Hi my dear readers!
The other author present at the Colorado Teen Literature Conference was Andrew Smith. Like with Wendelin Van Draanen, we were asked to read a book by Smith so that we would be prepared to meet at the conference. (Andrew Smith is nothing like I imagined. I expected a somewhat young and hip author; this video interview actually shows what he's really like. It's awesome.)
The book I picked for the Smith selection was Grasshopper Jungle. The premise is that the world is going to end due to giant preying mantises, but there's this high school love triangle that is taking place that is waaay more interesting than the mantises. Everything is over the top, from body odor to what girls think of guys. It was a fun read that I read in a single day.
In group, we got to talking about why this book made so many waves in the YA market. We decided it was because Grasshopper Jungle is so over the top and in your face about everything. One of the things that came up was wondering if Smith drew from his students for this book. Like, did he take all of the drama that they deal with and make it into this exaggerated narrative. It worked, if that was the case. All of us agreed that the book was humorous and a great read.
The only criticism we had for it was the ending. None of us liked how the story ended.
I would recommend Grasshopper Jungle for high school students and beyond. There is a little bit of crude and graphic stuff in it, but not enough to ruin the story. It will have you cracking up and I highly recommend it.
~Meaghan
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