Bug Girl (Bug Girl #1)

by Benjamin Harper (Author) Anoosha Syed (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade
Series: Bug Girl

Nothing prepares a girl for battling the forces of evil like the first year of middle school...

Amanda Price adores all things bug-related―from spiders to mantises―like, seriously loves them. Unfortunately most of her fellow sixth-graders do not share her invertebrate obsession. They’re grossed out by it. Especially Amanda’s ex-best friend, Emily, who thinks Amanda is creepy weird.

But when mysterious invaders menace the town of Oyster Cove and take both Amanda and Emily’s mothers captive, Amanda unexpectedly develops amazing insectile powers! Newly equipped with antennae and a glistening exoskeleton she uncovers a secret that changes everything.

Now Amanda has to act fast or her town and her mom are doomed! There’s just one complication…she needs Emily’s help.

Suddenly Amanda’s worst enemy becomes her best ally, but working together may be even harder than saving their town from being squashed like a…well…

BUG GIRL. She’s got the buzz.

Sarah Hines Stephens and Benjamin Harper's Bug Girl is a funny and action-packed superhero adventure filled with green illustrations and sidebars featuring real bug facts!

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School Library Journal

Gr 4-6--Sixth grader Amanda loves bugs and the adventures of Megawoman and Dragonfly, Oyster Cove's local superheroines, who haven't been seen in many years. Amanda doesn't like that since sixth grade started, her former BFF, Emily, is now one of the "uberpopular" kids and is nothing but mean to Amanda, calling her "Bug Girl." When evil invaders begin terrorizing their town, Amanda's nickname all of a sudden becomes quite real as she develops insectlike superpowers. She must learn to use these abilities very fast, as her and Emily's mothers have been kidnapped. Amanda must also figure out how to work alongside Emily again, which is no easy feat, even for a superhero. The book is visually appealing, with illustrated borders on each page and cartoon images and bug facts included throughout, and the superhero story line will make it an easy sell to a wide range of readers. The pacing is brisk, reminiscent of an animated TV show, though the plot points are repetitive and drag in spots. Characters are relatively flat. An epilogue sets up a possible sequel. VERDICT Likely to find an audience, this novel has enjoyable moments but is ultimately underwhelming.--Jenna Friebel, Oak Park Public Library, IL

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"Bearing all the campy hallmarks and high drama of a classic superhero romp, this entertaining ... tale also features interesting entomological tidbits throughout." — Kirkus Reviews

"The villain is dastardly, the heroes are staunch, and the costumes are impressive, making this high-quality standard superhero fare with the added bonus of some poignant details of how even the closest friendships may fade amid the social pressures of middle school." — Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Tucks both middle-school fashion advice and insect facts into a tale that scuttles along to a wildly destructive climactic battle." — Booklist

Benjamin Harper

Sarah Hines Stephens grew up in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, where she liked to build habitats for woolly bear caterpillars and roller-skate in the carport. She has been a bookseller, an editor, a ghostwriter, an author, a garden instructor, and a lab assistant--and still holds many of those jobs. She makes her home in Oakland, California, where she lives with three humans, two dogs, and an ever-changing cast of house spiders.

Benjamin Harper is originally from St. Petersburg, Florida, where hot summers fostered his love of bugs. He has been involved in children's books, as both an editor and an author, for almost as long as he can remember. Currently, he resides in Los Angeles, California, where he raises monarch butterflies and lives with a cat, a dog, and a hippie.

Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781250106612
Lexile Measure
810
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Imprint
Publication date
May 20, 2017
Series
Bug Girl
BISAC categories
JUV039060 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Friendship
JUV019000 - Juvenile Fiction | Humorous Stories
JUV002140 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Insects, Spiders, etc.
JUV001000 - Juvenile Fiction | Action & Adventure
JUV071000 - Juvenile Fiction | Superheroes
Library of Congress categories
Insects
Magic
Monsters
Ability

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