A 2015 Michael L. Printz Honor Book
Winner of the 2014 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Fiction
“Grasshopper Jungle is a rollicking tale that is simultaneously creepy and hilarious. It’s propulsive plot would be delightful enough on its own, but Smith’s ability to blend teenage drama into a bug invasion is a literary joy to behold… Smith may have intended this novel for young adults, but his technique reminds me of Kurt Vonnegut’s in “Slaughterhouse Five,” in the best sense.” —New York Times Book Review
In the small town of Ealing, Iowa, Austin and his best friend, Robby, have accidentally unleashed an unstoppable army. An army of horny, hungry, six-foot-tall praying mantises that only want to do two things.
This is the truth. This is history.
It’s the end of the world. And nobody knows anything about it.
You know what I mean.
Funny, intense, complex, and brave, Grasshopper Jungle brilliantly weaves together everything from testicle-dissolving genetically modified corn to the struggles of recession-era, small-town America in this groundbreaking coming-of-age stunner from the author of The Alex Crow and Winger.
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
24 of 26 people found the following review helpful.
Shocking, Insightful...
By Jenna Detrapani
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.
28 of 34 people found the following review helpful.The Weirdest Apocalypse You'll Ever Read
By Ken C.
"Um..."This is a book featuring two 15-year-old boys who are best friends, cigarette demons, and kids prone to saying "Uh..." and "Um..." a lot. Robby is gay. Austin is confused. Shann, the all-Iowan girl next door, is Austin's love interest. While all that is going on, the world is ending. But of course.Andrew Smith's Apocalypse Now is set in Ealing, Iowa, where a now-deceased scientist's mad experiments gain new life when thugs steal and drop a ball of glowing liquid that feeds on spilled blood (Robby's) and creates 6-foot-tall killer praying mantises. But of course. Robby and Austin discover an underground bunker from the 70s that unlocks a lot of secrets about these "Unstoppable Soldiers," as the mantises are called."Um...."The strength of the novel lies in its plot, really. Praying mantises make wonderful "here-we-go-a-preying" mantises, and stopping them is no small task. Readers will get caught up in the action as humans go mano a buggo against the green beasties. But the characterization and voice are stellar, too. First-person Austin really gets you inside the head of a confused kid who has strong feelings for both his best friend and his girlfriend.The one weakness may bother some readers more, others less, and still others not at all. Lots of repetition here. Like with the "Uh's..." and the "Um's..." and the "Unstoppable This's" and "Unstoppable That's." Oh. And certain favored profanities. The book reads like an Adam Sandler movie in its way, luxuriating in bathroom talk, sex talk, and swearing. What can I say -- one reader's real life is another reader's gratuitous. Fine for high school and up, but middle school libraries will wisely, um, take a pass.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful.
Review by Addison at: ofspectaclesandbooks.com!
By Addison @ Of Spectacles and Books
Why I chose this book:There was a lot of buzz surrounding this book before its release. Two boys falling in love during a grasshopper apocalypse? What author could pull off such a bizarre story and make it good? The questions rumbled across the internet as the release date loomed further. One of my goals this year was to try and read more LGBTQ lit, and this book piqued my curiosity as well as helped me achieve my goal.Synopsis:Sixteen-year-old Austin Szerba interweaves the story of his Polish legacy with the story of how he and his best friend , Robby, brought about the end of humanity and the rise of an army of unstoppable, six-foot tall praying mantises in small-town Iowa.To make matters worse, Austin's hormones are totally oblivious; they don't care that the world is in utter chaos: Austin is in love with his girlfriend, Shann, but remains confused about his sexual orientation. He's stewing in a self-professed constant state of maximum horniness, directed at both Robby and Shann. Ultimately, it's up to Austin to save the world and propagate the species in this sci-fright journey of survival, sex, and the complex realities of the human condition.3 Things You Need to Know:1. You will love this book or hate it. No in-between. This book is so blatantly absurd, offensive, and sexual that it is a love it or hate it type of book. I rarely get offended in books and a few lines even made me raise my eyebrows. The “I don’t care” attitude that is heavy throughout the book is reflected in the male protagonist Austin. While Austin is a teenage boy, he is introspective to the point of selfishness and documents every minute of his life. You, as the reader, either love him or hate him.I enjoyed the character of Austin, because despite his attempts to do the right thing, he still could not settle his indecisive heart. Austin is a boy that does not filter his thoughts. I also enjoyed that Austin sees life through the filter of sex, rather than the other way around. Truly a teenage boy through and through. Smith highlights teenage love in a very no-frills and realistic way, making the dreaminess of it all go to the wayside.2. The writing style is glorious and wordy. Initially, I was enchanted by the wordy, overarching style of Smith’s writing. It was vey similar to Vonnegut or Salinger, but with an apocalyptic twist. Through Austin, Smith ties all the stories and experiences together, reminding us that the human condition relies on relationships and connection. Austin visits the lineage of his family, who paved the way for his story to be told, and reminds the reader that the past comes with sacrifice, so the future can prosper. All in all, this helps Austin grow as a character (although the progression is so very slow).3. This book is just plain weird. This is where I was on the fence about the book as a whole. Parts of this book I read out loud to Amanda and she just looked at me blankly like, “What are you even reading?”. Parts of this book were just so fantastically gross and detestable that I wanted to skip a few pages so I could continue. Parts of this book contain scenes with grasshopper sex that I don’t even really want to talk about. (This book says the word 'balls' A LOT.)Final Thoughts:I honestly don’t know what to say. This book is one that stands all alone in the realm of weird YA lit. I enjoyed that Smith gave the read a genuine male bisexual character that didn’t contain any stereotypes that popular books have. I hated that I felt worn out after finishing this book. Judge for yourself, my friends.I gave this book three stars on Goodreads.
