Genre: Middle Grade / Fantasy
Pages: 244 pages
Published Date: October 4, 2016
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers 
Series: None
Rating: 4.7 out of 5

“Sometimes we really aren’t supposed to be the way we are. It’s not good for us. And people don’t like it. You’ve got to change. You’ve got to try harder and do deep breathing and maybe one day take pills and learn tricks so you can pretend to be more like other people. Normal people. But maybe Vanessa was right, and all those other people were broken too in their own ways. Maybe we all spent too much time pretending we weren’t.”

Steve is an anxious kid who worries about germs, lists, and has a little obsessive compulsive disorder. When his brother is found to be less than healthy and not getting better, Steve’s problems seem to come to a head. He knows what it’s like to be different and he doesn’t want his younger brother, Theo, to have to deal with the same problems he has. Steve wants him to be healthy. Then one night, “angels” come to him in his dreams and tell him that they are there to help his brother. Later we find out that the “angels” are wasps and Steve has been talking with the Queen Wasp. She tells Steve they are there to make him perfect. All they want is for Steve to help them and if he does, they will then work on him to make him perfect. Can Steve turn the “angels” down? Can he tell his parents when they have so much to deal with already?

I heard about this book during one of my daughter’s classes and thought, “wow, this seems very interesting”. And it was. The book deals with many issues that kids deal with everyday – anxiety, stress, bullying, and much more. It also deals with the family dynamic when someone in that family is ill and all the focus needs to be paid there. Kenneth Oppel uses great imagery between the nest outside his baby brother’s window and the nest that Steve makes at night to feel safe.  

I kept asking myself what would I do if I were in Steve’s place. Having been a caregiver for many years, would I give up the person I knew to replace them with what the queen says is a replica of the person, except for the health problems. I’m not sure. I’m just glad I never had to make that decision.

I would recommend this book to anyone who like a mystery and fantasy. Kids would be able to relate to what Steve is dealing with – if not with his brother then with the anxiety and stress that he has to wade through on a daily basis. This book doesn’t take long to read, but will take many days to digest.