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Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith
February 11, 2014
Dutton Juvenile
Website | Twitter | Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository
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.
First Sentence: “I read somewhere that humans are genetically predisposed to record history.”
Words to describe Grasshopper Jungle: Fucked up, immensely funny, extremely crude, and weirdly entertaining.
Grasshopper Jungle essentially follows three stories that are woven into each other: 1. Austin Szerba and his best friend going about their day in regular, boring Ealing, Iowa (where the former tries to deal with his mounting horniness for his best friend and his girlfriend, Shann), unbeknownst that they brought about the end of humanity; 2. the history of Austin’s Polish ancestors and how they got to Ealing; and 3. the adventures of an army of six-foot praying mantises that have invaded Ealing with the intention of killing, eating, and procreating.
I loved it in the “oh god, what am I reading? Oh god, that’s disgusting. Why can’t I look away? Why can’t I put this down?” It’s so unique both in content and the way it’s written. So so crude. I couldn’t stop devouring it. It was just so honest and an excellent change-up from the usually YA stories I’ve read, and I appreciated it.
Warning: This isn’t for the faint of hearts or people who don’t like crudeness. It’s disturbing, disgusting, and just plain awesome.
Six Reasons Why I Loved Grasshopper Jungle
Inspired by What She Reads, Pure Imagination Blog, and Stacked.
I admit I’m a book cover snob. Who isn’t though?
Book covers are the first thing that attracts readers to a book. A good cover can draw someone is, just as a bad cover can easily draw someone away. It can essentially make or break a book. Holy, Mother Cover! is where I showcase the book covers that stand out (or make me cringe), and discuss cover changes.
(A big special thanks to Georgie at What She Reads for bestowing me this fabulous name and to Charlotte at The Simple Tales for creating the beautiful feature banner you see before you.)
COVER CHANGE: Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith
This cover definitely catches my eye. It has those two lines, illustrating the antennas of the praying mantis, and a bright green coloring that covers the entire jacket. It’s not every day that you see a bright green cover like that. It just demands your attention. I’m always struck by how my eyes can’t seem to look away. There’s nothing much to look at, but it weirdly mesmerize me. Although it’s very simple and straightforward, it’s completely unique and kind of creepy.
The only thing I don’t really like is the font for the title and author name. I just feel like it’s kind of dated and not fit within this bold cover. (I think I’m associating these bubble letters with my childhood and how I overused it a lot. Ha.)
Would I buy this book based on the cover? Why not?
Yeah, you no longer have that bright hardcover design, but this paperback cover has a pretty awesome redesign; one that I love. It really illustrates what this book will bring you, and that is praying mantises. I love the illustration of the praying mantises and the cutout effect of the letters. I especially love that the praying mantis’ forelegs break out from inside the letters; it looks as if it’s getting ready to jump out of the cover and attack you. It fits so perfectly.
I wonder if the blurb from Rolling Stone is really framed like that on the book. I’m bothered that it’s too much to the left. It’s so glaring. Just center it, people!
Would I buy this book based on the cover? YES. A MILLION TIMES TBH.
Final Verdict: Hard decision! Ultimately, I’d pick the paperback.
Which cover design do you prefer? Would you buy the hardcover or paperback cover?
Waiting On is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.
Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith
February 11, 2014
Dutton Juvenile
Website | Twitter | Goodreads
Pre-order: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository
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.
Why I’m waiting?
I would never imagine in a million years that I would be intrigued by a book with bugs in it. I’ve read snippets of people’s reviews, saying that this is written bizarrely and I am strangely excited to see how it affects the story! Also, I loved this part: He’s stewing in a self-professed constant state of maximum horniness, directed at both Robby and Shann. Ahhhh. Yay to exploring sexuality!
What books are you waiting for?
