The Bug Boys

Stewart Hoffman

Average Rating 8/10 (1 Review)

Who would have thought that eating a peanut butter sandwich and an apple would change your life? Let alone get you mixed up with an old alien research project, and transform you into the superheroes your village never needed.

For two young South Yorkshire lads, Alex Adams and Ian Harris, it was a geeky comic book dream come true, but it wasn’t everything it was cracked up to be in the real world. They discover there are many layers between good and evil, and with great power, comes an embarrassing amount of gas!

About the Author:
Stewart Hoffman was born in Doncaster, England, and spent the first ten years of his life growing up in the nearby village of Rossington. After that there were several hops around the globe before he settled again in sunny Southern California. Stewart is a web developer, a world traveller, and a story teller. A reader (science fiction mostly) and a film fanatic armed with his own blog. A Whovian and a Trekkie, and a fan of the unaltered original trilogy. He also knows the answer to the ultimate question!

Review by Nigel (310318) Rating (8/10)

Review by Nigel
Book Source: Author
Rating 8/10
Alex and Ian, twelve year old boys, are best friends as well as The Bug Boys, Rossolington’s premier, and to be honest, only superhero crime fighting dynamic duo. While visiting the local pit* the two friends are ‘infected’ and find they can temporarily acquire the powers of any bugs they eat, as well as gaining the necessary additional appendages… think spiders and legs. I won’t tell you how and why but it is plausible and splendid fun.

Alex’s father, Frank Adams, is the Geotech Engineer at Rossolington Colliery. Frank is responsible for the safety of the mine and since this often conflicts with productivity he is not the most appreciated person at the pit. When Frank discovers safety is being compromised to meet greater and greater quotas he closes down operations until additional equipment is installed. This does not go down well with the pit’s chief executive, Donald Brock, who is only interested in his own agenda and making more and more money.

As Frank is sent on a business trip to keep him out of the way Brock restarts operations regardless of the risk. The Bug Boys are aware Alex’s dad thinks something is amiss so set out to find evidence of Brock’s stealing from the pit. So ensues an unusual bit of window DIY, aka breaking and entering.

This would be a great alternative to the mainstream books aimed at getting pre-teens reading, especially the boys. While full of fun outlandish scenarios it also has a nice founding in family life. When the friends rally against the local bully all is not what it seems and they learn life is a little more complicated than straightforward good versus evil. And remember, if all else fails mention that there are lots of fart gags which, despite obvious grown-up sensitivities, are actually quite funny.

Wonderfully entertaining read that deserves every success. Look out for the toy soldier chapter, it's charming, in a Toy Story sort of way.
Nigel (31st March 2018)

*American Translator:
Pit – Coal Mine