The Nest by Kenneth Oppel
My rating: 3/5 cats
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:
