The Nest

by Kenneth Oppel Narrated by Gibson Frazier

Overview

“The Nest leaves a lasting mark on the memory.” -The New York Times Book Review

Steve just wants to save his baby brother-but what will he lose in the bargain? Kenneth Oppel's (Silverwing, The Boundless) haunting gothic tale for fans of Coraline, is one of the most acclaimed books of the year, receiving six starred reviews. Illustrations from Caldecott Medalist Jon Klassen.

For some kids summer is a sun-soaked season of fun. But for Steve, it's just another season of worries. Worries about his sick newborn baby brother who is fighting to survive, worries about his parents who are struggling to cope, even worries about the wasp's nest looming ominously from the eaves. So when a mysterious wasp queen invades his dreams, offering to “fix” the baby, Steve thinks his prayers have been answered.

All he has to do is say “Yes.” But “yes” is a powerful word. It is also a dangerous one. And once it is uttered, can it be taken back?

Celebrated author Kenneth Oppel creates an eerie masterpiece in this compelling story that explores disability and diversity, fears and dreams, and what ultimately makes a family. Includes illustrations from celebrated artist Jon Klassen.

Editorial Reviews

The New York Times Book Review - Aimee Bender

One of the strengths of the pacing is that for the first half of the book, the allies and villains are not completely distinguishable…Despite my hunches, I found myself deliciously unsure whom to side with for a number of pages…The Nest leaves a lasting mark on the memory, and by the end, Oppel tenderly champions the world of the broken and anxious, the sick and the flawed. Readers will find much to savor here, both scary and subtle.

February 2016 - School Library Connection

"A quick read, with the right amount of suspense and mystery. ...Recommended."

October 16, 2015 - The Wall Street Journal

"A sophisticated horror story...frightening and uncanny but also deeply humane in its probing of the way value may be given to, and taken from, imperfect life."

July 2015 - Publisher's Weekly - Starred Review

* "Oppel uses a dark and disturbing lens to produce an unnerving psychological thriller."

October 2015 - Shelf Awareness - starred review

*"Readers are challenged to examine questions about what "normal" is...all in the guise of a fantastical thriller."

October 11, 2015 - The New York Times Book Review

"Striking and scary at once...The Nest leaves a lasting mark on the memory, and by the end, Oppel tenderly champions the world of the broken and anxious, the sick and the flawed. Readers will find much to savor here, both scary and subtle."

August 2015 - Kirkus Reviews - Starred Review

*"Compelling and accessible."

November 2015 - The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Effectively taps into primal fears...a vicarious thrill."

September/October 2015 - The Horn Book - Starred Review

* "a tight and focused story about the dangers of wishing things back to normal at any cost....the emotional resonance is deep, and Steve’s precarious interactions with the honey-voiced queen make one’s skin crawl."

July 2015 - Booklist - Starred Review

*"With subtle, spine-chilling horror at its heart, this tale of triumph over monsters—both outside and in—is outstanding....Printz-winning, New York Times best-selling Oppel and Caldecott-winning Klassen are a match made in kid-lit heaven. Expect ample buzz."

August 2015 - School Library Journal - Starred Review

* "Emotionally haunting...This affecting middle grade psychological thriller is recommended as a first purchase"

Booklist (starred review)

With subtle, spine-chilling horror at its heart, this tale of triumph over monsters-both outside and in-is outstanding . . . a match made in kid-lit heaven.

Horn Book (starred review)

A tight and focused story about the dangers of wishing things back to normal at any cost . . . the emotional resonance is deep, and Steve’s precarious interactions with the honey-voiced queen make one’s skin crawl.

The Globe and Mail

A masterpiece, and deeply heartening proof that two of our country’s best artists are continuing to take risks and grow artistically, even at the height of their careers.

Kirkus Reviews

★ 2015-07-15
Steven must fight for his own life as well as for his baby brother's when he's offered a chance to exchange human life for something better. Steve has figured out strategies to cope with many of his anxieties and OCD behaviors, but this summer the pressure is on. Readers see through Steve's eyes his parents' fears for the new baby, whose congenital health issues are complicated and unusual. Readers may find parallels with Skellig in the sibling anxiety and the odd encounter with a winged creature—but here the stranger is part of something sinister indeed. "We've come to help," assures the winged, slightly ethereal being who offers a solution to Steven in a dream. "We come when people are scared or in trouble. We come when there's grief." Oppel deftly conveys the fear and dislocation that can overwhelm a family: there's the baby born with problems, the ways that affects the family, and Steve's own struggles to feel and be normal. Everything feels a bit skewed, conveying the experience of being in transition from the familiar to the threateningly unfamiliar. Klassen's several illustrations in graphite, with their linear formality and stillness and only mere glimpses of people, nicely express this sense of worry and tension. Steve's battle with the enemy is terrifying, moving from an ominous, baleful verbal conflict to a pitched, physical, life-threatening battle. Compelling and accessible. (Fantasy. 9-12)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171234683
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster
Publication date:	10/06/2015
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

Read an Excerpt

The Nest


THE FIRST TIME I SAW them, I thought they were angels. What else could they be, with their pale gossamer wings and the music that came off them, and the light that haloed them? Right away there was this feeling they’d been watching and waiting, that they knew me. They appeared in my dreams the tenth night after the baby was born.

Everything was a bit out of focus. I was standing in some kind of beautiful cave, with shimmering walls like white fabric, lit from outside. The angels were all peering down at me, floating in the air. Only one came close, so luminous and white. I don’t know how, but I knew it was a she. Light flowed from her. She was very blurry, not at all human-looking. There were huge dark eyes, and a kind of mane made of light, and when she spoke, I couldn’t see a mouth moving, but I felt her words, like a breeze against my face, and I understood her completely.

“We’ve come because of the baby,” she said. “We’ve come to help.”

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