Grasshopper Jungle

GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE by Andrew Smith is perhaps the most bizarre, alarming and uniquely-crafted book I have ever read. Equal parts disturbing and insightful, it will both disturb you and make you think.

A word of warning: This book is not for those who are easily put off by foul language, topics such as homosexuality, drugs, and other controversial society issues and descriptive depictions of sex and gore. If I were to give this to a young adult to read, that young adult would have to have a good head on their shoulders.

That being said, I have a feeling that GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE will be a big book on the market after it is released. People will talk about this one. It will be so polarizing on many levels. People will either love it or hate it because of the subject matter involved, the way that it is written (in the voice of a very “real” 16 year old boy who is very confused about his place in the world) as well as the outcome of the story.

When it comes to GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE, I fall more on the “love it” side of things. I love that the author holds back absolutely nothing in his writing. I love the sporadic way that the story is told; very frequently the plot is stalled so that the main character can refocus his thoughts and look back in history. While this slows things down a bit, it is necessary 1) in order for the reader to keep their sanity and 2) well, you see, Austin has a responsibility. It’s the end of the world, and his history may be the last history of mankind. So while these horrible mutant grasshoppers begin their attack on earth, we learn about Austin’s ancestors and their involvement in the overall scheme of things. We also learn about his town, those who mock Austin and his best friend Robby, and how they have shaped all things that are going down. We are torn, along with Austin, between a love for a friend and a love for a girl. Sounds confusing? That’s the point. Reading GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE is like jumping into the mind of a hormonal and highly confused teenage boy, sitting down with him and having a very real conversation over a couple of cigarettes. Whether or not you choose to smoke (I wouldn’t), can keep up with the kid, or will even remotely like the conversation, is up to you. It’s the end of the world, do you really have a choice?

I appreciated many of the topics touched upon within this book. Whether or not the author had a specific agenda in mind going in, I really don’t care. But the way he focuses on how each of his characters develops and behaves over the course of the book feels so natural and so very in touch with our modern day society. Be they human or be they huge unstoppable mutant bugs, the parallels between the characters and some figureheads in the real world are so very disturbingly similar. This thought is perhaps is the scariest part of this book: though I don’t actually foresee huge mutant bugs devouring our world, I do see humans acting in similar ways…

Pros:

+ A great read for those looking for an insightful look at LGBT issues and teens.
+ Unpredictable, alarming and very suspenseful read in the style of Kurt Vonnegut and Stephen King.
+ Not your grandma’s book club read. This is a book for those who like a little extra shock value and off-beat characters.

Cons:

- Endless repetition. “This was our day.” “This is the truth.” “This is history.” You’ll know what I mean once you read it.
- If bugs aren’t your thing, prepare to have nightmares.

I think that GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE will go down in history as one of the most shocking YA titles to ever hit the shelves. I would be surprised if it doesn’t win a few awards and cannot wait to hear about all the banned book lists it will makes. Schools will be having a field day with this book for years to come.

And I cannot recommend it enough.

I started this book with a fine enough attitude: Smith at first hits us with a nice barrage of engaging language and surprising subject matter. Our narrator is a kid who struggles with ideas about history, sexuality, and being the target to have the crap beat out of him for reasons he doesn't understand. He has a girlfriend and her best friend, and he isn't sure which one he might be attracted to more. And within all this, a dark plot slowly unfolds – genetically enhanced praying mantises are slowly being revived for another work at over running the world. There is a zaniness to this that gives it a bright spark at the very beginning, much in the way that you might dig the initial salvos of John Dies at the End, but both similarly suffer from attrition. Smith offers a rollicking start, but the style of this soon became wearisome and redundant. I appreciate his courage to go ahead and do in the world by the end of the book, but to do it all in 400 pages as opposed to something about half that length turned out to be too much to ask of me.

Austin Szerba read somewhere that “human beings are genetically predisposed to record history.” So that’s what he’s doing – recording everything that happened leading up to the night he and his best friend, Robby, broke into the From Attic to Seller thrift store and witnessed a few Hoover Boys unwittingly release a plague strain that could destroy the world as we know it.

Austin is not lying when he promises that within the pages of ‘Grasshopper Jungle’ there are; “babies with two heads, insects as big as refrigerators, God, the devil, limbless warriors, rocket ships, sex, diving bells, theft, wars, monsters, internal combustion engines, love, cigarettes, joy, bomb shelters, pizza, and cruelty.”

But it’s also a book about a third-generation Polish-American boy who’s in love with his girlfriend, while being confused about his feelings for his gay best friend. It’s about his mother who kayaks with little blue Xanax pills and what it’s like to grow up in the small town of Ealing, Iowa. Oh, and it’s about the “Unstoppable Soldier” and 6-foot-tall man-eating praying mantises.

It’s a history of the end of the world, and a history of this boy’s life so far.

‘Grasshopper Jungle’ is the new contemporary/dystopian/sci-fi/coming-of-age … Kafka-esque young adult novel from Andrew Smith.

In a recent interview with Kirkus, Smith summarized his new book thus; “I think it was my singular intent to write a book that nobody could ever write jacket or flap copy for.” Well, he’s certainly succeeded there.

I find it really hard to talk about this book without first name-checking the authors Andrew Smith reminds me of. With ‘Grasshopper Jungle’ in particular, Smith has echoes of Kurt Vonnegut, Douglas Coupland even Bret Eastn Ellis and you can’t deny the Kafka ‘Metamorphosis’ connection for explorations into homosexuality alongside larger-than-life insects. But I don’t want to imply that ‘Grasshopper Jungle’ reads like a poor imitation of any of those authors – especially when it’s only in certain moments that I got a whiff of them. Like Bret Easton Ellis, Smith has perfectly captured a generational voice for his unsettling examinations of our society’s ugly-glam; "My mother took an antianxiety drug called Xanax. It was a little blue pill that looked like a tiny kayak. Robbie’s mother took it, too. Our moms were like Xanax sisters, except they didn’t know much more about each other than first names, who their baby boys’ best friends were, and Ealing gossip"

Look, ‘Grasshopper Jungle’ won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. There were times when I struggled with it – reading Austin’s incredibly detailed, often waffling but always fascinating first-person interiority alongside this larger-than-life story about larger-than-life man-eating praying mantises … ‘kooky’ doesn’t even begin to describe this book. But I did enjoy it, for the sum of its parts.

I liked that, alongside a rather dystopian ‘end of the world’ storyline, Smith has also written about Austin’s tender-confused feelings for his openly gay best friend: "I wondered if it made me homosexual to even think about having a threesome with Robby and Shann. And I hated knowing that it would be easier for me to ask Robby to do it than to ask my own girlfriend."

I liked that Smith so thoroughly, disarmingly, captured the voice of a horny teenage boy while also writing him with infinite nuance in his conflicted feelings. I also really enjoyed his musings about the small town of Ealing, Iowa that anyone who comes from concrete-suburban-small will recognise and smile/shiver over the setting and descriptions of community.

For better or worse, I also got a kick out of the “Unstoppable Soldier” storyline that skyrockets this novel into the stratosphere of WTF? weird. There’s poignancy in that sci-fi tale playing out alongside Austin’s small-town musings; particularly about his older brother who had his leg blown off while fighting in Afghanistan and the casual violence of the local Hoover Boys who call Austin and Robby derogatory names for doing nothing more than hanging out together.

The storyline is all over the place though, literally. In his recounting of history, Austin goes up, down and sideways – making ‘Grasshopper Jungle’ read more like a history essay that’s written with last-ten-minutes-to-go panic where Austin continually says “oh, yeah, and *this* happened before *that* but to understand you have to go all the way back to *then*…” It’s endearing and authentic, but I occasionally got frustrated. Particularly when Austin also thinks to include things like the bowel movements of his golden retriever in the recounting.

I tip my hat to Andrew Smith. ‘Grasshopper Jungle’ is an ambitious, out-there mind-tripping young adult novel. It has traces of some wonderful authors, but Andrew Smith is clearly in a league all his own with this one. For some people it will be a revelatory YA-read. For others, it might read like a convoluted genre-mashing mess. For me, Austin’s voice carried the story – in all its tender, banal glory – and I was more than willing to stick with him through confusing sexual feelings and man-eating praying mantises.

Interesting idea: this book is half relationshippy stuff and half "end of the world as we know it" stuff, but I sincerely hope this doesn't represent 10th grade boy-dom. (And I don't think it does.)
Austin and Robby live in the rather dull town of Ealing, Iowa. They use a lot of four letter words, sneak cigarettes and think about girls (in sometimes crude terms) much of the time, but who likes whom is a little more complicated than it seems at first.

Cue the giant praying mantises. Ender Wiggin would feel right at home with these nasty beasties.

There is certainly some humor (Stanpreme pizza, embarrassing school uniforms) and some nice descriptive writing, but overall, what the back jacket blurb describes as "gonzo black humor" came on too strong for me (though I realize I am not this book's target reader.)

About me: I'm a middle school/high school librarian
How I got this book: from the public library

This book took me a surprisingly long time to slog through. I blame the CONSTANT repitition. I don't think I'll ever understand the allure of repeating the same phrases over again and again. It's like some gonzo, beat-poet, pulp fiction sort of technique that I may just never understand.

I liked reading this book, but thinking back on it, I'm not sure I LIKED the book. The two main characters were fine. But why Austin "loved" Shann past her big breasts and vagina, I can't really tell. She didn't DO anything. She, and a lot of the other female characters were really just there to have things done to them, which is a little gross.

The first person omniscience perspective is really irritating. At least David, from John Dies at the End usually explains HOW he knows things.

It was an imaginative and unique adventure...but alongside an oddly effed up personal history. I think I'll stick to David Wong. He's less of an annoying tool.

"There are things in here: babies with two heads, insects as big as refrigerators, God, the devil, limbless warriors, rocket ships, sex, diving bells, theft, wars, monsters, internal combustion engines, love, cigarettes, joy, bomb shelters, pizza, and cruelty."

From the first page a memorable ride begins, and it goes on until the last page, where it ends. Lewis Carroll said something like that once.

I won an ARC of Grasshopper Jungle from Penguin's First to Read giveaway. Or rather, I used a significant amount of coins to guarantee a copy, because I just knew that this novel was going to be fantastic. I received nothing in return for this review aside from temporary (insert super sad face emoticon here) access to Grasshopper Jungle, which is to be released on January 29.

Austin Szerba is a chain-smoking, sexually-confused 16-year-old boy. He spends most of his time with his gay best friend Robby and his girlfriend Shann in their small Iowan hometown. Austin Szerba likes to tell history, and when a slippery slope starts the end of the world, he has a lot of history to tell.

Grasshopper Jungle is a hilarious adventure full of charm and wit, some twinges of horror and gore, round and lovable characters, and lots and lots and lots of history. The entire time I was reading, I kept praying this would soon be made into a movie.

It is, without a doubt, one of the best books of the year (and the year is so young!) and among one of the best books I've ever read.

In fact, the only thing I did not like about this ARC was that it was a digital galley rather than a permanent copy that I could reread over and over.

History shows that when a book is really good, you want to keep it close by on a shelf with other good books and revisit it from time to time. You know what I mean. Or at least you will when you follow my advice and read it!

Thank you Andrew Smith for writing this masterpiece and Penguin for giving a few readers the opportunity to read it before anyone else. *cue Hipster bragging rights*

This book seems intended for a younger audience, based on the style and language, but it is also potty mouthed for that age group.

I get that this was dryly humorous, but the random repetition of full names over and over, then switching back to first names, bothered me. Phrases like: "the vice president of the United States" were repeated over and over, which may be funny to some, but irritating to others. There's almost never just a he or a she. Another example, a character is introduced as Stan, and then the full name is given and repeated over and over. This is done repeatedly and is very redundant. There's never a reason readers need a full name.

I also don't get how Austin could know all the things he describes. It seems it could have been more tense told from third person. All the men in town get aroused doing any manner of things. Odd. There's a brief explanation at the end, but I doubt history books--that no one could have written as they were all being killed--would include the details described throughout, including nicknames for body parts.

YA books may allow for MC's that repeat a lot of phrases, but many "Ah"s could have been left out, as well as "S*** like that" ending too many sentences and adding nothing.

There's a lot of passages where information is repeated for no reason. It seems like the author forgot about things that were already established.

Considering it's the end of the world, there is no tension of any kind. All the romantic confusion is about as heart-felt as merely stating, "I loved her," It lacks angst entirely, and too often ended with "It made me horny."

Overall, somewhat entertaining, and different for sure.

I listened to the audio book from the library, mainly because I didn't like the narrator's glib style and rapid speaking. It did seem right for the writing though.

Grasshopper Jungle is probably the wildest, most off the wall coming of age story I've ever read. It's also an apocalyptic tale with monsters straight out of an old time Hollywood movie. The author ties all this wackiness together with characters that are achingly real and dialogue that is at times flat out hilarious. The strength of young Austin's narrative voice leads the reader firmly through a Midwestern horror show. There's violence, sex, language, sex, more language, insect sex, irreverence, more sex, grossness, crudeness, and more violence. To say that this book is not for the easily offended would be a gross understatement.

Fortunately, there are also some very moving moments as we get to follow Austin as he tries to figure things out. I was struck by this character and was left to wonder how the author was able to achieve such an accurate teen voice in this story. I currently live with two of these strange creatures known as teenage boys and I could hear them in the dialogue, the cadence, the attitude, the confusion... this author simply nails it.

It's the relationship between Austin and his best friend Robby that really shines in this book full of delightful and shocking weirdness. The rest of it would never have worked if it hadn't been grounded by this simple story of one young boy trying to come to terms with his sexuality and what that might mean to the people he cares about. Austin wears his heart on his sleeve and his open, honest, confusion is something that any teen will be able to read and relate to. Austin, Robby, and Shann, (Austin's girlfriend) go on a personal journey that is every bit as compelling as what is happening to the world around them.

So, what about the giant bugs? They hatch and only want to do two things, eat and.... I will leave the rest of that unspoken. The horror side of the story is campy and fun, but it's the emotional dynamics at work here that make this such a strong novel. I have to take away a star because I think this book could have used a better edit. It's a bit bloated, and even becomes repetitive at times. That's the only flaw in what is really an enthusiastic recommend - for older teens. You know, because those bugs do a lot of eating and..... And teenage boys like to talk about it - a lot.

This book was....strange. When I tried to explain the plot (giant preying mantises taking over the world, an underground bunker, sexually frustrated teenagers) to my husband, he looked at me like I was crazy. Perhaps so. I won't deny that the story kept my attention, although there were certainly parts when I found myself rolling my eyes at yet another declaration by Austin that "It was our day. You know what I mean."

It's been a while since I've spent a lot of time around teenage boys, but I feel like Smith's depiction of main characters Austin and Robby is probably accurate. They smoke a lot, they curse a lot. Narrator Austin mentions sex approximately every other page, as he openly struggles with his own sexuality. When Austin concludes the history of the end of the world in Ealing, Iowa, I found myself wanting to know more--which in my opinion is always the sign of a good book.

Originally posted on wearewordnerds.com

This story is about a boy, his bestie, and his girlfriend. Well, it is about more than that, but that is the meat of it. The story follows our main character Austin, and he is the “voice” of the book, which makes for an interesting commentary. We are following a boy who is kind of obsessed with history, or should I say logging “his history”.

"I read somewhere that human beings are genetically predisposed to record history.
We believe it will prevent us from doing stupid things in the future. But even though we dutifully archived elaborate records of everything we’ve ever done, we also managed to keep on doing dumber and dumber s***.

This is my history.

There are things in here: babies with two heads, insects as big as refrigerators, God, the devil, limbless warriors, rocket ships, sex, diving bells, theft, wars, monsters, internal combustion engines, love, cigarettes, joy, bomb shelters, pizza, and cruelty.

Just like it’s always been."

Our perspective is that of a 16 year old boy. With a hot girlfriend. Do I need to say anything else here? And then there is the plague of Mantises….

Character wise, I enjoyed them all. I thought they were all well fleshed out, and believable, but more importantly – likeable.

Story wise, this thing is crazy. Its all over the place, filled with: teenage hormones (complete with questioning ones orientation), quick quips, and giant mantises monsters. There is compassion, comedy, and action. Oh yeah, and monsters. Big huge monster praying mantises. I think at its core it is a bit of a social commentary about the concept of ONE and how we are all connected and part of something bigger, subtly slipped into quick paced funny sci fi book. So well entwined, that you don’t realize it is there and you are getting it…even though you are GETTING IT.

I was trying to figure out how to tell you about the book, without TELLING YOU THE BOOK. I think the easiest way would be for me to just say, this book is a bit LOST, a bit Scooby Doo, and a bit FREAKS AND GEEKS. Something for everyone.

In Conclusion:
You guys! Read it. It is different than anything I have ever read. It will draw you in, make you think, and make you LOL. Good stuff.

Mom Notes:
This book is about teenage boys. It contains sexual references, identity “development”, and language. Recommended ages 14+

Parental warning: If your children are young enough that you choose or censor the books they read, this is probably not the book you want. It contains profanity, teen smoking and drinking, drug use, fairly frequent thoughts about sex, and some actual teen sex. In short, this is a book for older teens and young adults. I wouldn't recommend it for anyone younger than the age of the narrator (tenth grade).

The first person narrator of the book is Austin, a teen growing up in the dying town of Ealing, Iowa. His best friend Robby is gay and relatively "out" (at least out to Austin and his girlfriend Shann who is the third member of this trio.

Austin's narration covers the stuff he, Robby and/or Shann do, things he is thinking about (hence the many thought he has about sex), plus things about the town, his family and his school. It can be rather stream of consciousness and occasionally gets a bit repetitive.

As the book description indicates, Austin & Robby accidentally unleash an army of giant killer bugs on the world. I think this is the kind of book that teen guys will think is hilarious and probably relate to a lot of what Austin is thinking about.

It's a very creative and darkly funny book. It is not the book for everyone.

Reviewed by Norah Piehl

In GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE, Andrew Smith utilizes science fiction and horror to comment on questions of real-life teenage sexuality.

There’s not much happening in Ealing, Iowa, especially since the closure of McKeon Industries years earlier. These days, the most happening place in town is the strip mall with the secondhand store, the Laundromat, the liquor store and the pizza place --- and that’s not saying much. Austin Szerba and his best friend Robby ride their skateboards there, in a deserted strip of land they call Grasshopper Jungle, and that’s where the story --- or at least their chapter of the story --- begins.

After breaking into the secondhand store (just for fun), which is owned by Austin’s girlfriend Shann’s stepfather, the best friends encounter some truly strange, even terrifying, creatures kept in jars. Austin and Robby know better than to disturb the objects, but that’s not the case for the bullies who follow them in and set off a series of events that, much to everyone’s surprise, leads to the end of the world.

One of the containers holds a throbbing mass of photoluminescent goop labeled “Contained MI Plague Strain 412E.” When the bullies steal and accidentally drop the container, the plague is no longer contained. Instead, it invades the bodies of the bullies (and a few random strangers) and turns them into enormous, horny, bloodthirsty praying mantises. Austin and Robby (and eventually Shann) are the only people who know what’s going on --- but can they stop the massive bug invasion before it’s too late?

This kind of drama is obviously a pretty big deal, seeing as it affects the very future (or lack thereof) of humanity. But to Austin Szerba, it is pretty much on par with the daily drama that plagues him --- he’s constantly sexually aroused, but he’s not sure who attracts him more, Shann or Robby. Robby, who is gay, is obviously in love with Austin, and sometimes Austin feels the same way. But he also knows that he desperately wants to have sex with Shann.

Smith effectively uses the sci-fi/horror plot as a parallel to Austin’s situation and the violence and hopelessness that has already populated Ealing. At the novel’s opening, Austin and Robby are the victims of a gay-bashing attack, both their mothers are addicted to Xanax, one of their teachers cooks methamphetamine and their Lutheran school principal --- who quite publicly denounces premarital sex and masturbation --- secretly cruises the single gay bar in a nearby town.

Austin is very interested in history, in how it is told and why. His (often hilarious) account of his own role in history is interspersed with tales of his family’s history over generations. Only gradually do we discover that the seemingly unrelated story of a Polish immigrant family actually intersects in key ways with the equally convoluted history of MI Plague Strain 412E. The fragmented narrative, moving back and forth between family folklore and current absurdities, will remind many readers of Kurt Vonnegut or of (an R-rated version of) Louis Sachar’s HOLES. Readers may pick up GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE for its breakneck apocalyptic sci-fi plot, but they’ll also find a surprisingly insightful look at teenage sexuality, sexual identity and the ability of small towns to both stifle and sustain.

History will show that Grasshopper Jungle is, for the most part, a novel about a teenage boy (Austin) who is somewhat obsessed with the recording and reciting of history (his own, to be specific) and he is also in love with both of his best friends (Robby, a boy and Shann, a girl). Austin is confused by this. Austin doesn't want to hurt either of them. Austin ultimately hurts both of them anyway. Austin gets to keep both of them in the end because...
Um...oh, there is this whole giant bugs are taking over and destroying the world thing that leaves them as a few of the survivors left on earth, which felt as ridiculous when I wrote it as it did when I read it. There's a hatch that leads to an underground bunker which has orientation videos in it for them to watch. Didn't I already watch that TV show?

You know what I mean.

This is the history of the end of world - destroyed by unstoppable giant insects - written from the unique perspective of Austin Szerba, a 16-year old guy in love with his girlfriend and possibly his best friend as well. So it's definitely a story I could get into.

I don't usually give 5-star reviews. A book normally has to be the absolute greatest thing in the world that I think everyone needs to read to earn a 5-star rating. While Grasshopper Jungle is a dynamo of a book, it's not the absolute greatest thing in the world. However, I loved it and it made me happy. There are good books and enjoyable reads, but it's not often that a book makes me happy. I couldn't stop reading this book, not only because I wanted to know what happened next, but also just because listening to Austin tell his story put a smile on my face.

At first, I wasn't sure about the constant repetition of statements and facts throughout the story. But it grew on me and in the end, it was one of my favorite things. Like Pavlov's dog, the simplicity and power of "It was not a good idea" triggered in me each time I read it an excitement that something horribly awesome was about to happen.

If you don't know anything about it, you should check it out.

I write this review knowing that it's really weird to refer to a book about sex-crazy giant Praying Mantises as sweet, but it fits. This book, odd, quirky and violent as it is, is also a sweet feel-good novel about a teen who is growing up and learning who he really is - while unknowingly starting the end of the world.

If I had to do a comparison, I would say it's a mix of a not-so-angry The Catcher in the Rye, a little John Dies at the End, and Them! (Keepcase) Mix them all up, add the words horny and semen about a thousand times, and you have this book.

It's a coming of age novel with bite (pardon the pun).

This apocalypse is fun, a little crazy, and full of...well...semen! Austin has sex on the brain. It's all he thinks about - even when a giant praying mantis is about to chomp him. But sex-obsessed as he is, Austin is incredibly sweet and likeable. He's in love with two people - his girlfriend and his best friend Robby - and he doesn't know what to do about it. And while he's worried about whether or not he's gay and if he'll ever have sex at all (or maybe he did, but just doesn't remember it!), his town is being devoured by giant bugs.

Grasshopper Jungle is a funny, crude, and very odd End of the World romp. Probably not appropriate for younger teens, though they'll probably buy a copy and read it under the covers at night.

Four stars as Austin's quirks were at times a little too quirky for me, but recommended for people who like their fiction a little weird!

Grasshopper Jungle is a book that you’ll only survive if you’re extremely open-minded. Even then, it’s not quite a guarantee that you’ll enjoy it.

Austin is the main character and the self-appointed person in charge of keeping track of history in Ealing, Iowa. Austin has a wonderful girlfriend named Shann and an amazing best friend named Robby. Robby and Austin spend most of their days skating around Grasshopper Jungle and dealing with their sexuality. Robby is gay and Austin has absolutely no idea what he is. Except horny. Austin is horny very often. One day, Austin and Robby get beat up by the usual group of homophobes and accidentally begin the end of the world. And this is how the world ends…not with a bang but with genetically modified insects resembling a cross between grasshoppers and praying mantis. The bugs have bulletproof exoskeletons and are roughly 8 feet tall (before they start molting and growing), Like normal insects though, they’re only interested in two things….eating and procreating.

I actually really enjoyed this book. I didn’t take it seriously though so the multiple conversations about semen and naming one’s balls didn’t really faze me. If I tried to look at the book as the piece of literature it kept being passed off to me as, I could see the attempted metaphors between the bugs and teenage boys going through puberty. The book did have moments of being really clever. For some reason though, the cleverness had to be drowned in commentary about erections. It was also an interesting tool to jump from the modern parts to connect them to brief historical facts that connected different characters related to Austin or characters that lived in his periphery. It was also really interesting to watch the outbreak happen, I was just confused that Andrew Smith chose to be bold and take chances with all of Grasshopper Jungle except for the ending.

Andrew A. Smith's Grasshopper Jungle is an awful book, with very three-dimensional but confusing characters and a plot that peaks when I'm already bored. This is my view on the book. I wouldn't recommend this book and I'll get into detail why later in the post.

This story takes place in Ealing, a rural town in Iowa, a place where people are constantly moving out. Austin Szerba is a high school kid who is confused about his sexuality even since he has a girlfriend Shann. He also has feelings for his best friend Robby, who is gay and likes Austin.

Robby and Austin at the beginning of the book are found near Ealing Mall when Grant Wallace, a bully from another school beats them up and throw their things at the top. Robby spews blood from his nose onto the ground. Robby and Austin after taking the beating scale to the top, but discover more about the owner of the mall, Johnny McKeon.
They find a broken vile that contained MI Plague Strain 412E.

They go their local bar, where a drunkard called Hungry Jack goes into the road and gets hit, but a giant bug creature crawls out. They bolt as far away as they can. Before they know it, everyone is getting infected since its contagious. This results in the end of the world. Our heroes realizes that only Robby's blood can kill them, so they put it in paint balls. It was enough, they end the book in hiding.

First things first, usually considered the most important part of any book, the plot. The plot is confusing, and the main problem of the book only arises after 200 pages of uselessness, and I am glad that I am alone on this one. Many other people who have read the book agree with me that the conflict appears way to late to the point where we are extremely bored. When I was reading the book, I was so confused I had to look back at the prompt to know what the book is about. The plot is very unclear for that reason.

Next, I'll move on to the three main characters: Austin, Robby and Shann. The author made it hard for me to really understand the personality of the characters, since everyone seemed to have more than one. I found myself trying to remember which personality matched with each characters, kind of like a memory game. This made is not fun to read, and put a lot of stress on me, since I feared that if I didn't remember, I wouldn't understand the book.

Lastly, I'll move onto my least favorite part of the book; the ending. The book just ends in them hiding, nothing interesting. I would have liked to see maybe one of them dying or some dramatic event that changes the course of everything, but that didn't happen. It was unpredictable in the worst way possible. There was no epic victory or defeat, but them just hiding.

Grasshopper Jungle is the strangest book I've ever read. At the surface, it's a book about a boy whose town gets invaded by giant horny grasshoppers, but it's truly so much more. This is a hilarious, coming-of-age story about self-discovery and the human condition. I've never read a book where an author has captured the strange, alien feelings that come with being a teenager better. Andrew Smith gets it, he understands that being a teenager is confusing and at times, that it feels like the world is crumbling beneath your feet. Don't mistake this for your average coming-of-age story, Grasshopper Jungle is anything but average.

Austin Szerba is a historian, he takes it upon himself to record nearly everything that takes place in his small Iowan town. Austin provides readers with a honest and realistic teenage voice that guides readers through all of the confusing hormones and what-not of being a teenager. Readers will find themselves learning about Austin's inexplicable attraction to both his best-friend, Robby and his girlfriend, Shann. Austin is trying to figure out whether he's bisexual or not, whether the feelings inside him are what's he's supposed to be feeling. The idea of not knowing who you are inside is truly a universal struggle for teenagers and Smith portrays these internal struggles in their true, palpable form. Almost everyone has struggled with their identity at one point in their lives and Smith makes readers feel as if they're not alone in their struggle to find themselves.

One of the things I love about Grasshopper Jungle is that every single detail is important and Andrew Smith values each and every word. Because Grasshopper Jungle is a history of Austin's life, everything seems to be connected in some way shape or form. Even the smallest details seem to seamlessly connect to multiple plot events, making Grasshopper Jungle an ingenious novel. It's remarkable to see how one little event can unknowingly set off a highly unlikely chain of events. Austin's history meanders and explores topics that might seem irrelevant, these details are crucial to the plot and always managed to resurface. Nothing is ever meaningless and there is truly no fluff in Grasshopper Jungle, every single syllable feels as if it's crucial to the storyline.

Austin Szerba is real. His character has been carefully shaped and crafted to the point where I felt that Szerba's character was absolutely realistic. Szerba is a teenage guy and that means that he has sex on his mind often. Some readers will probably think that the constant mention of sex and erections is gratuitous, but personally these references are 100% necessary. Teenage boys think about sex often and sometimes it seems like that's the only thing on their mind at times. No matter how much people try to censor books that mention sex and masturbation, it's not going to go away. Literature should reflect on issues that people actually deal with on a daily basis and for teenage boys that means their sexuality. Grasshopper Jungle handles Austin's sexuality in an extremely realistic and appropriate manner, this book perfectly displays all of the lingering doubt and confusion in his head. Readers will understand what Austin's going through because Smith easily allows readers to identify with him on a personal level. On a less serious level, Austin's character is one of the most hilarious characters I've ever read about and I couldn't stop laughing while reading Grasshopper Jungle.

Grasshopper Jungle is extremely well-written and it's one of the most important books I've ever read. I truly believe that this is an essential books for teens to read because so many of the themes are truly universal and everlasting. After reading Grasshopper Jungle, the words real dynamo, corn, and silos have take a new meaning and I will never look at those words in the same mundane way ever again. The best way to read Grasshopper Jungle is definitely with a friend or a book-club because there were so many times when I needed to discuss this book with someone and it was painful knowing I couldn't discuss it with any of my friends. Grasshopper Jungle is a brilliant novel that will definitely cause a fair share of controversy, but at the same time I know it's a novel that will stick with readers long after reading the final sentence.

Three Stars? Four Stars? This is one of those difficult to rate books. I enjoyed reading GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE and feel my time wasn't wasted, and there was a lot to enjoy in the book... BUT ultimately I gave it a "3" because deep in my hard cold soul, I have no interest in re-reading it, ever.

THE GOOD
--How the story was constructed. The use of historical perspective was just great.
--Portrayal of teen angst. You should know that a large portion of this book is character development of teens. And there's a wonkingly large amount of angst involved; and it is very well done.
--Humor. Wonderful humor throughout. Some of it is gallows humor but most is just humor involving the human condition. Delicious.

THE LESS GOOD
--There's a lack of drama involving the creatures. For me they were never scary, but ultimately were creatures of humor.
--The book's too long. I love quirky books. A book like this with interesting characters and humor fits my likes. However, when you have a book with teen angst driving the humor, and a lack of drama not involving the 'icky-poos', but all focused on the teens, shorter is better. I was frequently bored.
--Bit repetitive. The main characters obsession with his sexuality is an important part of the story. But I found frequent use of certain phrases actually distracted me from becoming more involved in the story.

Overall GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE is a fun read. The characters, both primary and secondary, are well drawn. I was glad I read the book.

**

Summary:
Unwittingly Austin and Robby unleash a plague of giant unstoppable praying mantises that crave food. The end of the world is narrated by an ever horny teenage boy as he attempts to figure out what is going on. In an attempt to survive, Austin and Robby find an underground bunker that unlocks more mysteries and secrets then they anticipated. Are they going to save the world while also figuring out who is gay, who is straight, and who just wants to get laid?

My thoughts:
Oddly enough this was really good. It's silly, but it works. The only reason why I did not give it a five star is because there is a lot of sex talk in it. While that will probably grab the attention of many teenage boys, it got old for me and will probably get old for a lot of other girls. If you get past the fact that it involves a ton of bathroom talk, then you'll enjoy the adventure and rather entertaining monster sized bugs.

Rising star Andrew Smith did not rest on his laurels with GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE. This is one of the weirdest books I've had the pleasure to read. And no, I don't mean weird in a bad way. GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE is a uniquely pleasurable reading experience.

Austin lives in the dying town of Ealing, Iowa. He's very much in love with his girlfriend, Shann, to the point where he zones out thinking about her. He's also very much in love with his best friend, Robby, and not entirely sure where that leaves his sexuality. But Austin doesn't have long to just be in his normal state of confused horniness. That's because he and Robby just witnessed the end of the world, although they don't know it yet.

GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE is strongly driven by both the plot (unstoppable praying mantis people doing what praying mantises do) and the characters. You know Austin survived the apocalypse, since he's writing down what happened, but it's hard to figure out how he could make it and whether anyone will make it with him. (I know I was often worried when I thought a favorite character might not make it.) And Austin's voice is so well done. Smith has created a truly believable, foul-mouthed, and horny 15-year-old boy. Plus, Austin truly is driven by his love for Shann and Robby. He might be highly distractible and short sighted, but in the end, he's out to save lives.

I think that GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE will appeal to fans of contemporary fiction and speculative fiction. The relationships are pure contemporary and all the praying-mantis-apocalypse stuff is a little closer to blackly comedic magical realism than true science fiction. Smith's approach to the fantastical elements reminded me somewhat of A.S. King's style. GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE is a hard book to define, so perhaps it has the most appeal to readers who are tired of reading the same old, same old.

So this review isn't entirely positive, I will mention that I felt that the ending of GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE was somewhat rushed. I'd be hugely interested in reading another book or two fleshing out Austin's future. At the same time, I'm glad that GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE didn't wear out its welcome. After all, as interesting as the apocalypse is, it's really a catalyst for Austin's coming of age. And if he doesn't mature perfectly, who does?

(Unstoppable corn!)

Andrew Smith writes an almost always bizarre and always engaging coming of age in the weirdest and most interesting end of times.

Yes it is young adult But using mid-teens runs the risk of getting their voice wrong and making it a bit too juvenile for wider audiences. Smith not only avoids those risks he pretty much writes light years from them. This is funny, a bit dark and never immature even when the humor raises its head. It is irreverent and it is insightful and it is wonderfully sly. It never talks down to its audience no matter the age. It is however not for kids hoping to "read up" unless they are well grounded and their parent read ahead. Still it is a book that will make anyone with an open mind think. And laugh. and maybe be ever so slightly unsettled.

These are not three bad stars. They are three what the hell did I just read stars.

This book probably no sense to me whatsoever, but it didn't stop me from finishing it. I will say I probably kept going just to see what crazy stuff would come out of the main character Austin's mouth and what shenanigans he and his best friend Robbie would get into next.

It was an entertaining read. I didn't love it and the story didn't necessarily make sense to me. I found it to be completely comical. Although I never want to read about a horny teenager ever again.

Austin is obsessed with history: family history, the history of Ealing, Iowa, and his own complicated history with his best friend Robby and his girlfriend Shann Collins. When Austin and Robby inadvertently bring about the end of the world, Austin looks to make connections with history, what is unfolding around him, and his intense, confusing feelings for both of his friends to try to understand what he is to do next in the face of an unstoppable army.

Grasshopper Jungle is both hilarious and profane, and Austin’s stubborn persistence in telling the truth—no matter how awkward or shocking—is strangely endearing. Smith’s tone appears glib throughout the narrative, but underneath the profanity, gore, and prolific sex jokes is Austin’s barely concealed confusion over his sexuality and the nature of his feelings for Robby, who is gay, and Shann, who is clearly not comfortable with the boys’ relationship. The plot unfolds quickly, complete with mad scientists, secret underground bunkers, and crazy experiments that yield alarmingly large, voraciously hungry, and perpetually horny bugs. The short chapters and nonlinear narrative are all tied together nicely by Austin’s obsession for telling the truth and finding connections, but this book will challenge readers nonetheless with its fearlessness and the profound questions it raises. Smith has written a memorable, brave, and yes, profane novel. It is an incredible experience of a book.

Cover Comments: This cover is so in-your-face with that neon green, I don't know if there is anything else to say. I think the title will look cool on the actual book--it just sort of fades out on screen (or maybe that's just my vision being blurred by ALL THE NEON).

Full review on: [...]

Gross yet hilarious, witty, and unimaginably crazily truthful, Grasshopper Jungle, is one tale, completed with the tackling-homosexuality element you do NOT want to miss!

Our history is a series of pictures; a documentation of things that have happened in time bygone, so that we will, hopefully, learn what to do in the future and not make the same mistakes over and over. Everybody believes the version of history they read. Why wouldn’t they? And yet, History is also an abbreviation. Not every single, little minute little detail is recorded for the next generations to discover.

History, to Austin Szezbra, is not this. It is a series of things that interconnect so intricately that you will never find it unless you really look.

To him, for history to be true, it has to contain everything. How else will a young polish teen who is confused about his sexuality supposed to believe it? How else would anybody believe it? This version of history is true, and complete. It contains everything and more. It is also the only documentation of the end of the world; the end of the world that nobody knew was coming!

The strain plague 412E was genetically constructed in the 1960’s, but only saw the day of light in the 21st century in form of six foot tall praying mantises, that want only two things. Invincible, with the potential to make humans the second on the food charts, you would have to actually look at them to believe that they actually exist. The end of the world is upon us. And only three teenagers know- the polish boy, his girlfriend and his gay best friend that the polish boy may or may not be in love with.

This is their history- The full, uncorrected version. It’s how they survived. It’s everything you need to know…

This book will shock you. For the first half, I had no idea what I was reading to be exact- I just knew I couldn’t put it down! The second half, I think my nose literally fell into the book, that’s how addicting it got. It was hilarious to the point I couldn’t take it anymore, weird to the point I didn’t know why I was laughing and SO strange that I kept wondering What going to happen next. It’s very hard to form coherent thoughts while reading, it feels like another dimension altogether where rationality doesn’t have a place! I LOVED IT!

With crude, gross descriptions about everything and anything, fair warning, if you can’t get past that, well, you might not like this. Definitely for older teens, with the underlying message that it’s okay to be just who you are- straight or not- and learn to love yourself for just that!

MY VERDICT:

After all, history will show us that this book is a CLASSIC!- You just have to read it!

This is more a critical analysis than a review and is therefore littered with spoilers of varying degrees.

Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith (2014).

By this point, Grasshopper Jungle needs no introduction having already swept up a variety of accolades including wide critical acclaim, starred reviews, a movie option as well as winning the Boston Globe-Horne Book Award. It is the bright green book that could and has helped mark a well-deserved turning point in Smith's literary career as he joins the ranks of current hot authors. It is a madcap, diverse, clever book that blends genres, time periods and story lines.

Grasshopper Jungle is also one of those books where I can see all of the things Smith is doing that are clever and smart but I don't particularly care for or appreciate any of them on a personal level because I am too busy deeply not enjoying it.

The diversity here and Austin being refreshingly whoever the hell he wants to be is great and much needed.

But at the same time Austin (and his friends) are painfully careless. Like Tom and Daisy Buchanan, they are careless people. Yes Austin is embraced and beloved while Daisy (and Tom as well) is cast as a vapid villain. Which is part of why, for me, it became impossible to talk about or even think about this book without also considering the matter of gender.

Would a girl ever get away with being this careless while also being beloved by readers? Would a girl get to act like this and we would all say "oh I guess this is just a realistic description of a teenaged girl in all her hyper-sexualized and self-absorbed glory"? I doubt that very much.

Austin walking through life doing whatever he wants (to the point of ending the world) without any consequences to his person is a constant throughout the novel. Even at the very end, after ending the world, Austin and Robby are driving away and accidentally run over a little boy. But the little boy is also a grasshopper monster, so it's okay. No consequences.

If this book were narrated by a girl instead of by Austin, this would have been an entirely different story. I could be wrong or unfair to think this, but I feel safe saying that if this book were narrated by a girl all anyone would be saying is that she is a self-obsessed bitch with no depth. I don't think it would have even lasted long enough in anyone's mind to be garnering acclaim and literary awards.

(Similarly I feel like if this were a female author it would have been dismissed out of hand as too genre but that is a totally different matter.)

There is a lot to like about Grasshopper Jungle. I liked the friendship. I liked that we saw how the world ends.I never found myself particularly dazzled by the writing which from what I can tell is reminiscent of the voice Smith adopts in every novel (which is problematic here since there is no authorly narrator but a first person one).

I never much cared about Austin or Robby or Shann as characters. More frustrating, for me, was the fact that Shann and other women in the novel barely were characters as they spent most of the novel sidelined. It's highly likely that the routine marginalization or objectification of the female characters was unintentional. But that doesn't change the fact that it still means something. It still counts.

The ideas Smith raises about "history" and "truth" (or alternatively History and Truth) in Grasshopper Jungle are interesting but by having Austin mention them so many times I found myself doubting everything he said. It's like a child asking "Do you believe me?" after telling an obvious lie. With that aspect in place I'm not even sure how much of this story I am supposed to believe or take at face value. All of it? None of it? Who knows.

The fact that I thought so hard shows how much Smith has done well and if you want to read a zany book that asks (even if it might not answer) a lot of interesting questions, this is the book for you. It remains, however unfortunately, a book that was not for me.

I don't know which is more bizarre. Giant praying mantises taking over the world, or being in a horny, teenage boy's head for nearly 400 pages (while giant praying mantises take over the world). But that is Grasshopper Jungle in a nutshell, and I loved it! Our narrator is Austin Szerba, and he takes us through every single, seemingly insignificant event leading up to the end of the world. From getting beat up, to breaking into the antique shop, to finding shelter in an underground silo. It's a crazy week, but someone's got to tell the story.

I'll start with my main complaint in regards to Grasshopper Jungle: the narrative style. I never got use to it, but I was so engrossed in the tale, that I didn't knock a star off for it. Austin, literally, tells us everything whether it's relevant or not. History is his passion, so he doesn't miss any detail. This is all good, and provides for some entertaining anecdotes, but it also made some parts drag. He also repeats several things way too many times throughout his historical account of the end of the world. The writing is also quite stiff and formal feeling, despite being peppered with f-bombs and plenty of other colorful language.

Other than that, Grasshopper Jungle is a blast! It definitely reminded me of a SyFy Channel movie. Even though Austin is our narrator, he's kind of omniscient. He tells us what's going on all over the city though he clearly can't have known all of this, or even found it out later. I think it works, since in those cheesy movies we've got the main characters, plus random cut-scenes of the monster eating the extras. That is exactly what the Unstoppable Soldiers (the giant bugs) were doing.

The plot was a lot of fun, but my favorite part of Grasshopper Jungle was Austin struggling with his sexuality and being so open about it. He has a girlfriend, Shann, but he also gets thoughts and feelings about his best friend, Robby. Some of these thoughts include just him and Robby, others are about Robby and Shann. And of course, being a horny teenage boy, he thinks about threesomes. He doesn't know if he's gay, bisexual, or just "experimenting." He just knows that he loves Shann and Robby. I loved how in the end his sexuality was just left as something open or fluid, rather than having to make a choice.

In the end, I really liked Grasshopper Jungle. The writing did annoy me throughout, but I think the story more than made up for it. I especially loved that epilogue!

GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE is a history.

This is all true.

All roads converge at the point of Austin Szerba's pen poised at the top of a blank page in a leather-bound log-book from the 70s, courtesy of McKeon Industries.

"And that was my day. You know what I mean."

Austin Szerba, a cigarette-smoking Lutheran boy, narrates this post-apocalyptic journey of self-discovery and disaster. He is accompanied by his best friend, who he is completely in love with, Robby Brees; occasionally his girlfriend, Shan Collins, tags along for the ride. He is in love with her, too. It's all very confusing.

Except it's not for the reader. The reader perfectly understands Austin's confusion, because we all experience it, too. This is not a cookie-cutter story about the end of the world and/or being in love. This is a story about how everything can be completely screwed up, but you just have to deal with it.

"What am I going to do, Ingrid?" Austin asks his beloved golden retriever.

By the end of the story, Austin still has no idea what to do. And that is real. That is honest. That is how real life works.

The rest of the story has nothing to do with how real life works.

Some scientists at McKeon Industries try to create Unstoppable Corn to fuel the demand during the 70s. Then they try to create Unstoppable Soldiers for the government. They succeed, and proceed to be almost completely destroyed by their creations: six foot-tall praying mantis-like monsters that only want to do two things.

Austin and Robby inadvertently set those monsters loose on the world, and they must fight back to save their friends, family, and the entire planet. Be prepared for the unabashed sexuality of sixteen year-old boys, the carnage of murder and copulation conducted by the Unstoppable Soldiers, and a general whirlwind of insanity. Like Austin Szerba says, "Everything fell into place, all right. But things dropped into place so hard the entire world broke."

GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE is gory and profane and brutal and honest and meaningful and it is all true. You know what I mean.

Andrew Smith wrote this book not for anyone but himself, and I respect that so much. Make sure you read the acknowledgements page. Maybe read it before you start the book. Just so you know how it came to exist.

My first thought after finishing Andrew Smith’s Grasshopper Jungle was “This is an awesome book...a ‘holy-crap-what-the-actual-frickity-frick’ kind of awesome...which is obviously the best kind!”....which still pretty much sums up my thoughts on this crazy, sci-fi book! I had just devoured Smith’s Winger (which I’m still NOT over!) before jumping into this one and had no idea what to expect from Grasshopper Jungle, but after reading two different, yet completely brilliant Andrew Smith books, you can definitely call me a Smith Fangirl!

The end of the world is accidentally brought on by two teenage best friends, Austin and Robby, in small Ealing, Iowa. There are no zombies, or earthquakes, or world wars. The end of the world comes in the form of six-foot tall praying mantises. Very hungry, very horny, very unstoppable, six-foot tall praying mantises. Our young hero Austin must save the world, or at least the people he loves, all while battling his own confusing, intense hormones and feelings for his girlfriend Shann and BFF Robby. Sex, Unstoppable Corn, Man Devouring Praying Mantises, oh my!

There are so many words I can use to describe Grasshopper Jungle: wildly original, shocking, unforgettable, powerful, palpable, thought-provoking...it is all these things and more. Andrew Smith has expertly and impressively crafted a truly breathtaking sci-fi story, full of thrills and chills, quiet and honest coming-of-age moments, and refreshingly real and genuine characters and heart.

The premise of Grasshopper Jungle is outrageous and out-there in the best ways possible. Reminiscent of a classic 50’s monster movie, but with very relevant issues, this book feels both timeless and modern. Smith really is a brilliant, clever storyteller and writer, creating stunning absurdity, profound chaos, addicting characters, and a gripping plot. Small town Ealing, Iowa makes for the perfect, and really the only setting that makes sense for an end of the world full of an army of sexed up, ravenous praying mantises. Seemingly normal and boring, Ealing has its share of shocking secrets. I love the atmospheric isolation created by this small town setting and the unlikely heroes it produces. Smith’s giant, killer praying mantises are a monster-lover’s dream! Startling, frightening, intensely entertaining, I never imagined I’d enjoy such hibee-jibee inducing creatures as much I did these!

As awesome as the sci-fright monster filled elements are in Grasshopper Jungle, Andrew Smith proves that he is a master of exploring the teenage mind and human condition. Austin’s questioning sexuality and inconvenient, overwhelming hormones, may, at first, seem unimportant in the grand scheme of things happening to him, but really, they’re just as important as the end of the world. His confusing, very real feelings for both Shann and Robby are so palpably felt. Smith has beautifully explored love and sexuality in a way that is honest, genuine, and witty.

Another thing I’ve come to expect from Smith are unforgettable, complex characters, and the ones in Grasshopper Jungle are just that! I’ve never been a teenage boy (shocking, I know!), but I can’t imagine anyone capturing that experience quite as well or as poignantly as Smith. Austin and Robby are such relatable, insanely amusing and entertaining characters and I love their interaction and chemistry. I also like the relationship between Austin and Shann, but I must admit I was rooting for the boys ;)

Like an end of the world full of six-foot praying mantises, Grasshopper Jungle concludes in unexpected, yet breathtaking ways. I was sad to see the story end, but completely satisfied with how it ended.

My Final Thoughts: I can’t properly express how awesome Grasshopper Jungle is or just how much I adore it. Andrew Smith is a master at he what he does and this electric, exciting, undeniably unique book is proof of that. A definite MUST READ!

Wow, that was fun. This unsuspecting title by an author I’d never heard of about a mantis-apocalypse hitting small town Iowa stole my interest from beginning to end. Grasshopper Jungle is the funniest book I’ve ever read. It also portrays the best friendship I’ve ever read. The narrator, Austin, is complex, unwilling to look at the world the way society wants him to, and plays the perfect part of historian, recording two events that alone could make great books, but which together fit perfectly into a story that blends the horror of an apocalypse with the emotional turmoil of a 16-year-old in love with both of his best friends.

Austin’s observational nature takes the narrative from first person to a god’s eye view with ease. While the recording of his and the people of his town’s genealogy can rabbit trail, they often end in a hilarious joke or a profound experience which fits an underlying message about humanity that I’m still trying to get a grip on. The book discusses how bugs do only two things, eat and procreate, and a question subtly posed throughout is whether humans are any different. Austin is a horny, selfish teenager, fighting himself to become more than just a bug. The open exploration of his sexuality may not appeal to everyone, but I found his honesty fascinating.

That’s the thing I loved most about Grasshopper Jungle, Austin’s honest, eye-opening experience. One of his best friends, Robby, is an open homosexual. I loved how Austin loved his friend regardless. Their friendship was beautiful in this way. Austin struggles with his feelings about Robby, especially because he loves his girlfriend just as much. This conflict and how he has no one to talk to about his confusion is the center and most interesting aspect of this story.

The six-foot-tall mantises roaming around killing people plays a strong secondary plot and the author does a fantastic job recognizing this aspect as secondary. Their takeover and the mystery behind how Austin and Robby will try to stop them is exciting and horrific, but is summarized well enough to show us the danger without taking us from the central narrative of what Austin will do to keep his two best friends.

Grasshopper Jungle has made me a big fan of Andrew Smith. His narrative is so easy to read. The humor, emotion and adventure all work so well together to making this book one I couldn’t put down. His story telling style is unlike anything I’ve read, with its heart-bleeding honesty and ease of blending story with humor. As soon as I finished Grasshopper Jungle, I picked up his darker tale, The Marbury Lens. I look forward to catching up on all of his books.

Reviewed at Adventures in Scifi Publishing
Promotional copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

I think the first and most fitting thing to write in a review about Grasshopper Jungle is that I have never read a book like this before. I don’t say that lightly either. I’ve read hundreds of YA books, and thousands of science fiction and fantasy books, and I can honestly say I’ve never read anything quite like Grasshopper Jungle.

Grasshopper Jungle is one part coming of age/confused sexuality YA, one part end of the world horror story, all rounded out with countless non sequitur that somehow connect to the story in a somewhat meandering and plodding path.

To say this was an odd book would be an understatement. To say this was a bad book would be wrong. No, this was a book that kept me fascinated from the first page, as well as kept me guessing. I think that’s one of the strangest things about this book, the way that Andrew Smith arranges all of these seemingly conflicting story lines into a book that is able to not only able to hold them all in without bursting but also thrives amongst these jarring plots.

While only some of the characters are deep, all of them are true. The statements, analogies, stories, and histories that Smith weaves through his protagonist, Austin, are a strange combination of enlightenment, truth, hormones, and profanity. Through these discoveries on the human condition as well as personal discoveries by the protagonist, readers will reminisce and relate to many of the thoughts and feelings that Austin waxes on about.

All in all, I think most people might be scared off by this book. And that’s fine, this book is not for everyone. What it is though is a book that evokes emotion, captivates the reader, and will leave the reader sitting dumbfounded at the end both wanting to know both more and less all at the same time. I can’t say for certain that others will enjoy this book but I believe that I can say that I did, and that was enough for me.

[...]

This book was so weird it bordered on wonderful. That's a thing right? You know like a pint of some odd ice cream flavor that you try just one spoonful of but keep going back to just to make sure you still don't quite like it and then you've managed to eat the entire pint? That's not just me...right? Right?!
So back to books and not weird ice cream flavors, Grasshopper Jungle reminded me a lot of Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (but with 6 foot tall man-eating bugs, you know cause that makes any book infinitely better). It is the story of a young Polish boy, Austin Szcerba and his attempts to test fate by living a "normal" life in the tiny Iowa town of Ealing, Iowa. This is not going to happen for poor, confused Austin. He is definitely pre-destined for awesomer, weirder things. There are crazy giant bugs (but not til later). There is a quasi-love-triangle (but not til later). What there is a lot of is a boy, trying to figure out who he is, how he effects the world around him and how his history effects him, always. The history sections were randomly interspersed throughout the tale but they were wonderfully written and terribly interesting (that may just be the history teacher in me talking...you be your own judge).

I really feel like I could put this on the contemporary/realistic fiction shelf in my classroom. It is so realistic to the hormone-fueled, confused, lost teenage boy. Oh, except for those 6 ft tall man-eating bugs...at least I hope that parts not real!

Final recommendation: if you like history, contemporary fiction, teenagers, small-town drama, cursing, alien invasions.

P.S. I totally want my own Eden, to run around, wear jumpsuits, bounce on beds and listen to the Stones (again minus the bug-pocalypse above).

I DON’T GENERALLY COMPARE one writer to another and I despise it when people think I will like this one because I liked that one. The first half of this book raised itself all the way to literature in my mind. The themes, the style, the brutality of language reminded me of a number of classic American novels.

There is a brutality to this coming of age story, to the experiences of a boy trying to come to grips with a missing older brother and questions about his sexuality. Austin generally goes through life liking people, except the ones who beat him up, and observing everything around him to write his history. He also manages to throw in things people are doing in other places. His descriptions of bodily functions are not exactly poetic, once you figure out what he means when he tells his dog to go out to toast a brownie. Eww.

However, as much as I liked the first half of this book, it just seemed to go on too long.

I would easily hand off this high interest YA novel to a preteen or teenage boy, which in itself is a rarity for a YA novel. I would introduce it by explaining to them how much trouble I was going to be in when their parents got a look at the inside of the book but that it looks all innocent on the outside. (You have no idea how many parents get mad when they see the word masturbation in a YA novel.) I try, I do try, to see books as not gender specific, but this one is .

(Warning label: There was a lot of gratuitous discussion of masturbation in this book.)

-Gertrude

Well, I read this book because I had seen fantastic reviews for it. It is - um - quite different. The writing is interesting although I found it a bit too repetitive at times. There are a lot of references to masturbation and sperm. And giant grasshoppers who decapitate people and pizza and a sexually confused teenage boy. And the end of the world as we know it.

While reading this story, I was surprised by the dual sense that I was both in good hands and reading a completely unselfconscious story that didn't care what I thought of it. Sometimes when a story is well crafted, you can feel the craftsmanship at the edges, but I felt the well-craftedness without feeling that it was constructed that way. It was just there. It was what it was. It wasn't trying to do anything. It was just talking. I appreciate books like that so much after dealing with books by authors who are trying so hard to cram a message into their art. Smith entertained me easily partly because he wasn't trying to entertain me.

Honestly the only thing I didn't really like about the book was the repetition. People who have read it will know what I mean--there was some charm in the repeated invoking of phrases like "real dynamo" and "you know what I mean" and even "Uh," but I felt it was a little too often--it would occasionally start to feel like a non sequitur when suddenly mid-stream the narration would skip to something about the protagonist's great-grandfather, using "It was not a good idea" as a springboard. If you know what I mean. (Crap, it's catching.)

Story-wise, it was definitely a bizarre read--some kids, in a string of coincidental events, accidentally set off the end of the world, and have to retreat into a buried compound created decades before their time--but it remained personal as well, with tons of focus on personal meaning, sexual confusion, parental relationships, self contemplation, and the importance of communicating and writing down our stories. I related to the narrator, Austin, because I've always been a documenting type myself, and my stack of "here was my day, you know what I mean" journals are at least as high as his.

Character-wise, while I of course cannot relate to Austin's perpetual horniness, I found him to be a kindred spirit because of his propensity to connect things together and his passion for documentation. I thought it was very interesting that the ravenous, horny bugs that only want to do two things were sometimes so similar to the humans--especially when Austin would think about being horny and then he'd think about donuts, and especially when one bug ate a person who'd been high and got confused and "experimented" with a male bug. I also really liked Robby as a character, and I liked the complexity that followed Austin's relationship with him and with Shann, and I liked that the word "bisexual" was used exactly once. Austin's attraction to and love for both Robby and Shann was defined so well before the word "bisexual" was even mentioned, and though it confused Austin, he seemed to be a lot more worried about "but these are my two best friends and my inability to 'choose' is hurting them" than he was about "am I queer?" And I loved that while narrating the story, Austin would tell us things he could not possibly know--as if he's an omniscient narrator--but although he mentions his after-the-fact information gathering that helped him piece things together, he also hints that narrators fill in the blanks sometimes, even though they try not to lie.

I did feel very much like this was a novel that could get younger people into appreciating literary fiction, as it wasn't as prohibitively full of obscurity that you get a "school reading" vibe from it, but it did have that odd Vonnegut-esque quality of bizarreness made personal. I enjoyed this book very much.

Giant mutant praying mantises that just want to eat humans and have sex. Mad scientists. Horny teenage boys. Horny teenage boys confused about their sexual orientation. By this point you’re either really interested in this book or completely turned off. Luckily for me, and for you if you’re still reading this review, I am not easily deterred by less-than-traditional story lines.

It’s the end of the world as we know it. Small town Iowa will never be the same after an army of genetically modified mutant bugs is unleashed on unsuspecting citizens. These bugs are big. They’re strong. And they’re either eating or reproducing, often at the same time. Sixteen-year-old Austin Szerba, his girlfriend Shanna, and best friend Robby are right in the thick of things. It’s up to them to save Ealing, Iowa along with the rest of the world. If only it were that simple. Along with saving mankind from the ravages of the mantises, Austin is coming to terms with his relationship with Shanna while at the same struggling with his feelings for Robby, who also happens to be homosexual. Throw into the mix a cast of characters including a hot cheating mom, a masturbating sales clerk, a timid and oblivious stepfather, and you’ve got the ingredients for a true gem of a story.

Besides the fact that Andrew Smith writes one heck of a story, the narrative style blew me away. Austin goes back and forth between telling his story but at the same time providing history and background info on how everything is connected in some way. Six degrees of separation with a witty, rambling sense of humor.The conversations between the teenagers read true to life, and the other characters are weird but not so strange as to be completely unbelievable. A word of warning: This is a very strange book full of sexual innuendo along with the real thing as well as lots of foul language, drinking, and drug use. Not for the the faint of heart or easily offended. But, for those of you who are adventuresome enough to give it a try, you won’t be sorry. This is one book that you won’t soon forget.

As I read through Grasshopper Jungle at one point in the novel I had to stop and wonder what in the world am I reading. As I sat there contemplating the weird craziness that is in this book, I realized that that it didn’t matter because I simply enjoyed reading it.

Now before I go on to discuss how great this novel is, let me start by saying that this book is not for everybody. I repeat, it is not for everyone. For example, in a letter to the reader, the publisher tells how after reading Andrew Smith’s book, she uses two choice words in a beautifully cast, heartfelt email. She then goes on to say that if one finds her language offensive then this is definitely not the book for you. However, she also goes on to say that every once in a while we need to read a type of book like this and I agree. For me, dealing with school and the many other tiresome activities that teenages go through, Grasshopper Jungle was a sweet and crazy relief.

To describe Andrew Smith’s writing style and the overall outlook of Grasshopper Jungle, I would have to say its sort of like a mixture of John Green and James Patterson. Seriously, with the emotional pulls and heart stopping actions, not to mention some hilarious scenes, I’m truly surprised that this is the first I’ve heard of Andrew Smith. With his crafty and witty writing style Smith develops a story that leaves you scratching your head and wondering what could possibly come next.

Then comes the characters whose actions and feelings develop an amazing story. Now about the storyline, simply put, Grasshopper Jungle is a coming of age novel dealing with the end of the world. Of course you can’t just have the normal problems that come with the end of the world , you also have the confusing things like teenage love and all the roller coaster feelings that come with it. So basically this book is a bundle of craziness that will leave you breathless. As I said before though, this novel isn’t for everyone. This book is for the people who need a little weird and craziness in their lives to make everything else just a little bit better.

I was reluctant to read Grasshopper Jungle, though I loved Smith's previous novel, Winger. It just didn't feel like "my" kind of book, being completely honest. However, I since I had bought a copy on its release, I sat down one night and started, and I'm glad I did! Grasshopper Jungle quickly took its place as my favorite of Smith's novels (and still holds the title). It's tough to describe what is so great about this novel without giving too much away, but my favorite aspect was that, even as the apocalypse looms, the end of the world can still take a backseat to whatever is going on in a teenager's life at the time. Don't be like me and almost miss out on an incredible novel; read Grasshopper Jungle today!

The characters and the setting are just two things that grab you & don't let go in Grasshopper Jungle. Very unique, very compelling. I was hooked from page one and I finished the book in two days.

All in all, Grasshopper Jungle is a strange and wild kind of a book, unlike any book I've read. Science fiction but also an allegory for everything that's wrong with human nature. Lots of offbeat humor and some light horror. It may not be for everyone. But I really enjoyed it.

How to describe this book.

Repetition is powerful. And frequent.

Big F*cking bugs.

The End of the world.

A boy struggling with being in love with both his best (guy) friend and girlfriend. It's nice to see a bisexual main character. This is the first book I've read with a bisexual character at all.

A startling, and refreshing, truth and honesty in terms of the main character and how he thinks, and it's laid bare for us all to read. This book holds nothing back. If you tend to shy away from use of foul language that doesn't linger in just the dialogue, or anything overtly sexual, be aware. I mean it when I say this books holds NOTHING back. It can be a little shocking at times. however. The use of the main character's family history was cleverly placed within the plot to show us how in in life, the littlest thing can alter how our history progresses. From cows that caused a train accident, to a boy kissing his best friend on a roof top. Also, despite the end of the world looming overhead, the author manages to catch a boy's struggle with his own sexuality and identity.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this, and though I felt a certain relationship could have used a little more closure or clued us in a little more on how it worked out (although judging by the end, I'm willing to bet both relationships actually continued to develop romantically).

If you're easily offended, you should look elsewhere. Andrew Smith holds nothing back, and he's guaranteed to offend some readers. Although this is supposed to be a YA novel, many parents will likely not want their teens reading this, so be ye warned.

On the other hand, if you like your fiction disturbing at times and hlarious at times, you're at the right place. This is for the mentally mature, be they teens or adults. As for me, I recommend this but with the above warnings.

honestly, what the hell. Grasshopper Jungle is an amazing book that i didn’t expect to be amazing. it is very well written and never boring. the way Austin (the main character) talks about his history is probably the only actually interesting way to talk about history. Grasshopper Jungle is a very daring and honest book. if you can’t take the truth, don’t read it. otherwise, enjoy.

"Grasshopper Jungle" is an impressive blend of simultaneous opposites. It's totally crazy and random, yet makes sense and was meticulously plotted. The narrator, Austin, is constantly confused and uncertain, but there's a few things he is very wise and sure about. The story is somehow sensitive, provocative and intelligent, while remaining fun, humorous and exciting.

Books about teens sometimes have characters that sound too clever and grown up, or the books sound like adults trying too hard to write like teenagers. Andrew Smith (the author) doesn't have these problems at all. Austin was the most realistic sounding teenager I've encountered in young adult literature. Smith captured his conflicted, muddled, horny perspective in a very honest, raw and real manner, and I really sympathized with Austin as he struggled with his love for both his girlfriend and best dude friend while trying to save the world from giant praying mantises. There's a couple words and phrases that get repeated a lot, but they were used in such a way that they either strengthened the teenage tone, added emphasis, established a rhythm, or conveyed more meaning than what they literally mean (when used for full effect, "Uh," can say a lot!).

One of the main themes in this book is teens grappling with their sexual identities. I think this was handled fantastically--no sappy Hallmark Channel-esque lessons, just a boy grappling with inner turmoil among people who are accepting and understanding, and others who aren't. I especially loved this one quote from Austin's best friend, Robby: "I don't care if you're queer...*Queer* is just a word. Like orange. I know *who* you are. There's no one word for that." The book has a ton of quotable parts. I imagine readers are going to pick out particularly profound or wild quotes to display all over social media, notebooks, lockers, backpacks, etc.

Overall, an epic read. It's the type of book that has bestseller potential and is sure to become a classic in the YA/LGBT genre. I'd recommend it to teens and adults alike.

This book tries to be daring and revolutionary, but in my opinion it misses the mark. The concept is intriguing and could have led to an amusing, unusual coming-of-age tale; however, the characters never develop and there is a great deal of repetition. In addition, the female characters are little more than window dressing and are treated in a misogynistic manner. Definitely a missed opportunity.

Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith is Vonnegut meets Palahniuk starring teenage boys. It is filthy and demented and I cannot put it down.

Pick it up if you want a wild ride of what-the-hell with a front row seat inside a teenage boy's brain, complete with all that you would expect from a sex-crazed 16-year-old. Don't pick it up if you are squeamish about bugs, sex, religion, blood, sex, cursing, sex... well, just don't read it if you're squeamish, period.

Disclaimer: I received a free advanced reading copy of the book from the American Library Association Midwinter Meeting, which has not influenced my review in any way.

If you used to like dystopian young adult fiction but you feel like it’s all starting to blur together, have I got the book for you: Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith.

I’ll start with this non-spoiler note for parents: this is definitely not for young kids. It’s told from the point of view of a sexually confused sixteen-year-old boy, and there’s plenty of strong language and fairly frank talk about sex, plus kids who smoke and occasionally drink. Oh, and some violence and gore and pretty creepy stuff. I’d recommend it for teen and adult readers who like end-of-the-world scenarios and off-the-beaten-path storytelling, because Grasshopper Jungle is so far off the path that you might as well throw away that compass. If your preference is for conventional, then steer clear, because this book turns up the quirk farther than I knew it could go without everything falling apart.

My advice, as in most cases, is to read the book without knowing anything else about it. Don’t even read the dust jacket flap.

However, if you must know more before making your decision, here’s the gist: Austin Szerba lives in Ealing, Iowa, a small town where pretty much nothing ever happens. He spends all his time with his gay best friend Robby and his girlfriend Shannon, and he’s pretty confused about which of them he actually likes better. At the beginning of the book, Austin and Robby are hanging out in the Grasshopper Jungle, their nickname for the alley behind the nearly-defunct Ealing Mall, when they get beat up by a couple kids who toss their shoes up onto the roof of the mall. Their efforts to retrieve the shoes set off a chain of events that leads to what Austin calls the “end of the world,” though nobody knew anything about it at the time.

The book is narrated in past tense—you know that Austin is telling you a story that has already happened, because he refers to things that are going to happen later in the story. He also inserts various bits and pieces of Ealing’s history, most notably McKeon Industries, which pretty much drove Ealing’s economic well-being in the 1960s during the Cold War. But when the plant shut down, Ealing’s fortunes faded with it. But Dr. Grady McKeon left some very bizarre things behind, things that Austin and Robby begin to discover.

Andrew Smith’s writing grabs you. He takes phrases and turns them into recurring motifs that punctuate the story, until by the end you start to expect them, maybe even mutter them to yourself. And the way that he takes all these seemingly disparate plot strands and weaves them together is masterful—some things that you think are just throwaway remarks are actually hints at what’s coming a hundred pages later.

The story is that Smith had gotten out of the business of writing a couple years ago, but still had that compulsion to write. So he wrote Grasshopper Jungle pretty much for himself, not expecting it to be a book he would sell or try to publish. Then things happened (including the fact that Sony has acquired movie rights already). But I think that’s what makes it such a refreshing read: it’s the sort of thing you’d expect to see somebody pitching on Kickstarter these days or self-publishing on the store, instead of coming from a traditional publisher. I started reading it and plowed through it, and I was amazed by the way Smith combines a gripping, creepy plot with hilarious and insightful observations about human nature (as seen from the point-of-view of a horny sixteen-year-old boy).

I’ll end with an excerpt from the first page of the book:

This is my history.

There are things in here: babies with two heads, insects as big as refrigerators, God, the devil, limbless warriors, rocket ships, sex, diving bells, theft, wars, monsters, internal combustion engines, love, cigarettes, joy, bomb shelters, pizzas, and cruelty.

If that piques your curiosity, then check it out. Once you get lost in Grasshopper Jungle, you won’t want to be found.

Starred reviews lured me into giving this book a try. I knew it would be weird (just read the synopsis), but I am afraid it's just not my type of weird. I was only able to read a few chapters and then lost interest. I am not allowed to leave this product unreviewed, so I am giving it the most neutral rating.

GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE, Andrew Smith-ISBN 978-0525426035
The end of time waltzes in like the biblical plague of locusts. What once was a soothing sound while sleeping under the stars and a favored bug of child’s play has evolved into a nightmare that doesn’t go away when awake. This once controlled insect seems to have taken human form and it is no longer satisfied eating plant life, with its prehistoric, futuristic, dinosaur, bugman looks and actions it will not be long before the world dies as these things feast on man.

A couple of teens take it upon themselves to trace the origins of this new beast. Can it be destroyed? Perhaps the kids will be destroyed. As crazy as this dino-bugman sounds (my words, not the authors) the author balances humor with nature and fear very well and creates a very interesting world.

Some books are written not to be read... and this is the best example of it. The notion that Andrew Smith wrote this without any intention of publication truly reverbates with every page. It is written so freely, which adds much of the color and heartfelt personality that can be seen in every single one of its characters, and to the (out of this world) story itself. I received this book by accident, and not expecting anything from it I began reading it. After a few pages in... I found myself unable to stop. The mutant grasshopper scenario was the perfect backdrop to reflect Austin's eternal connundrums. It's incredibly entertaining.

Smith has done something grand and special here. He's written magical realism—only it's a touch of sci-fi (not the supernatural) that skews the very realistic/contemporary world of his teen protagonists.

GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE is a beautiful, terrifying, soaring, back-flip of a coming-of-age tale. Finally, an author has caught on the page how high the stakes feel when trying to figure out stuff like "Am I in love with my girlfriend or my best friend?" In this book, those stakes are literally life and death as the fate of the human species may actually hang in the balance.

If all that weren't enough, this is one of the most literary books I've ever read—period; across any genre. The style, grace, and skill of the structure, and the way the words fit together on the page is intricate and thrilling. How lucky we are that it gets marketed with the label "Young Adult." Because of that, it'll get banned and challenged and more teens than ever will actually read it. I needed this book 22 years ago when I was 16. I have a hunch there are some 16 year olds around who still do.

You know what I mean?

Grasshopper Jungle is no exception. This book is about smoking cigarettes with your best friend, finding condoms and bibles in dresser drawers, grimacing lemur masks, plastic pink flamingos, shrinking balls, little blue kayaks, unstoppable corn, horny teenage boys, giant praying mantises and the end of the world.

And they all cross under our feet.

What this book is really about is connections. How the things we do and the decisions we make have an impact. How history tends to repeat itself no matter what. About how we keep doing the same s*** over and over and why? Well, because we're human and that's what humans do because there are stupid among us. Because we don't look closely enough at those connections. We don't study the past to see where we went wrong and fix it. That's why.

Austin Szerba is your typical teenage boy. Sort of. He likes recording history, skateboarding and smoking cigarettes with his best friend Robby Brees. He's in love with his girlfriend Shann Collins. He's got both his parents, a brother fighting in Afghanistan, and a dog Ingrid, who lost her vocal cords when she was just a puppy. He's horny for Shann, but he also wonders if he might be gay for Robby and s*** like that. He's not sure what to do about it.

Through a series of seemingly unconnected events, Unstoppable Soldiers, in the form of giant praying mantises, are unleashed on the unsuspecting town of Ealing, Iowa. All they want to do are eat and screw (not unlike teenage boys) and impregnate the female which will lead to the world being taken over by these Unstoppable Soldiers and the eventual end of the human race.

By digging through history, Austin connects the dots and finds that only he and Robby can stop the giant bugs and save the world. And nobody knows anything about it.

Grasshopper Jungle is weird, inappropriate, disgusting and one of the best books I've read in a long time. Its innovative, fresh and fun. Austin's voice is one of the most original I have read in YA, ever. Period.

Perfect book for boys, although, the appeal of this book is far reaching. Of course, I caution, not for those looking for a "clean" read. This book, like I said, talks about horny teens, masturbation, sex, etc. Typical teen stuff. If that's not your thing, stay away.

This is the truth. Andrew Smith has just become one of my favorite YA authors and I cannot wait to read more of his work.

Big thumbs up on this one. You know what I mean?

I was not surprised by the overly horny teenage boy. I was surprised by the giant grasshoppers and the end of the world. Not sure why that's so surprising given the title and cover, but here we are. Surprised. I honestly could have gotten into the story more if I wasn't constantly worried about being called a pervert every time Austin mentions something makes him horny. Which happens to be every page. Every. Page.

Basically, Andrew Smith can do no wrong in my eyes. I’ve been a huge fan of his since I picked up The Marbury Lens years ago and have loved everything he’s written since. Grasshopper Jungle is certainly dark and full of dysfunction, but it’s also undoubtedly hilarious and smart. The characters are so real that even if their story becomes ridiculous, it still feels totally believable to me. This is a fantastic book—fantastically written, fantastically created—and I highly recommend it.

GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE is by far the weirdest, and best, book I've read of 2014. It has a lot of boy-humor and repetition, so if that's not your thing step away kindly. It is also the most thoughtful book I've read. It made me think about history, about what's important, about the details in life that seem so big at the moment but really aren't (or maybe they are). It made me laugh out loud way too many times to count.

If Hunter S. Thompson and Kurt Vonnegut and Michael Grant got together and wrote a YA contemporary sci-fi/end of the world, GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE would be it. It has that dark humor, the thoughtfulness and the bizarre. In all the best ways.

16 year old Austin narrates our story truthfully and rambling for he is writing down "our" history, the history of the end of the world as we know it. He felt very real to me, and very funny and I thought that underneath all of that "I'm horny" and love triangle and dog s*** that he thought about a lot of important topics. About the future. About the past. About the present.

The NYT Book Review called GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE "a literary joy to behold." I totally 100% agree,

Pick up your copy today. Don't you want a Hungry Hungry (hippo) Praying Mantis in YOUR life?

I am so amazed that something so bizarre as hungry and horny six foot tall praying mantises could be so thrilling and entertaining. The novel, itself, is truly humanizing, giving each character a history that you learn to love. First we have Robby, the masculine and gay best friend of Austin, who professes his love for Robby and his girlfriend Shann equally, and he also records every moment of his life and the events in Ealing, Iowa in the confines of his journals. Andrew Smith gives such an intriguing explanation on how the creatures are developed, and gives each character the strength to using what knowledge they have to fight the creatures. Told in the eyes of sixteen year old, Grasshopper Jungle is an amazing example of a coming-of-age novel.

An enjoyable read. Characters are well developed. The book has humor, "classic monster" influence, and the confusion of teenage love. Still not sure if I enjoyed the ending, but it closes the story really well. I just thought it reminded me of the epilogue of The Hunger Games trilogy.

My only other nitpick is the repetitive story of the main characters family history. At times it slowed the story down. Other than that, Grasshopper Jungle was an imaginative, funny, rock n roll of a novel!