The Bug Girl

December 1, 2019
A fourth grade girl tells how her mother helped her change from being bullied to being celebrated--for her love of bugs. Sophia's voice is conversational as she relates how she became entranced by butterflies in a butterfly conservatory at the age of 21/2. She keeps the same tone throughout, whether she is mentioning that bugs are important to the world or that she had a thriving bug club until, in first grade, all the other children lost interest in bugs. Explaining that at first she doesn't mind being ridiculed by classmates for her entomological enthusiasm, Sophia matter-of-factly delivers the chilling, game-changing anecdote: She brought a grasshopper to school one day, and "they knocked that beautiful grasshopper off my shoulder and stomped on it till it was dead." She went home and cried, and her single mother offered her comfort but apparently did not report the bullying to the school. Eventually, her mother does come up with a brilliant solution: she contacts entomologists for help. After emails and postcards pour in, Canadian media outlets pick up the story. Sophia modestly asserts her goal: "I wanted to get the word out that it's okay to love bugs." The excellent, loosely outlined watercolor illustrations depict Sophia and her mom as white with background racial diversity, and they complement the gentle textual humor. Final pages offer further, mostly accurate bug information. (Many would disagree that there are only "two major types of arthropods.") Inspirational for young naturalists. (Picture book/memoir. 5-8)

COPYRIGHT(2019) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2020

K-Gr 3-Fourth grader Sophia Spencer has always been fascinated with bugs. At first, Sophia's peers championed her joyful obsession, but by first grade, their encouragement turned to derisive cries of "Ew! Gross!" Following a particularly upsetting bullying incident, the young girl "took a break from bugs," prompting her worried mother to contact a group of entomologists. Neither mom nor daughter expected the outpouring of support from the scientific community, along with the birth of a viral hashtag (#BugsR4Girls) and requests for media appearances. Sophia eventually regained her enthusiasm and was ready to "get the word out that it's okay to love bugs." The book concludes with "Sophia's Big Book of Bugs," a browsable collection of facts and advice for fellow bug fans. Gentle ink and watercolor artwork by illustration team Kerascoët subtly reinforces the book's upbeat tone, especially during the outdoor scenes filled with fresh botanical greens and tiny, delicate insects. While very few children can expect to achieve viral fame, many young readers will appreciate the validation Spencer received. VERDICT Books about real-life kid scientists are rare, and there's always a need for stories about girls and women in STEM. A book that fulfills both needs with charm to spare.-Rebecca Honeycutt, NoveList, Durham, NC

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from March 16, 2020
Canadian fourth grader and social media phenomenon Sophia Spencer shares her first-person story and a guide to her favorite insects. Spencer’s mom supports her early passion for bugs, which begins at a butterfly conservatory, but things change in first grade: “I brought a grasshopper to school. I thought the kids would be so amazed by the grasshopper they’d want to know all about it.... Then they knocked that beautiful grasshopper off my shoulder and stomped on it until it was dead.” After her mother shares Spencer’s story with a few entomologists, it goes viral and supportive messages pour in: “I couldn’t believe how many people around the world loved bugs as much as I did. And how many of them were grown-up women!” McNamara’s skillful text centers Spencer’s voice, while Kerascoët’s loose ink, colored pencil, and watercolor illustrations render winning details with emotional sensitivity (Scott’s mother’s face as she gamely captures a flying roach). Includes Sophia’s Big Book of Bugs—a book-within-a-book presenting “Super-Cool Bug Facts.” Ages 4–8.

December 1, 2019
Grades K-3 After Sophia visits a butterfly conservatory as a toddler, all she wants is to study, observe, and talk about bugs. Initially, other children share her enthusiasm, but by first grade, some begin to make fun of her, and Sophia is devastated when classmates kill a grasshopper she brought to school. Coauthored by fourth-grader Spencer, this memoir captures both the personal exhilaration of sharing a passion and the crushing disappointment when others misunderstand or belittle that devotion. Sophia's mother writes to scientists, searching for people to encourage Sophia's interest, and several bug enthusiasts reply, creating the hashtag #BugsR4Girls. Appealing ink, watercolor, and colored-pencil illustrations present Sophia and her arthropod friends in constant movement up, down, and around the pages. A six-page section highlights facts about bugs, including Super-Cool Bug Facts and Sophia's Top Four Bugs and Why. Sophia says she likes gymnastics, swimming, time-travel books, and technology, but first and foremost, she still considers herself the Bug Girl. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)