Grasshopper Jungle

By: Andrew Smith

Narrated by: Philip Church

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.

“Original, weird, sexy, thought-provoking and guaranteed to stir controversy. One hell of a book.” – Michael Grant, New York Times bestselling author of the Gone series

“Andrew Smith is the bravest storyteller I know. Grasshopper Jungle is the most intelligent and gripping book I’ve read in over a decade. I didn’t move for two days until I had it finished. Trust me. Pick it up right now. It’s a masterpiece.” – A. S. King, Printz Honor-winning author of Ask the Passengers and Please Ignore Vera Dietz

“Grasshopper Jungle is about the end of the world. And everything in between.” – Alex London, author of Proxy

“In Grasshopper Jungle, it’s as if Andrew Smith is somehow possessed by the ghost of Kurt Vonnegut. This book is nothing short of a brilliant, hilarious thrill-ride that is instantly infectious. But, the most beautiful thing about Grasshopper Jungle has nothing to do with the absurd or out-of-this-world. It is the deft hand by which Smith explores teenage love and sexuality that is truly breathtaking. In writing a history of the end of the world, Smith may have just made history himself.” – John Corey Whaley, Printz Award-winning author of Where Things Come Back

I enjoyed exploring adolescent confusion again!

The narration was pretty terrible, it sounds like it is done by A.I., pauses in random places that shouldn't have pauses, lack of inflection, and pretty monotone. Sorry if it really is a person, but it sounded robotic it took a lot for me to hear the story despite the narrator.

What just happened?

Be prepared for a horny teenage boy in this apocalyptic-coming-of-age story where our protagonist, Austin, is a history obsessed boy who is in love with his girlfriend and his best friend. Read the book description, it will tell you better. What I will tell you is this: 1) Read this book. Don't think about it, just do it. Cursing give you the willies? Get over it and read this book. 2) Be prepared for repetition - these are teenagers and they hear things in their heads over and over... and we're just along for the ride. 3) Laugh. Gasp. Think. and 4) Read everything else by Andrew Smith, just so you will know he's a fabulous author, but this book is so far above everything else - it's almost a little daunting.

My only drawback is listening to it - Philip Church has a pleasant voice, almost news-broadcaster-esque. It almost doesn't fit for this story, but at the end, I think I see why they chose him.

Witty unique voice

Voice of the author is unique, witty, and feels genuine of a teenage. Story is fast paced with a lovely complicated romance on the side. Loved this book!

Better Suited for a Movie

Complex character relationships andcompelling themes make for a satisfying story but it's all overshadowed by a tedious writing style, which, while comically dry and suitable, given the context, is too often repetitive and rambling. Edgar Wright's film adaptation will undoubtedly be better.

Great story, great performance

This is a punk rock style novel for obsessive kids with lots of hormones. At first, I thought the narrator was giving us a weird delivery that somehow fit, but knowing more about Andrew Smith I now believe it's just a really good presentation of somebody who falls in the highly fictional side of the Autism or ADHD spectrums.