Nest

Oppel, Kenneth. (2015). Nest. New York: Simon & Schuster.

This is a story about a boy named Steve that struggles with anxiety and the fact that his baby brother is born with a congenital disease.  After Steve is bitten by a curious gray wasp, he develops the rare ability to speak to the hive’s queen. The queen promises to exchange  the baby with a new one. Steve agrees but encounters problems such as his family’s concern about his mental health, a knife guy with a scary blade, and strange phone calls from Mr. Nobody.  Meanwhile his brother’s health continues to deteriorate. He must decide what is best for his brother and what he must do to save him. But the queen’s heartlessness and plans to fix the baby’s condition only creates more conflict. Steve starts to question whether the wasps are real or imaginary and his anxiety grows. But at the end, Steve ends up in the hospital with his brother only having two bee stings.  The story ends with an emotional relief of safety as they both survive.  This story can open up a reader’s critical thinking skills and imagination for creative writing.