Bee Boy: Curse of the Vampire Mites by Tony de Saulles

My review

4/5 stars

This was another one of my son's choices from the library for his bedtime story. It's not the first in the series, but it didn't matter.

The premise of the book was fun, but also provided ample opportunity for subtle education. Melvin can turn into a bee - what's not to love about that? I particularly liked the emphasis on having hives in the gardens as a great way of teaching kids how they can help the environment at home.

The story was fun and gave a less-than-conventional child the chance to be a real hero; a positive message for all children. The converging storylines of criminals trying to make cheap honey and vampire mites infesting beehives kept my son's interest piqued throughout. This was helped along by the quirkly comic-book style illustrations.

I was taken by surprise by how much I enjoyed reading this one to him. He picked well.

Book blurb

Half BEE. Half BOY. Melvin Meadly is . . . BEE BOY! Bees are in big trouble! All over the planet, plagues of bloodsucking vampire mites are infesting hives and wiping out entire colonies. Mel must battle to protect his beloved bees from attack, but he has more than just mites to worry about when beekeepers start to mysteriously disappear . . .
The third adventure in this action-packed series. Filled with fantastic bee facts, and illustrated in stunning black and yellow!

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You can buy the book here now. It was published by OUP Oxford.

For more on the author, you can head to his Goodreads page.