The Sleeping Bug

This atmospheric and charming middle grade read perfectly captures the sensation of a young person being completely enthralled with a book. It tells the story of a “book within a book”— which I’ll admit is really hard to pull off! When I’m reading and the character in my book is also reading, it adds a layer, and it’s difficult to make the reader actually care about the book within the book— but given that The Sleeping Bug in the story was such a driving force of the plot, Brolly pulled this off really well. Molly, our main character, is a British schoolgirl who is whisked into the world of her most recent read both literally and figuratively.

I loved Molly, and I loved how accurately Brolly portrayed the very real notion of being emotionally affected by what happens to characters in media we consume. Molly had compassion and concern for Calhoun and the other characters in her book, but these feelings were not just limited to the book she found herself living inside; we hear of her love of reading elsewhere and it makes her a fun main character. I love when a character is a bookworm, it’s like seeing yourself reflected on the page. She also reads so authentically for a middle-school aged kid, which is so nice, because I always try to keep my eye out for MG authenticity. Molly struggles with real issues in kid-dom, such as being separated from her best friend in school, fending off bullies, and being a role model for her toddler brother. Then she’s pulled into her book and her life becomes something unique and different— she must step up into a leadership position to save the town in Texas.

This had great worldbuilding. It’s a perfect blend between magical realism and real-world contemporary. We see Molly join Calhoun and company within The Sleeping Bug, as she becomes more and more invested in the Texas world the story presents and continually transports her to. Then we see her have problems outside that book— such as the subplot with her grandfather, who is suffering from heart issues. I was glad to see that Granddad turned out okay in the end— it tied in nicely with the feel-good ending that was Molly saving the day in Texas. We saw resolve in both the real world and the magical book-world.

This was a cute read with a strong main character and a great balance of vivid settings. Molly’s love for what she’s reading is all too real, and it’s a great message for the MG market.

Goodreads link to this review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2655123230