This book surprised me. I thought it would be for a younger reader. The pages had a lot of white space, it was illustrated and the reading level was about 4th grade. Yet, it was a deep, mysterious, melancholy, and perhaps frightening read.
The main character is Steve who is an anxious child with panic attacks and worry. His parents are also overwhelmed with the birth of a new baby who has a heart condition and other health problems. Steve begins to dream of angels which he later finds out are bees. The Queen Bee communicates to him while he sleeps and tells him that they are making a new baby that will be healthy for the family. They need his help. He realizes that he doesn't believe this is right and tries to protect the infant from being replaced. Near disaster follows. Good and evil are hard to determine.
I thought this was such a sad and melancholy story. I can't even imagine recommending it to an elementary student to read. As I investigated this book, I discovered that some were calling it a psychological thriller or horror story. It really wasn't my cup of tea. I don't recommend this book and give it a 1 out of 4. It would be a story for grades 5 and up. The reading level is 4.3
- Age Range: 10 - 12 years
- Grade Level: 5 and up
- Lexile Measure: 640
- Hardcover: 256 pages
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers; First Edition, First Printing edition (October 6, 2015)
- ISBN-10: 148143232X
- ISBN-13: 978-1481432320
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