Beetle Boy

Beetle Boy would not necessarily be the type of tween book I would normally pick to read.  It's more action/adventure than I normally read, and there are elements of fantasy to it as well.

And yet, despite that, it was a fantastic book.  

Darkus Cuttle's dad mysteriously disappears one day from his job at a museum. Darkus is sent to live with his Uncle Max, who is eccentric, and a bit of a loner.  Next door are two bizarre cousins whose home has been infiltrated by beetles.  As Darkus searches for his father he uncovers a variety of clues that all point back to the beetles next door and the evil Lucretia Cutter who was once a fellow researcher with his father.  Genetic engineering is part of Lucretia's plan for the beetles as she wants them to have human qualities and reasoning skills which would allow them to greatly impact the earth. As Darkus realizes what he's up against, he must enlist the help of the beetle's next door, as they try to rescue his father from Lucretia's clutches.

Sometimes reading out of my comfort zone is a good thing. This was one of those times.  I'm already looking forward to the second installment in this trilogy and think middle grade readers will enjoy this story and it's fast pace a lot.