Book Review: The Big Sting by Rachelle Delaney

Alexandra Adlawan’s

Book Title & Alexandra's Review

The Big Sting by Rachelle Delaney

4^th Grade to 7^th Grade

Eleven-year-old Leo is an “armchair adventurer.” This, according to Dad, means he’d choose adventures in books or video games over real-life experiences. And while Leo hates the label, he can’t argue with it. Unlike his little sister Lizzie, Leo is not a risk-taker.
So when he, Lizzie, Mom, and Dad leave the city to visit Grandpa on Heron Island, Leo finds all kinds of dangers to avoid. From the deep, dark ocean to an old barn on the verge of collapse. But nothing on the island is more fearsome than Grandpa himself. Leo has never met anyone so grumpy! According to Mom, Grandpa is still grieving the recent death of his wife, a beekeeper beloved by everyone on the island.
Despite Leo’s best efforts to avoid it, adventure finds him anyway when Grandma’s beehives go missing in the dead of night. Infuriated, Grandpa vows to track down the sticky-fingered thieves himself with risk-averse Leo and danger-loving Lizzie (plus a kitten named Mayhem) in tow.

This wasn’t my favorite book, but I stuck with it because I wanted to know who stole the bees. Bee hives are a peculiar thing to steal, but apparently, it happens in real life. Learning about bees and beekeeping was the best thing about this book.

Here are a few bee facts mentioned:

Bees can be trained to detect cancer and bombs
Bees can recognize human faces

Leo is the kind of protagonist I can relate to. He’s anxious and goes over all possible risks before acting. He’s also been told that he asks too many questions. There is nothing wrong with thinking before you act. In my opinion, it’s better to be overly cautious than reckless. Also, don’t discourage kids from asking questions. It means they’re curious. It’s good to ask questions. It’s the best way to learn.

What annoyed me the most was Leo’s father and his obsession with Fatefinder.com, a website with personality quizzes that helps people find the jobs that best suit them. About 50% of the time when the father talks, he’s talking about the website and reinforcing what it says. Specifically, enforcing the label of ‘Auditor’ on his son. ‘Auditors’ are people who ‘don’t seek out excitement, are reluctant to take risks, and are the most responsible people you’ll meet.’ Thankfully, Leo overcomes the label put on him and proves that he’s not just one thing.

Sidenote, no one gets stung in this book. I got stung by a bee once in a really dumb way. I was in the pool, and the bee was dead and floating in the water, and it somehow stung me. Luckily I’m not allergic to bee stings like my mom.