Ace Lewing: Bug Detective - Summary, Impression, Peer Review, Library Use

Title: Ace Lacewing: Bug Detective

Author: David Biedrycki

Genre: Mystery Series

Book Summary:

Ace Lacewing in sitting in his office eating aphid lo mein when he receives a call from Mayor Buzzbee. The Mayor is frantic for his help because Queenie Bee is missing. Queenie Bee owns the Hive Rise Honey Company. Ace turned down dinner with the lovely Doctor Xerces Blue as he rushed out the door hot on the case, but she stayed with him for support. His sidekick, Sergeant Zito, was already rounding up witnesses, but none of them were talking. Next, Ace noticed a suspicious looking trail of honey that took him to the intersection of Tomato and Vine where Beetle Zoo is located. He entered through an opening in the broken gate but quickly stopped in his tracks when confronted by a tiger beetle that had been released from its cage. Thankfully Xerces swooped in just in time to carry Ace to safety. When he woke, he was in the police station where Sergeant Zito had a rough looking group of insects in for questioning, but they were all ruled out due to various insect traits. Suddenly, a drone bee whispers to Ace to meet him somewhere private so they can talk, yet that ended quickly when he was taken out by a bombardier beetle. But, before he died he said the name Al the Drone. Al the Drone owns Drone Honey Works. Ace and Zito headed there to do some snooping. Ace had a sick feeling when he remembered the Beetle Zoo was across the street from Drone Honeyworks. Peeking inside a window, Ace saw what looked like Al the Drone with Queenie Bee tied up. All of the sudden monstrous green praying mantis’ grabbed Ace and Zito then took them to Al the Drone. This is when Ace discovered it was not Al the Drone he had seen. It was Princess Pollen in disguise! Princess Pollen was tired of playing second in command to Queenie Bee and wanted to have a hive of her own by taking out Queenie Bee. Still in the mighty grips of the praying mantises, Ace did the only thing he could think of. He yelled, “Bat!”

Praying Mantis’ do not like bats, so they immediately released Ace and Zito, then Xerces flew in once again to carry Ace to safety. Xerces also brought with her the entire police force to take care of the criminals. Ace Lacewing and Xerces Blue celebrated the return of Queenie Bee to the head of Hive Rise Honey with the dinner they never got to have.

APA Reference:

Beidrzycki, D. (2005). Ace Lacewing: Bug detective. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge.

Impression: Although the story may be missing dynamic characters, I can see the attraction of Ace Lacewing Bug Detective to lower elementary students. The Disney-like play on words and the light-hearted story line is especially appropriate for the age level it was written for. Not only is it a fun, lighthearted introduction to the genre of mysteries, students are also learning the correct traits of insects. The art work starts the minute you open the book with a complete layout of the city of Motham with all the bug themed sites of interest labeled. The play on word and use of figurative language make this a very entertaining read for grades 1 -3.

Professional Review: 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 walking sticks 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 AlphabetBook, 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

Rosenfield, S. (2005, September 1). [Review of the book Ace Lacewing: Bug detective, by D. Biedrzycki]. Booklist Online. Retrieved from https://www.booklistonline.com/Ace-Lacewing/pid=1494764

Library Use: Let the students choose their favorite insect to be a detective and write a mystery story together modeled after Ace Lacewing.