Kids will love the humor in this book. Some will love the man-eating grasshoppers and the grasshopper-violence. Others will love the complicated friendships and relationships. This book seems like one of the bravest books I've read in a while. The end of the world is coming because of man-eating grasshoppers and the protagonist, Austin, and his best friend, Robbie, are responsible. Austin is as confused about what he is feeling in his heart as he is certain about it. The small-town setting is familiar even to those of us who have never lived in a small town. It's a coming-of-age tale complete with an army of grasshoppers meaner than the bullies, all sorts of sexual urges, true friendship, and a search for what really matters in life.
Here's what the NY Times said about it...
Here's what The Onion's A.V. Club thought about it...
Here's what Common Sense media said about it...
It's definitely a book for Gr 8 or high school (lots of f-bombs and erections), and it is a book that stands up to classic YA literature: Catcher in the Rye and Slaughterhouse 5, for example. I'm so thankful there are books like Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smtih in this world. My boys, my students, all teenagers need books this funny, complicated, and honest.
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