Super fun middle-grade book. The author does fantastic author events as well.

Brilliant, hilarious, charming! A fun adventure that makes you think that perhaps insects aren't gross at all, they sound like beautiful and amazing creatures with super powers.

Pēc ~100 lpp izlasīšanas šo liekam nost. Mazie klausītāji atzina par ārkārtīgi garlaicīgu un man jāpiekrīt, tiešām pagarlaicīgi + ļoti sausā valodā uzrakstīts.

Really good book full of amazing biologically accurate information. As an entomologist myself I appreciated the time and detail to add in the proper scientific information. The overall story was great. Good mystery, plot twists and excitement. I will definitely be looking for the other two books in the series.

I loved this even more on second reading as I can see how well-crafted a story it is. But it’s also a super adventure with brilliant characters!

M.G.Leonarda triloģijas pirmā grāmata “Vaboļpuika” ir spraiga sižeta fantastikas grāmata jaunākā skolas vecuma bērniem, ko autores vārdi veikli uzbur acu priekšā. Jāatzīmē romāna detektīvelementi, kā arī intriga, ko uztur pagātnes noslēpumi un sižeta straujā attīstība.

No Londonas Dabas vēstures muzeja vaboļu krātuves telpas pazudis zinātniskais direktors. Viņa dēls Dārks uzsāk tēta meklēšanu. Palīgā dodas gan jauniegūtie draugi, gan pavisam īpaša vabole – Baksters. Turklāt izrādās, ka vaboļu ir daudz, daudz vairāk un stāstā tās iegūst cilvēku draugu un supervaroņu statusu. Grāmata neuzbāzīgi rosinās uz šiem dzīvniekiem palūkoties pavisam citām acīm, kā arī uzzināt daudz jauna. Tieši bailes no vabolēm bērnībā, kas pārgājušas uzzinot par to fantastiskajām īpašībām, rosinājušas autori uzrakstīt grāmatu, kurā vaboles ir labie varoņi. Grāmatā gan visam, protams, ir arī pretstpēks, tostarp kustoņiem.

Sevišķi ekscentriski autorei izdevušies grāmatas “ļaunie varoņi”, kas liks ne reizi vien iespurgties, jo īpaši komiskais pārītis, kas pieaugušajiem atgādinās filmas “Stulbs un vēl stulbāks” varoņus, savukārt, bērniem iespējams, radīsies asociācijas ar laupītājbandu no “Viens pats mājās”, saglabājot tēlu orģinalitāti, bet izceļot to muļķību un mantkārību. Protams, daudz slīpētāka ir Lukrēcija Katere - ģenētiķe, kuras metamorfoze pārsteigs gan lielākus, gan mazākus lasītājus.

Citējot manu meitu (5 gadi): “Vaboļpuiku bez manis lasīt nevar!”

Jāatzīmē, ka bija pagrūti uztvert vaboļu glābšanu romāna atrisinājumā, kur notikumi un plāni mijās cits ar citu.

This is some pretty solid middle grade fiction. Lots of beetle facts for our future entomologists out there! It was a little slow starting for me, but once it picked up it was fine. And it's the first book in a planned trilogy.

Summary: Darkus Cuttle has taken care of his father ever since his mother died, but one day his father vanished from a locked vault at the Natural History Museum, and now he lives with his eccentric uncle--but one day he finds a large and unusually intelligent and self-aware beetle, and soon he and his two friends are caught up in a struggle to protect an intelligent super species of beetles.

This is a fun story for kids with some wildly over-the-top characters and a mystery to solve. Darkus' father disappears from a locked room, and Darkus has to go live with his Uncle Max who he hardly knows because Max has been off around the world being a famous archaeologist and really hates England because of the constant rain - "I'd rather be in the Sinai Desert riding a camel," he says. But he has a flat above a health food store and next to a boarded up Emporium (take note - that's important).

Uncle Max and Darkus decide they must try to find out what actually happened to Darkus Dad, becfause the police have given up. Then, Darkus enlists the help of the two friends he makes at his new school, but soon they're not telling Uncle Max what they're up to - he mightn't like their escapades next door - and everything gets weirder and weirder.

There is lots of great information about beetles in this book as well - how could there not be with its title?! - and some thrilling adventure. It ends nicely, but with a nice direction towards the next in the series. I'm putting it onto my to-read list.

I did have a good time reading this, I just thought it was way over-the-top and didn't find the ending satisfying at all. If there's one thing that irks me it's when the wrap-up of a story is explained in conversation by the main characters. There are so many other -better- ways to end a book. Also, it was quite a weak cliffhanger that didn't even make me want to get in to the sequel.

But still, it's a fun book for kids. It's different, it's action-packed. And probably super cool for kids into bugs.

A great book, guaranteed to induce beetle-mania amongst your students if they're not already obsessed (I remember my son going through an insect obsession stage), so get ready with plenty of nonfiction beetle books!
Good balance of suspense and hi-jinx, adults are kept at arms length except when necessary to further the plot.
Can't wait for the next book.