Beetle Queen, from middle grade writer M. G. Leonard, is the follow up from her huge hit – Beetle Boy.
Beetle Queen is a fast paced novel that’ll have you on the edge of your beetle seat! Poor Darkus, he’s already been through such a lot… and it’s about to get worse. Much worse.
MG Leonard’s wonderfully visual narrative sweeps her readers through a dastardly plot, with a little light relief from the hapless duo, Humphrey and Pickering. Darkus’s Dad is back, and is recovering. But. He’s acting very strangely – he’s forbidden Darkus from investigating Lucretia Cutter any further, but Darkus knows something’s wrong… and when it comes to protecting his beetles, nothing will stop him. And why do those yellow ladybirds keep cropping up in the strangest of places?
After a heartbreaking fire – which is brilliantly conveyed by Leonard – Darkus, Virginia and Bertolt learn that Lucreita is heading for the prestigious Film Awards at the Hollywood Theatre in Los Angeles. But she hates those awards, so why is she going and why is she insisting on designing dresses for the actresses? In an award ceremony that certainly rivals the recent Oscars for drama, an amazing scene unfolds that will have you gasping with disbelief.
Beetle Queen has a wonderful energy, with brilliantly compelling characters. Karl James Mountford brings these characters to life through his wonderful illustrations that pop up within the chapters.
The Battle of The Beetles will be the third and final book in the series… I need to discover what happens!
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