Click Here To Purchase Quit Bugging Me

Author: Karen Laven

ISBN: 978-0-9776043-6-4

This is the book that lives in the moment. Em is assigned a report topic – BUGS! She emails her teacher and pleads to be allowed to exchange projects with a classmate that was assigned the prairie subject. She says that the prairie is better suited for her since had she lived back then, she and Laura Ingalls Wilder would be best friends! She presents her case with such passion and power that her teacher encourages her to complete the project – she would “chart new territory, and cover new ground.”  Her fate was sealed.

To make matters worse, Bud (her 16-year old brother), slips his bug book under her pillow and the nightmare begins.

Em dreamt that swarms of millipedes invaded her bed and one even scurried down her throat. She tried to explain this, but it was chalked up to a bad dream and mucus in her throat. But was it? She emailed her friend, Joel, about the situation – he suggested it was her vivid imagination.

The book is the key and Bud is soon pulled into the nightmare. Before long, the two discover something phenomenal -- the book is alive – or at least the subjects of the book are. Opening the book brings red ants and killer bees from the pages.

The book comes up missing, but the episodes do not end. They look for and locate the book – in the basement, of all places. Bud and Em try to burn the book on the grill, but it was too big to burn all the pages. Joel suggests putting the book in a safe. While fumbling for the combination, Bud sees an antenna pop out of the book. They throw the book into the safe and slam the door closed. Em emails Joel that she feels much better now that the book is locked away. But is that the end of it?

The safe is discovered by Em and Bud’s father. He swears he had a tarp on the safe and opens it to find a nest of spiders. When the kids check the safe, the door is open and the book is again missing. Joel writes that they must kill the book – and he can’t believe he’s suggesting ways to murder a book!

Bud and Em have been home with fevers, but it’s time for them to return to school. Mom drags out the thermometer – Em is fine; Bud still has a fever. How can Em leave Bud home alone with the creatures? She pretends to have a headache, but Mom gives her something for the pain and off to school she goes. Bud is terrified! He hides out in his room; drinks coffee to stay awake and then has to make it to the bathroom. He listens, but hears nothing. On his way back to his room, he hears “them” coming up the stairs. He runs down the stairs and past them to the broom closet to hide again.

When Em gets home from school, the patio door is open and Bud is missing. Em goes looking for her brother but finds the book instead – hidden back in the corner of the garage under some tires. It was open to the tarantula section! The book snaps shut on its own and when Em opens the book up again, the page is blank. Em searches everywhere for Bud, but cannot find him. As she checks on the bug book that she secured back in the safe, she is sure she hears her brother calling her name.

Em emails Joel the details of what has been happening. He and his family are due in Minnesota tomorrow for a visit. He promises to look at the book for clues. And, he assures Em that what is happening to them is crazy, but they are not losing their minds.

Em could not sit still. She had to start looking for clues herself and they would be in the bug book. She opened the safe, sure she would encounter terrible creatures, and removed the book. As she sat on the garage floor, she opened the book. The first clue popped out – a blue slipper – Bud’s blue slipper on the silverfish page.

The book is well written and is truly a page-turner. Would be a great gift for a kid and priced reasonably at $8.99 (US), $11.99 (CAN).

Click Here To Purchase Quit Bugging Me

The above review was contributed by:  Sue Vogan: Sue is a Writer & Author of NCO-No Compassion Observed: To read more of Sue's reviews Click Here