Bug Girl (Bug Girl, 1) - Hardcover

Harper, Benjamin; Stephens, Sarah Hines

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1250106613 ISBN 13: 9781250106612

Publisher: Imprint, 2017

Synopsis

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!

An Imprint Book

“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

About this title

About the Author

Sarah Hines Stephens has been a children’s book reader, editor, seller, buyer, doctor, author, copyeditor, ghostwriter, and speaker for many years―and she is still most of those things. She makes her home in Oakland, California where she lives with her husband, two kids, and two dogs. When she is not doing book related things, Sarah enjoys cooking and eating and gardening and traveling. And she’s pretty good at them. Sarah is not a good dancer, but she does that anyway.

Benjamin Harper was born and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida where he spent his time obsessing over insects, dinosaurs, space travel, and kaiju attacks. He went to Warren Wilson College in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina and then moved to New York where he started working in children’s publishing. He’s been involved in children’s books ever since, as both an editor and author. Currently, he lives in Los Angeles, California where he works on super hero stories and lives with his cat Edith Bouvier Beale, III.

Anoosha Syed is a freelance illustrator and concept artist for animation. She is a graduate of Ceruleum; Ecole d'arts Visuels in Switzerland, and is currently living in Toronto. Select clients include Lacoste, Walmart, Simon & Schuster, Nickelodeon, with work also being featured on Buzzfeed and Nerdist.

When Anoosha isn't drawing for work, she's drawing for fun (she doesn't really have any other hobbies).

From 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

Edition details

• Publisher: Imprint
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1250106613
• ISBN 13: 9781250106612
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 304
• Illustrator: Syed Anoosha