Ace Lacewing: Bug Detective [Hardcover]

David Biedrzycki (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up | Series: Ace Lacewing, Bug Detective

Here's the buzz on Ace Lacewing: he's tall, handsome, and has two antennae. Queenie Bee and the Royal Jelly are missing, and Ace is hot on the honey trail. To save the day he'll need help from his friends, Sergeant Zito, Slim the Walking Stick, and Xerces the butterfly, as they take on sinister Al the Drone.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-4–Motham City is abuzz with the kidnapping of Queenie Bee, and Ace Lacewing, the Sam Spade of insects, is on the case. His motto is, Bad bugs are my business. Lacewing follows the trail of honey with the help of his gal, Doctor Xerces Blue, and Sergeant Zito, a mosquito. A motley (and sometimes molting) assortment of suspects is questioned. Their character traits are based on facts: The roaches said of course they ran from the scene of the crime–it was their nature to scatter when the lights go on. Puns and wordplay abound: I've known him ever since we were pupae at the same school; The full moon hung in the sky like a large compound eye.... The digitally enhanced illustrations evoke a film noir atmosphere, with moody blue and black backgrounds. The pages are also brimming with humorous details such as glowworm street lamps, Bug Off police tape, and Slow Larvae road signs. This clever parody of hard-boiled detective stories is sure to tickle readers' thorax.–Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 2-4, younger for reading aloud. When Queenie Bee, of Hive Rise Honey, goes missing, Motham City is abuzz. Tough P.I. Ace Lacewing ("Bad bugs are my business") is on the case. Red herrings (mosquitoes, maggots, and walkingsticks in this case) abound, all with different stories, but the trench-coat-and--fedora-clad detective remains undaunted, sleuthing his way through the clues until a sticky surprise revelation. Biedrzycki (The Beetle Alphabet Book, 2003) makes his debut as an author here, and although his story is sometimes text heavy, it's filled with snappy dialogue, wordplay, and puns that will especially appeal to kids with some knowledge of insects (words such as pupae are used). The slick, computer-assisted art has a cartoon flair; and its shadowy backgrounds have a noir flavor. Biedrzycki uses occasional pops of primary color and an array of perspectives and witty detail to add interest. Entertaining fare for those who appreciate creepy crawlies on the humorous side, this will attract both good readers and fans of seek-and-find books. Shelle Rosenfeld
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing (June 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570915695
• ISBN-13: 978-1570915697
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 10.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #665,223 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Biedrzycki has been drawing since he
was 4 years old. Growing up he wrote and
illustrated his own books for family and friends.
A commercial artist since 1980, his art has
appeared in magazines, book covers, billboards,
posters, juice bottles and even ice cream boxes.
He illustrated his first children's book in 1996.
Now David has returned to his first love of writing
and illustrating his own books. He also visits over
70 schools a year sharing his work with aspiring
writers, illustrators and readers.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lacewings Don't Wear Plaid, December 25, 2009

By 

M. Allen Greenbaum (California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ace Lacewing: Bug Detective (Paperback)

'Ace Lacewing' uses the 1930's-40's hard-boiled, clipped, and clever detective narrative most associated with Raymond Chandler to tell the story of trench-coated Ace's search for Queenie Bee, kidnapped somewhere in Motham City. Ace and his bug-amour, Doctor Xerces Blues, a beautiful green-toned butterfly, rush off to rescue Queenie, rather than enjoy a quiet dinner of aphids a la mode.

The insect-detective genre is unusual, and therefore should be captivating for the small fry (even those who don't know film noir from a chocolate brownie) exciting, the jokes (generally insect and detective related puns and jokes) are uneven, either clever or just groan-eliciting: "The aphids will have to stew, Sweetheart,' I said. 'Queenie Bee's in a honey of a jam.' Downtown the traffic as crawling, That's what traffic does in Motham. It really crawls.'

Biedrzycki introduces assorted (and sometimes sordid) other insect characters, including Sgt. Zito, "a mosquito," a maggot who saw the crime (although, as a maggot, he has no eyes, and reportedly can't give directions because he has no arms or legs), a giant Tiger Beetle who smacks Ace when he gets to close to Queenie, and the usual suspects: Some roaches, a cicado who "molted and flew out the window," Twig ("a walkingstick who "couldn't have run anywhere"), and Smooch, the assassin bug ("No one wanted to get near his kisser."

The chase quickens when a bombadier beetle passes gas that knocks out a bee with information that Queenie's being held in ther own factory, the Honeyorks. There's a bit more light scatalogical humor as our heroes sneak into factory by leaping onto some beetles' dung ball. Once inside, Ace figures out ("The clues stuck together in my head like a skip jack beetle") that the kidnapper is Queenie's sister, Princess Pollen, jealous of the Queen's power and position. The skip jack beetle analogy is not clear, but at least the cadence and tone are right. Ace and friends use their knowledge of bugs to escape (with a little help from the ever alert Xerces), and after a long night, sit down for aphids as while "dawn was emerging like a monarch from a chrysalis."

Although the film noir motif is fairly common in picture books (the writing template was invented long ago), the story's insects score points for originality, and the book is bug-educational and sufficiently humorous to engage kids' interest. The highlight is the pencil and Adobe photo-shopped illustrations, big and colorful, with scene setting longshots and dramatic closeups, complete with lots of insect-related details that help persuade the reader that he or she is indeed visiting a bug city. The insects look appropriately friendly, suspicious, or menacing, and Biedrzycki does an excellent job of setting a film noir tone, dramatically lit by glow-worms, city lights, and other highlighting techniques. Perhaps best for classrooms with insect study units, although any kid with a penchant for detective stories or bugs will find a lot to enjoy as well.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ace Lacewing:Bug Detective, May 30, 2007

By 

Kathleen Weinman (Jackson Heights,NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ace Lacewing: Bug Detective (Hardcover)

I am a elementary school teacher with a class of second grade gifted students.I am teaching them the mystery genre and they really enjoyed
listening to it and identifying all the bugs in the story.I think that it would be enjoyed at every grade level.The illustrations were great and it had a twist at the end.A super read

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I now know --, February 10, 2006

By 

D. Meyer (West Bloomfield, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ace Lacewing: Bug Detective (Hardcover)

.. what it is like to live in Motham City: the signs, the personality of different bugs, the food, the transportation. We have had such fun with this book. Each time I read it to someone (even adults) we find some new little something in the drawings -- like the SWAT team that carries fly swatters! What a wonderful sense of humor this man has! I feel like detective Friday when I read this book out loud and like a kid when I'm peering into the city on each page.