Beetle Boy
M.G. Leonard

Subjects
- Action Adventures - chills, thrills and plenty of spills
- Animal Tales - bundles of fur, fluff and fun
- Friends & Family - tears and laughter, and happy ever after
The first book in the bestselling BATTLE OF THE BEETLES series – perfect for fans of Roald Dahl! Winner of the Branford Boase Award 2017 Shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2017 Shortlisted for the Books Are My Bag Children's Book Award 2016 Chosen for the Tom Fletcher Book Club 'Truly great storytelling.' MICHAEL MORPURGO 'Funny, exciting and genuinely eccentric' PHILIP REEVE 'Roald Dahl meets 101 Dalmatians in a rollicking ride, full of adventure with vivid characters' EXPRESS 'By the end, you'll think beetles are the coolest creatures on the planet' TOM FLETCHER Darkus can't believe his eyes when a huge insect drops out of the trouser leg of his horrible new neighbour. It's a giant beetle – and it seems to want to communicate. But how can a boy be friends with a beetle? And what does a beetle have to do with the disappearance of his dad and the arrival of Lucretia Cutter, with her taste for creepy jewellery? The first book in MG Leonard's acclaimed trilogy, followed by Beetle Queen and Battle of the Beetles! Featuring exotic beetles, a daring quest, a mixture of bold male and female characters and a truly venomous villain Includes brilliant illustrations by Julia Sardà From the author of Hunt for the Golden Scarab, Twitch and the Adventure on Trains series, co-written with Sam Sedgman
Reviews

The most amazing adventure, that was so unique. The facts you learnt about the insects were so detailed too. Perfect for Year 4+, or Year 3 able readers.
Trinity0097

Love the story and all the characters! Really interesting spin on the curiosity of children and the world around them!
milliemaejones

Loved it!!! Very late to the party with this one - it's been in my library for ages and on my TBR list for even longer! Great plot, wonderful characters, really engaging dialogue and descriptions! Went into school today to find the next installment: Beetle Queen!
BookNerd

This book is an enjoyable adventure story. The central character Darkus is very likeable and it is interesting to plot the clues as he goes in search of his father. Recommended to all in UKS2. I can't wait to read the rest of the trilogy.
Peregrine56

Great fun! Not only entertaining but I have learnt so much about beetles! Great contender for my first class novel of the year.
MrsStonhold

An exciting adventure with 3 misfit children. I even learned about beetles!!
Lotty79

This book was a great adventure story with a few twists and turns. The main character was an unassuming hero showing bravery in a number of ways. The book brushed on a number of themes which we discussed aloud. My interest in beetles has definitely increased. As we discovered new beetles in the book, we researched them and found out more about each species. Highly recommended. Great vocabulary and wonderful characters and plot.

Brilliant story to pull in reluctant readers, particularly boys. Mine loved the idea of the 'pet' beetles understanding what you said. Very engaging and lots of scope for enriched language.
PworkRbow

A boy has to solve a mystery of what has happened to his father. He has help from the beetlea. Lots of beetles and insects in this book!
Miss_T2

This is a great book. I loved the book and can't wait to read the next two in the series. This book is about a boy called Darkus who befriends a rhinoceros beetle which he calls Baxter. This book is a must to add to your reading list.

Loved this book. Communicative beetles, a mad scientist, a missing dad, new friends, strange neighbours and a good old mystery for the children to solve. For upper KS2 and above. Can't wait to read the sequel.
FionaM