The Boy Who Swallows Flies

Stewart, Michael F. The Boy Who Swallows Flies. 2018. 163p. ISBN 9780993757983. Available at FIC STE on the library shelves.

Known as Bug Boy, Jarrod has been fascinated by insects of all kind and owns a real menagerie, much to his parents’ dismay. Unfortunately, Jarrod also suffers from unexplained fainting spells. Hospital visits and numerous tests have been unable to provide a medical reason, so Jarrod has had to wear a helmet to protect his head from the numerous falls he suffers when he becomes unconscious.

Wearing a helmet all day makes one’s social life very complicated, especially when entering 8th grade. Thankfully Jarrod has a best friend, GG, who’s the smartest kid at the school. It’s a fortunate thing because Jarrod himself is not that smart. On the first day of school, Jarrod meets a new girl, who is covered in dog hair and smells like wet dog. He immediately refers to her as Dog Girl, but he doesn’t know how to approach her.

Riding his bicycle back home after hanging out with GG, Jarrod accidentally swallows a bug on his way back home, and he immediately has a fainting spell. Only this time he hears, sees, and feels what has happened in the neighborhood. The smells and the sights indicates there is a puppy mill nearby. When he comes to, Jarrod realizes his blackouts happen every time he swallows a bug. There’s no way the police will believe this evidence. Jarrod loves bugs, but is he willing to sacrifice them so he can find the location of this puppy mill? Can he use bugs to figure out how to talk with Dog Girl?