passages" I knew I was broken too. I wasn't like other people. I was scared and weird and anxious and sad lots of the time, and I didn't know why. My parents thought I was abnormal, I was pretty sure. They said I wasn't, but you don't get sent to a therapist if you're normal.""It couldn't, because it was so perfect that it wouldn't even understand what it was like not to be perfect. it could never know weakness or fear."4.25 Dewey'sI received this at the Fall Indigo Insiders Harper Collins Preview and don't have to share my thoughts at all, just like to share awesome reviews

[paula2childrenslib · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

"When wasps come to Steve in a dream offering to fix his sick baby brother, he thinks all he has to do is say yes. But yes may not mean what Steve thinks it means"-- Provided by publisher.

[debra_armbruster · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was terrifying... and I loved it! Brilliantly written and illustrated, I have a new pick for students asking for "a scary book".

[tapestry100 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An enigmatic modern fairy tale that blurs the line between what is good, what is evil. I'm still not sure who would be considered the villain in this story, if anyone could actually be viewed a villain.

[salsabrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Narrated by Gibson Frazier. Frazier packs a powerful performance with this increasingly creepy horror story. An undercurrent of foreboding shadows his soothing voice and even pacing. It's particularly effective when he voices the wasp queen quietly and sweetly persuading Steve to agree to her plan to replace the baby. After hearing the wasp invasion, listeners won't look at wasps in the same way again.

[lindsay_w_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Read it straight through. Had to. I let it sit for a while but still have questions, and I’m ok with that.

[ennuiprayer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Highly recommend for fans of A Monster Calls. Same eerie, dark feeling flows through this beautifully written book.

[readerspeak_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A perfect book - start to finish.?

[acargile-1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This novel is suspense/scary.Steven is afraid of a lot of things. One fear is that he feels that someone stands at the foot of his bed while he sleeps, so he creates a cocoon for himself to feel safe. He also has very vivid dreams; in a new dream, there is a being--a wasp--that talks to him about his new little brother who is ill. She, the wasp, says that her worker wasps are making him a perfect brother and will just switch the baby and the perfect baby. Not understanding everything, Steven agrees to help.There are other strange characters: Mr. Nobody and the knife guy, who seem to be stalking Steven and/or the family. Steven begins to understand that the Queen Wasp is evil. Now, Steven, has to save his brother from the Queen Wasp even though he’s allergic.I absolutely hated this novel, but I don’t like this genre of “weird scary.” You may like such a weird story. I will say the end was thrilling and exciting, so you can skip to the end! Just kidding! The end is pretty hair-raising, so many of you will probably thoroughly enjoy this novel.

[rosalita_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A young boy who suffers from anxiety attacks and perhaps other unspecified emotional problems becomes overwrought when his newborn baby brother turns out to have significant health problems. He is visited in his dreams by a wasp queen, who promises to "fix" baby Theo. At first Steve is thrilled about this but he soon learns that what the wasps have in mind isn't so nice. I saw a lot of reviews around LT lately praising this book highly as creepy but not scary. I didn't find it to be much of either, even allowing for the fact that it is aimed at a YA audience. None of the human characters had much depth and the story as a whole seemed to be trying too hard to make a point. I was kind of rooting for the wasps, to be honest.