Beetle Boyáby M G Leonard
Described as ôa darkly funny Dahl-esque adventureö, this book mixes science, mystery and humour. When scientist and entomologist Dr Bartholomew Cuttle mysteriously disappears from a locked room, his son Darkus is convinced he has been kidnapped. He sets out to find him accompanied by a giant rhinoceros beetle which seems to have taken on some human characteristics. But to add to the mystery, who are the villainous bickering cousins Gamble and Risk who live next door and could they be involved in the kidnapping?
Quite a story for all that enjoy exploring natures ‘best’ animals. Quite a touching story with a cheeky character. Beware! It might be a little squeamish too.
I thought this was a very good book with great humour and a very creative storyline but it’s just a bit hard to think about beetles.
I like how Darkus’ mission is to find his dad – it seems like he is a spy. I like at the beginning when Darkus goes hunting through the ‘furniture village’. There is lots of tension when he gets caught!
The book could be improved if there were less characters as sometimes it becomes confusing. However, I like how each character is individual and unique.
I really enjoyed this book. Once I started reading I couldn’t put it down as I wanted to know what happened next.
I am not a fan of beetles but M.G. Leonard is good at making them sound pleasant.
I would definitely recommend this book.
I really enjoyed reading this book. I didn’t expect it to be about beetles that can communicate with humans. The best thing about this book was that it was unusual. I always wanted to carry on reading the book. On the last page it left a cliff hanger and I really want to know what happens next in the book. This book was very adventurous and exciting.
5 stars