The Nest

          Oppel, K. (2015). Nest.  NY: Simon & Schuster. Steve and his family are unable to fully enjoy having a new baby at home because of the worry his condition brings. A strange creature, a large wasp, that communicates with Steve through his dreams, offers him a solution: to build him a perfect baby, and take his broken Theo. Steve agrees, but soon regrets saying yes. In order to save Theo's life, Steve has to destroy the queen. With the help of Mr. Nobody and a very sharp knife, Steve is able to save Theo's life. The plot takes an unexpected turn when the reader realizes the wasps are not there to help, but to cause harm. Oppel exposes the reader to the worry and anxiety an illness brings to a family. What makes the situation worse is that a baby is the one suffering. It shows how as humans, we long to be perfect and how imperfection scares us. Imperfect doesn't mean bad, but through Steve, we learned that accepting our family member with their imperfections, is better than having no family member at all. Besides, perfection does not exist, and we are all broken some way or another.