This was such a strong concept for a children’s fiction novel, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed about the description. The characters worked in this museum and enjoyed the heist element in this. Jenni L Walsh was able to create a strong story and hope there is more in this series.

Wonderfully fun children’s stopping a heist story. Lots of humour, a menagerie of animals, and entertaining kids as the main characters. As publicised Home-Alone meets A Night in the museum. Shortish, easy read book. Will keep all kids quietly entertained, except for their laughs. Thank you to Zonderkidz-Books and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine.

I love finding books that I can hand to my students and know that they are going to enjoy reading.
This story is the perfect mix of struggle, friendship, and fun facts for my 5-6 class.
Thank you, NetGallery for the ARC. This one will definitely be added to my shelves!

My kids absolutely loved this! It held their attention the entire time and they couldn’t wait to continue to read on.

The Bug Bandits was fantastic. Jenni L Walsh did her research in this based on a true bug heist! Young and old will love to read this story while learning quirky and fun bug knowledge along the way. Kids can identify with the main character as she navigates her way through concern for her father's incectorium and her own dream's survival when a bug heist threatens everything.

Looking forward to reading more young adult novels from Jenni Walsh!

Thank you to netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review!

THE BUG BANDITS is an engaging story full of great characters. If that’s not convincing enough, the story is a mystery set in a museum and is currently my top MG contemporary read this year.

Liberty Jacobs lives with her Dad on the top floor of at Walnut Street Insectorium, the museum he owns in Philadelphia. Liberty loves it there as she is surrounded by butterflies, geckos, and other unique insects.

The not so good parts of her life include no mom, her best friend Emma moved to Florida, and the kids at school call her “Bug Girl.” The worst might be that Dad is afraid of losing the museum since financially it is not doing well. He has an upcoming meeting with some investors who could help turns it around.

Liberty believes a burglar is going to steal many of the rare insects. If that happens the investors will likely decline to help. When the police don’t believer her and Dad is out of town, Liberty, distant Emma, and new friend Cam come up with a “Home Alone” type plan to stop the bad guys or gals.

The first person narration is spot on and relates not only to Liberty’s anxiety about what may happen, but also dives deeper into her personality. The writing flows and you can’t put it down given the mystery of who the burglars might be. I kept guessing and re-guessing. The other character, Cam, is a popular athlete at school but connects with the museum when he agrees to do some artwork, his secret passion.

Insect lovers will love THE BUG BANDITS as will anyone else looking for a memorable MG read. Highly recommended!

FIVE MORE THINGS TO LIKE ABOUT: THE BUG BANDITS by Jenni L. Walsh

1. Having a distant friend is quite common so there are daily phone calls and sadness about not being close together anymore. The depiction works as does the help Emma provides via long distant calls to help thwart the robbery. You’ll visualize everything as it happens.
2. Home Alone is such a long standing holiday favorite for families. Kevin’s plan from that movie helps Liberty and Cam come up with their own defense and it has some amusing results. Even if you haven’t see the movie, you will be searching for it after reading The Bug Bandits.
3. It was nice to see track star Cam and his popularity connect with Liberty, who seems the exact opposite. Their friendship was a highlight of the story.
4. The opening pages has a guide to what animals visitors will find at the museum. Details within the text of the plot reveal many interesting facts that will have you saying “I didn’t know that!”
5. The author based the concept on a real bug heist in Philly that brings even more believability to the plot.

Home Alone meets A Night in the Museum in this clever middle-grade heist story by USA Today bestselling author Jenni L. Walsh. When a science-loving girl and her friends overhear a plot to rob her dad’s insectarium, they embark on a mission to stop the burglary of the museum’s rarest insects. Inspired by true events, this STEM-based adventure is perfect for fans of hijinks and mysteries. A clever story telling with a great plot story.

I throughly enjoyed this middle grade mystery. This encompasses intrigue mixed with bugs and new knowledge while also encasing platonic friendships and clever / creative ways to pull a fast one when it comes to saving what you love. I’ll definitely be purchasing this for my classroom come pub day. Thank you NetGalley for the early access to this quick read.

I feel a real affinity for Liberty, who loves bugs, beetles and butterflies. Descriptions of the insects and their behaviour is accurate, which only increased my overall enjoyment! Being seen as a little different among her peers shows how lonely Liberty could be, especially as her best friend has moved away, but there is an excellent theme of friendship in different turn throughout the story.

Based on a real life insectarium robbery, along with Home Alone references, this was a smart, pacy page turner and I became really invested in both the characters and events.

An enjoyable action-packed mystery that will grip readers and have them rooting for the good guys and marvelling at their ingenuity.

Jenni L. Walsh does it again! The Bug Bandits is equal parts mystery, adventure, and . . . bug facts! I loved learning so much about various insects and the insectarium setting is brilliantly unique. Toss in the Home Alone vibes and this book is a winner!

THE BUG BANDITS – by Jenni L. Walsh

‘Without a mom and with her dad busy running the museum, Liberty Jacobs was practically raised by the tarantulas, leopard geckos, and rare butterflies of the Walnut Street Insectarium. She loves being the resident “Bug Girl,” but unless Liberty and her dad can snag a big investor, they’ll lose the museum, their home, and the funding Liberty needs to launch her dream business: a butterfly release program called Life & Liberty.’
‘The investor meeting is a week away, but there’s a big problem: Liberty has reason to suspect there’s going to be a "buglary" of the museum’s rarest animals. But the police don’t believe her…’

Me Heart!! Oh, I love this book! THE BUG BANDIT is a heartwarming, intense read I know kids young and old are going to love too.

Even at a smidge over middle age, there are several things I learned about Insects and Reptiles that I did not have a clue about until I read this Book.

For example: Did you know that cicadas are the only Insects that sweat???

I, for one, did not! My sweat is sweating just thinking about it. That, and the blink of Spring we Californians are experiencing before the dreaded rays of Summer blast our retinas.

Okay, that was a little dramatic, but seriously…Pre-order This Book!

Highly Recommend!

Scheduled For Release: May 6, 2025 (Though Subject To Change)

Reading Age: 8 – 12
Grade Level: 4 - 6

Thank you, NetGalley and Zonderkidz Books, for providing me with an eBook of THE BUG BANDITS at the request of an honest review.

This book is so fun! I learned so much about bugs, but in an entertaining way! I love that the story is inspired by true events. You are going to love Liberty and her friends!

What an absolutely lovely and heartwarming story of friends coming together to help each other in their time of need. Liberty Jacobs and her dad live above their insectarium in Philadelphia, PA. When her dad needs to meet with an investor to help secure the future of the museum, not everyone is on board with the plan. Liberty, with the help of her best friend Emmy and her newest friend, Cam, discover that there is a plot to rob the insectarium a few days before the meeting with the investor. The creative kids find a way an ingenious way to help to figure out who is behind the plot.
As a long time fan of Chasing Vermeer and A Night at the Museum, this book was right up my alley. The kids were well written and capable and each had a uniqueness to them that many middle grade students could relate to: Liberty could relate much better to insects than kids at her school, Emmy had moved to Florida and was a chess whiz, and Cam struggled to find a balance with his love of art and playing sports. The adults had secondary roles and filled in where they should. Any fan of museums, zoos, insectariums, and mysteries, will devour this book as I did. I wish I was still teaching as this would be a fantastic real aloud in my STEM classroom.

#BugBandits #middlegrade
Thank you Net Galley for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own.