Smith, A. (2014). Grasshopper jungle: A history. New York, NY: Dutton Books.
Austin Szerba lives in an uneventful town named Ealing, Iowa; the only thing that is remotely entertaining there is an old mall that has been used by Austin and his friend Robby as a skate park. Unfortunately, it isn't only occupied by Austin and Robby, but also by a few bullies who beat up Robby and leave some of his blood on the strip mall ground and some of their belongings on the mall roof. When Austin, Robby and Austin's girlfriend Shann go to reclaim their belongings they go into a store that has a lot of abandoned creatures in weird jars that once shattered begin to form into very dangerous, and horny, praying mantis. When Shann finds a secret message in her room, they all go to a bunker that protects humans unaffected by the outbreak. They find a few tapes regarding the outbreak, but are missing some, so Austin and Robby are sent to go and find them. Through the tapes they discover that they can stop the creatures through Robby's blood, since it was his blood from the mall that created the, but when they go onto extracting it and putting them in paint-balls they discover that it is too late for them, the praying mantis' have repopulated. They are stuck underground and only leave during winter months to search for resources.
This novel is an extremely interesting sci-fi apocalyptic journey into the unknown. I believe that many students will enjoy the adventure they are thrown into in the hopes that Ealing can be saved. There are some themes that would need to be addressed in this novel such as the sexual desires felt by Austin, but this is something that can be shared with students in high school rather than middle school and under.
I rate this book a 4 out of 5 stars!
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