Strange Metamorphosis

When a boy is faced with a choice between two tracks for his future, an unlikely source sends him on an expedition across a meadow...as a bug. Forced to trust his instincts and follow his heart, he must complete his quest before it is too late to return to the land of humans. A wildly imaginative quest about shedding fears and spreading wings, P C R Monk's debut novel is a highly entertaining meditation on the rites of passage.Marcel is at a crossroads. He has been offered an apprenticeship at Villeneuve, the neighboring country manor, which would allow him to follow in his late father's footsteps. At the same time, he has won a scholarship at a renowned technical college in Paris, a move that would require him to face the unknown with no guarantee of success. His friend Julia, a city girl through and through, is encouraging him to take a chance and go to Paris. Unknown to Marcel, she has her own reasons to recommend this as well. As the machinations of Marcel's world and that of Villeneuve unfold, Marcel finds help in the most unlikely source imaginable: an ancient oak tree.Progressively turned into a bug, Marcel must go on a quest across the meadow to feast on the royal jelly in order to return to his human form. Forced to carve his own path and follow his heart, he sets off and quickly finds himself teaming up with a wonderful group of insects, each of which has their own agenda. And with time running out and his existence in peril, Marcel must fight to the finish, or die a bug.A fantasy of astonishing depth and resonance, Monk's tale of self-discovery and escape from family pressures is as entertaining as it is fulfilling. Inspired by his love for all things insect, his use of Marcel's metamorphosis as metaphor exposes the weird and wonderful world that exists right under our feet. Sans wizards, witches, or dragons, Strange Metamorphosis instead features dragonflies, a legendary tree, and a gallfly in one of the most extraordinary adventures you will ever embark on.KIRKUS BOOK REVIEWIn Monk's debut young-adult novel, a boy on the brink of a life-changing decision finds his world suddenly, unexpectedly changed.Marcel Dassaud, a teenager living in early-20th-century France, is getting ready to head out to Villeneuve, the country estate where his father once worked, where he's just received an apprenticeship offer. At the same time, he has a letter offering a scholarship at a technical college in Paris. He must make a decision: to follow comfortably in his late father's footsteps or to set out on his own in an unfamiliar city. His decision is further complicated by his feelings for Henriette, his friend Julia's cousin, who lives at Villeneuve. Confused by what to do, he poses his question at the base of a 1,000-year-old oak at Villeneuve said to have magical powers for those seeking guidance. As he debates the question, he shrinks down to barely a few centimeters tall and finds himself in a strange new world of insects and towering blades of grass, surrounded by danger. According to a message from the tree, he must cross the meadow to obtain bees royal jelly within 3 days or be transformed forever into a bug. During his quest, he meets Brimstone, an inchworm with a speech impediment, a dazed bee named Bea who's lost her sense of direction and a gruff rhinoceros beetle. The intrepid gang races against time, avoiding dangers including lawn mowers, snakes and humans. Powered by an adventurous plot filled with humor, Monk's novel combines a fable-like tale of talking insects with an adventure quest and a coming-of-age story. Marcel's human-to-insect metamorphosis intriguingly parallels his transformation from a boy to a young man who must make life-changing decisions and follow his own path. Although some of the vocabulary may be intimidating to young readers, the quest narrative and strong characters will be likely to keep them turning pages.An engaging, clever YA adventure about a boy's journey into young adulthood.