Luke Swallow Grasshopper Jungle Review

Summer reading

1. Swallow, Luke

Grade:10

Title: Grasshopper Jungle

Author: Andrew Smith

Rating:4/5

1. Teaser: Starting in the small town of Ealing is the end of the world, as an ever-growing plague of six foot tall flesh-hungry praying mantises wreak havoc upon anything in their path. These wretched insects are created by the deadly genetically engineered MI Contained Plague Strain 412E, put into place by the crazy Dr.McKeon to unleash unstoppable soldiers-six-foot tall praying mantises who only want to eat and reproduce. Luckily for the sake of humanity the plague has been contained to the confines of Johnny McKeon’s office, until one night Austin Sczerba a young aspiring historian and his gay best friend Robby Bree’s unleash it. In merely one night the plague takes host in a pool of Robby Brees blood, making him a god to these soldiers and the only person who can stop them.

As if super man-eating bugs are not enough to deal with, Austin is sexually confused. Devastatingly, in love with both his girlfriend Shann Collins and his bestfriend Robby Brees. Austin must deal with his confusing emotions, while he tries to grasp and tell the truth of his history in the dystopia he is confined to. In addition to narrating the tragic histories of his ancestors, starting with his great-grandfather. The recollections all seem to connect him and lead him to the apocalyptic future he is living, like a spider web through time and space.