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Punkzilla

3.46 of 5 stars 3.46 · rating details · 682 ratings · 177 reviews

An award-winning writer and playwright hits the open road for a searing novel-in-letters about a street kid on a highstakes trek across America.

For a runaway boy who goes by the name "Punkzilla," kicking a meth habit and a life of petty crime in Portland, Oregon, is a prelude to a mission: reconnecting with his older brother, a gay man dying of cancer in Memphis. Against a...more

Hardcover, 244 pages

Published May 12th 2009 by Candlewick Press

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TRT's 2009 Gotta Have 'Em List! (Part 2)

79th out of 186 books — 269 voters

2010 ALA Best Books for Young Adults

60th out of 94 books — 333 voters

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Nov 07, 2012 Nancy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kids-and-teens, library-books, lgbt, cancer

I really enjoyed this story about 14-year-old Jamie’s journey from Oregon to Tennessee to see his dying older brother. Jamie’s story is told in letters – long, honest and revealing letters, mostly to and from his brother Peter. Jamie keeps his letters in a notebook that never leaves his sight, many of which are not mailed. These letters tell of his brief experience in a military academy, his demanding father and unhappy mother, his strait-laced brother, Edward, his petty thievery, drug use, ADD,...more

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Apr 28, 2010 Heather rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ala-s-best-books, ya, 2010, printz

I finished this one last night and my mental crickets are still chirping. I’m hoping writing this review will help me flesh them out. I loved the format. I’m a sucker for stories that are conveyed via letters and/or journal entries, as it leaves no room for vague. You are reading the ramblings of a characters mind, no analysis necessary. The downside to Punkzilla…his mind isn’t anywhere I would want to be. He really is a little punk, though his nickname is derived from his love of punk music, no...more I finished this one last night and my mental crickets are still chirping. I’m hoping writing this review will help me flesh them out. I loved the format. I’m a sucker for stories that are conveyed via letters and/or journal entries, as it leaves no room for vague. You are reading the ramblings of a characters mind, no analysis necessary. The downside to Punkzilla…his mind isn’t anywhere I would want to be. He really is a little punk, though his nickname is derived from his love of punk music, not because he acts like a rat bastard.

Jaime is 13 and living the life of a runaway in Portland, Oregon. He has recently been in contact with his older brother Peter, who is coincidentally dying of cancer. Peter has requested Jaime visit him in Memphis, TN before he passes and in the interim, he wants a detailed description of Jaime’s life since he ran away from Buckner, the Military School he had been banished to, thus explaining why Jaime is writing a series of letters describing his every action prior to and since going AWOL.

Through these letters we learn that Jaime suffers from ADD, along with a meth addiction and an overall lack of conscience, imo. We are also provided with the familial circumstances that caused Jaime and Peter to feel disconnected from their parents and sibling, thus resulting in their breaking from the family unit. As Jaime travels across country, the letters begin to include descriptions of his present journey along with details of his colorful past.

The letters were incredibly well written, too well written in fact, for me to believe they could be written by a 13 year old. This made Jaime’s tale seem contrived, bordering on obscene, as Rapp clearly wrote this book for shock value’s sake. That’s just disgusting, especially when you read some of Jaime’s more morally ambiguous thoughts. While I have no doubt that there are young teens that must survive in similar means, I shudder to think their favorite pastimes would be similar in taste. Nonetheless, the ending made me cry, though I attribute that to Peter, as opposed to Jaime. Peter was a truly endearing, fascinating character and I would have much preferred this story to have been told from his POV. I would give Rapp props if I felt like this book wasn’t exploitive, but I do, so I won’t. Stick to playwriting Adam Rapp, or switch to adult fiction. I'm giving this one two stars in lue of none as the letters truly were well written and would have been captivating if they had come from a character slightly older, late teens perhaps.
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Oct 14, 2010 Anthony rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: kid-lit

I must give the full disclaimer here that the author, Adam Rapp, is my older brother, but that's not going to stop me from saying that I consider this to be his richest novel yet. As always, Adam unerringly captures the voices of his narrators (the book is a series of letters, most of which are written between two brothers), but in this novel he has reached his deepest level yet of compassion for all of the flawed and courageous and terrified characters he has created. I'm thrilled for his succe...more

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Jan 18, 2010 Jamie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 14-16, drugs-and-alcohol, dysfunctional, great-use-of-language, road-trip

I've kinda found Rapp's other books to be a bit too gritty (and I like some gritty too) but this one I found just perfect. Jamie is 14 and has run away from military school and is living on the streets, basically, in Portland. As the book starts, he's coming down from some crystal meth and on his way, via Greyhound, to see his older brother before he succumbs to cancer.

I felt like I knew (or could know) these people. Mostly, I liked that the people most marginalized (other street kids, obviously...more

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Feb 17, 2010 Meaghan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: childrens-young-adult-fiction, read-in-2009, epistolary-novel

Adam Rapp hits the nail on the head again with Punkzilla. I wondered if he'd permanently lost his touch with Year of Endless Sorrow, but he's got it back. Punkzilla revists many of the things Rapp has written about in previous books: the military academy, intellectually precocious children, pedophilia, drugs, aimless wandering. The only thing missing were his gorgeous similies and believe me, I felt the loss.

The book consists of a series of letters concerning Jamie "Punkzilla," who went AWOL fro...more

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Dec 13, 2009 elissa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: youngadult, 2009favorites, drugs, my_00s_reads

4 1/2 stars. This is now my favorite book by this amazing writer, and it's knocking North of Beautiful off of my 2009favorites list. I love that Punkzilla/Jamie/James comes from a solidly middle class background, and how believable it is that he could end up on the street. Love his (literally) pain-filled road trip, and how one of the adult characters calls his own road trip a "thinking vacation". I've taken lots of those long driving trips where all you do is think, myself. I tried to start rea...more

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Dec 10, 2012 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: eng-356-shelf-2

Holy gritty ya novel! Before I start, this book is NOT for the conservative or sensitive. Jaime, a 14 yr old who goes by the name Punkzilla is a runaway in Portland, Oregon. The book is written in letter format as Jaime and his brother Peter are writing back ad forth to each other. Peter is in Tennessee and dying of cancer. Oh, and Peter is gay. One thing that really bugged me is the grit of the novel. I understand that kids that age are exploited in the same ways that Jaime was, but I felt like...more

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Oct 20, 2012 Kari rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya

14 year old Jamie- street name Punkzilla- chronicles his cross country journey to try and visit his dying older brother, Peter, through a collection of stream of consciousness style letters written on a bus, in the back seats of cars and while hiding out behind trash cans. After going AWOL from military school and spending a few months on the streets of Portland, Oregon stealing i-pods, Punkzilla hops a Greyhound bus that sets him on a journey to see the many, often seedy and grim, faces of Ame...more

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Jul 25, 2012 Carrie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Jamie, a.k.a. Punkzilla, is a runaway – a runaway from his family in Cincinnati and a runaway from Buckner Military Academy in Missouri. For several months, he’s been living quietly in Portland, but now he’s on the run again. This time, though, he’s not so much running away from something as he is running to something. Jamie is on the run to see his brother, Peter, in Memphis. As soon as Jamie found out his brother was dying from cancer, he hopped on a Greyhound bus and headed east. But, then he...more Jamie, a.k.a. Punkzilla, is a runaway – a runaway from his family in Cincinnati and a runaway from Buckner Military Academy in Missouri. For several months, he’s been living quietly in Portland, but now he’s on the run again. This time, though, he’s not so much running away from something as he is running to something. Jamie is on the run to see his brother, Peter, in Memphis. As soon as Jamie found out his brother was dying from cancer, he hopped on a Greyhound bus and headed east. But, then he was jumped and robbed in a rest area bathroom. Now, the bus has left without him, and Jamie only has the $16 that was hidden in his sock. To get to Memphis, he will have to rely on the kindness of strangers. There’s Sam, the genius kid who loves to play the game Snake. There’s Dale or Dan or Dave (whatever his name is) and the old woman with the leaky eye. There’s Lewis, the transgendered guy living in a motel. Then, there’s Kent, the young old man who takes Jamie through Nebraska, Iowa, and Illinois only to abandon him at a hotel. As Jamie travels, he writes about his journey in letters to his brother, letters he hopes to show Peter when he gets to Memphis… if there’s still time.

I can’t honestly say that I enjoyed this book, nor do I understand why it was a Printz Honor Book. First, it’s written in a stream of consciousness style – the main character writes down everything he thinks as he thinks it. This means that stories are jumbled, thoughts jump back and forth, and ideas are disorganized. At times, this made the story very confusing! Second, the main character did not get very far in school and didn’t do well when he did attend. This lack of education is clear in his writing; it lacks a great deal of punctuation and his grammar is poor. This, too, serves to make the stories he tells confusing… and writers purposefully using poor English is a major pet peeve of mine! Finally, I think I didn’t like the story because I just didn’t like the plot. For one thing, I just didn’t find Jamie’s journey across the U.S. to be that interesting. Also, I don’t think the idea of a 14-year-old boy getting picked up by stranger after stranger after stranger, with no one calling the police, is realistic. I just don’t buy it. I don’t think so many strangers would be willing to pick up a random teen, and I don’t think a teen could get rides with so many “nice” people. I would like to say, “But at least _______ was really good,” but I can’t say there was a part of the book that I was really impressed with. Like I said, not sure where the Award Committee was going with this pick.

Loved it? NO! Liked it? Not really. Hated it? I wouldn’t say that. There aren’t many books that I would write off totally… and this book did win an award, so someone must see some merit to it. I think it is almost certainly a “boy book” appropriate for high school-age students. I’ll put it on my bookshelf at school, but I won't put it at the top of my recommendation list.(less)

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Feb 07, 2012 April Helms rated it 1 of 5 stars

I really didn't care for this book at all. I will admit, the writing style is good. It's stream of conscious, but still easy to follow. It's also short (a good thing because another 40-50 pages I'm not sure I would have bothered finishing it.) But the biggest problem I have with it is that the main character, 14-year-old Jamie (aka Punkzilla) isn't all that likeable. I understand this is YA lit, and the protagonists aren't supposed to be angels. That's fine. I don't mind controversial material i...more

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Aug 24, 2011 Christina G rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-ya-ya, queer-fiction

4.5 stars, rounding up to 5. I really adored this one - "Punkzilla" (AKA Jamie) has to be one of the most relatable characters I've found in YA fiction. The bulk of the book is in the form of letters from the young gutterpunk to his dying older brother, and the honesty in these letters is both gritty and beautiful.

Punkzilla is sometimes sexist, homophobic, transphobic, and racist, but (1), I think it makes the 14 y/o boy all the more believable and (2), his stereotypes were challenged right and...more

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Jul 27, 2011 Allison Greene rated it 2 of 5 stars

Punkzilla is a book that many teens would relate to or be able to learn from. Troubled teens and those who feel isolated (don’t they all?) will relate to the struggles of Jamie by reading his letters to his brother. However, while I was reading it, I felt like it was more of a diary than letters. Details of all his events were written down and it was more personal than a letter to a brother would be. Ultimately, Jamie is on two ‘adventures’. One is the road-trip of a boy running away, and the ot...more

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Jul 19, 2011 Lori Spadea rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really liked the way this book was written in letters. It made the switch from points of view feel natural and easy to follow. The letters were very raw. Jamie (Punkzilla) was 14 but had seen much more than most 14 year olds. I understood why his parents sent him to military school. He was definitely headed down a very bad path. His mom seemed a decent enough person. He seemed to really love her. The way he worried that about how he was upsetting her by being gone showed his love and concern f...more I really liked the way this book was written in letters. It made the switch from points of view feel natural and easy to follow. The letters were very raw. Jamie (Punkzilla) was 14 but had seen much more than most 14 year olds. I understood why his parents sent him to military school. He was definitely headed down a very bad path. His mom seemed a decent enough person. He seemed to really love her. The way he worried that about how he was upsetting her by being gone showed his love and concern for her. His father was very militant. He treated their mom badly and it really effected the boys. Punk had 2 brothers 1 was at home and a high military achiever, the other had left home at 23 after coming out to his family as gay. The family was very unaccepting and he had left home. Punk was a completely different story. He had made bad choices and begun steeling and doing drugs so his parents had sent him to military school,which actually did seem to be in his best interest. Military school didn't prove to be such a good choice for him because he was not a tough guy and couldn't cut the mustard. He was scared and somewhat of a failure despite his best attempts. His father, mother, and brother Edward were coming for parents weekend, so he left (went AWOL, ran away) and became a runaway homeless kid. At first he hitchhiked and had some bad experiences (the first man being a child molester). Eventually, Punk ended up in Portland in a hotel for homeless kids, on his own. He describes how he stole things for a boss who sold the items and gave him money. He had some friends that were as messed up, or worse than he was. His other brother, Peter, wrote him a letter and asked him to come to Memphis because he was dying, so he set out to get to his dying brother.
Seems simple enough, his brother gave him money for a bus but he got jumped. Over the next few months, he tries everything he can to get to his brother. The journey is hard and nothing that a 14 year old should ever have to go through. The end of the story is bittersweet. I couldn't put this book down, I was so concerned for Punk and his brother Peter. I liked the writing style a lot. There was definitely some inappropriate language and situations, not appropriate for middle school, maybe high school. Definitely earned its award!(less)

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May 19, 2011 Cheryl Clark rated it 3 of 5 stars

Jamie has gone AWOL from the military school his domineering father and passive mother sent him to and ended up in Portland, Oregon. Hanging out with thieves and whores, he decides to go visit his older brother who is dying of cancer. During his trip cross country, he runs across a variety of people, some who show him generosity and some who take advantage of him.
I didn't like this book. The mood was rather gloomy, and I just don't like books about kids who are into drugs, robbery, and sex. I un...more

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Feb 12, 2011 Sharon rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, printz-award, realistic-fiction

It's odd because recently I was trying to think of a teen book I had read that had a stream-of-consciousness style, and then I unknowingly picked up this Printz honor book, which definitely has done that style, and done it in a very effective and moving way. I tend to really like epistolary books, and this was not an exception. Jamie/Punkzilla's road trip across the seedier side of America after leaving a military academy, told mostly in letters to his older brother who is terminally ill, is con...more

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Jun 27, 2010 Sean rated it 3 of 5 stars

Punkzilla (Jamie) is on a journey from Portland to Memphis to visit his brother before he dies of cancer. The book takes the form of his journal written in a notebook and interspersed are letters from family and friends. Turns out that Punkzilla has a crazy past, from getting sent to military school, to running away to Portland and becoming a full-time thief and living a lifestyle that includes being practically homeless and doing meth.

His journey is just as crazy as he meets some very undesirea...more

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Jan 25, 2010 Ashley rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: printz-honor

I really don't know how to rate this book, or what to say about it. I'm torn. I don't feel like it's a book that I could recommend to many people, but at the same time the writing was very well done. The voice of the main character- Jamie/Punkzilla was very strong and very real. There wasn't a whole lot I could relate to- I'm not, and have never been/never will be a wacky, stoner, 14 yr old boy with a crappy life living on the streets, but I felt that I was as connected to this character as is p...more

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Aug 30, 2009 Sherrie rated it 4 of 5 stars

This new YA novel is the gripping story of 14 year old Jaime (known as Punkzilla, or P. to his friends) after he runs away from military school and travels across the country to see his dying older brother in Memphis. His brother is estranged from the rest of the family due to his homosexuality, but Punkzilla has a close connection with him and is racing to see him before his expected death to advanced cancer. The story is told in a series of letters from Punkzilla to his brother, some of which...more

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Aug 08, 2009 Ryan Mishap rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: novel

Anything with "punk" in it always grabs my eye at the library, so I picked this up as the jacket said that 14 year old Jamie (Punkzilla) writes letters to his brother--who is dying of cancer--while riding the Greyhound from Portland to Memphis. This book will get tons of shit if "concerned parents" ever get a hold of it.
Jamie starts by saying how burnt out he is because they did meth last night, then he tells about life in Portland: robbing joggers for their Ipods, getting handjobs from Buckto...more

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Jun 06, 2009 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

Written as a series of long, descriptive letters, PUNKZILLA tells the story of a fourteen-year-old on a cross-country journey to visit his dying older brother.

Jamie (Punkzilla) is AWOL from military school. His father, a retired Major, convinced his mother that Buckner Military Academy would straighten out their youngest son. Jamie is the first to admit he was out-of-control. His ADD - combined with meth, pot, and drinking - had tur...more Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

Written as a series of long, descriptive letters, PUNKZILLA tells the story of a fourteen-year-old on a cross-country journey to visit his dying older brother.

Jamie (Punkzilla) is AWOL from military school. His father, a retired Major, convinced his mother that Buckner Military Academy would straighten out their youngest son. Jamie is the first to admit he was out-of-control. His ADD - combined with meth, pot, and drinking - had turned him into a punk. But Buckner is way more than he can handle with its emphasis on morning drills and athletic competitions; it's just not who he is.

As Punkzilla boards a Greyhound bus heading from Portland, Oregon, to Memphis, Tennessee, he begins writing letters in a notebook. The letters are addressed to his twenty-seven-year-old brother now dying of cancer.

Through the letters, readers learn about family tensions that began when Peter announced he was gay and then left to pursue a career as an actor and playwright. This left middle son, Edward, and youngest son, Jamie, at home with a demanding father and an emotional mother. A few scattered letters from these other family members help fill in the gaps in Jamie's tale.

One colorful letter after another reveals cross-country adventures as Punkzilla first travels by bus and then hitches rides with one disturbing character after another. Some encounters are helpful and kind, while others are downright creepy and dangerous. Through the letters is Punkzilla's attempt to make sense of his past and come to terms with who he has become. He has very little idea about his future other than his determination to reach Memphis before the death of his beloved brother.

Author Adam Rapp has created a world where readers will live vicariously through Punkzilla's letters. The world he paints is harsh and unpleasant with tiny hints of hope and kindness. Readers will appreciate the difficult life of the road as they follow Punkzilla from Portland to Memphis.

At times I was frustrated with Punkzilla's actions and choices, but I was drawn to him and remained committed to find out if he arrived in time to say goodbye to Peter.

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Sep 24, 2010 Ringo The Cat rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, ya

Even though Punkzilla received the Michael L. Printz award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature from the ALA, I was completely new to Adam Rapp and the reputation that preceded him. I didn’t have any expectations about this novel (thematically or otherwise), which I think is the best way to approach it if you really want to be smitten with it as I was.
The first thing that came to my mind was that it’s like reading a teenage version of Kerouac’s On the road. But then, I don’t actually like O...more Even though Punkzilla received the Michael L. Printz award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature from the ALA, I was completely new to Adam Rapp and the reputation that preceded him. I didn’t have any expectations about this novel (thematically or otherwise), which I think is the best way to approach it if you really want to be smitten with it as I was.
The first thing that came to my mind was that it’s like reading a teenage version of Kerouac’s On the road. But then, I don’t actually like On the road very much, or at least I think it’s a widely overrated book that you can probably only fully appreciate when you are (or have been) in a certain… state of mind. Punkzilla on the other hand can be read, and enjoyed by just about anyone with a bit of a heart and soul.
The premise of the book is actually quite mundane in the world of YA-fiction: dysfunctional teen Jamie (‘Punkzilla’) doesn’t fit in at home, is sent away to Military School by his father, a retired Major, and consequently goes AWOL because of the strict regime he can’t cope with. He ends up in Portland, Oregon (not Maine), and starts stealing his way through life, mostly iPods. One of the people he encounters in the book even asks him if he’s “one of them Fagan boys”. So yes, the theme is as old as any Dickensian novel.
The big appeal of this book, and the way it clearly distinguishes itself, lies in the style Adam Rapp uses. Just like The Perks of Being a Wallflower, this book is an epistolary novel, a genre with obvious limitations. Rapp, however, cleverly tries to overcome these by playing with the chronology of the book, but – more importantly – by giving each letter writer a clear voice and an individual writing style. The Major’s style is predictably strict and stern; Jamie’s mom’s letter are quite momsy; etc. However, the standout voice clearly has to be Jamie’s, whose stream-of-consciousness confessions and rants just jump off the page with their innocent candor. Now, innocent, is not how you would describe the events that lead to Jamie’s current state of mind: he’s a pre-pubescent ADD meth-taking potsmoker, and yet… his voice is truthful and sincere, his words are never ironical and he yet has to reach that phase of self-absorbed teen cynicism.
After staying in Portland for a couple of months, Jamie decides to visit his brother P in Memphis, who confesses in one of his letters that he’s dying of cancer. This decision leads to a road trip across America’s underbelly, as we stumble upon society’s throwaways in seedy motels, Greyhound stations, and roadside restrooms. In this world of transsexuals and amateur-photographers Rapp tries to capture the transitory nature of human encounters.
Punkzilla is never another bleak house –to stay with the Dickensian references. It is a deeply emotional and even hopeful book. Most of the outcasts we meet may have lost nearly everything, but during their chance meeting with Jamie they may at least have found integrity.
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Feb 01, 2010 Nick rated it 4 of 5 stars

This story is told in a series of letters in Jamie's notebook, filling up with stories of his travels as he makes the cross-country trip from Portland to see his older brother in Memphis. He fears that he may not make it in time to speak to his brother, Pete who is dying of cancer. But the bigger concern may be Jamie himself, who, we learn has been living on the streets of Portland, has developed a Meth habit, and has lost touch with his parents after leaving military school. Jamie's vaguely fem...more

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May 06, 2013 Dani rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: cancer, anything-to-do-with-death, books-i-own, drugs-involved, family-problems, normal-characters-life-and-problems

When I first bought this book at a school sale, I had no idea of the content, and once I started reading I thought the author was absolutely nuts for writing this. But after I got into it, the book wasn't half bad. I, being a softy, was sad at the end when the brother died and Jamie didn't even get to talk to him. I felt bad for Jorge, who had to live with Peter while he faded away.

All of the abnormal characters in this book really freaked me out at first. I'm in health class at school and we l...more

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Jan 23, 2010 Terri rated it 5 of 5 stars

"Punkzilla" is a 2010 Honor Book for the Michael L. Printz Award for
excellence in Young Adult Literature.

Fourteen year old Jamie, aka "Punkzilla," has gone AWOL from the military boarding school he was sent to by his conservative, militaristic father and his ineffectual mother - in the hopes that he will shape up. From there he ends up in Portland, Oregon, living in a boarding house, one step from homelessness. The book is comprised of a series of letters that Jamie begins when he embarks on a...more

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Jul 09, 2010 Vicki rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-literature

Jamie, AKA Punkzilla is traveling across the United States from Portland, Oregon to Memphis, Tennessee to visit his brother. Jamie is a troubled teen who was sent to military school by his parents. He escapes the school in search of his estranged homomsexual older brother Peter. Peter is living in Memphis with his lover Jorge. Peter is dying of cancer and does not have a lot of time. The story is told through a series of letters from Jamie to Peter, which Peter writes in a notebook that he takes...more

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May 21, 2012 Allison rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-realism

"For a runaway boy who goes by the name "Punkzilla," kicking a meth habit and a life of petty crime in Portland, Oregon, is a prelude to a mission: reconnecting with his older brother, a gay man dying of cancer in Memphis. Against a backdrop of seedy motels, dicey bus stations, and hitched rides, the desperate fourteen-year-old meets a colorful, sometimes dangerous cast of characters. And in letters to his sibling, he catalogs them all — from an abusive stranger and a ghostly girl to a kind tran...more

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May 24, 2011 Mary rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a Printz honor book from 2010. When reading the summary, I knew this would be a different style of writing but was looking forward to the change of scenery.
There are no chapters; the story is told by letters – present and past. Jamie, aka Punkzilla, is a 14 year old boy who goes AWOL from military school and randomly ends up in Portland. He is ADD, struggles to survive and is even mistaken for a girl at times. He survives with drugs, foul language/sex, and stealing. Months later he find...more

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Dec 27, 2010 Rosalia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, boy-reads, realistic-fiction, printz-award-honor, young-adult

This was a very gritty read. Punkzilla is a kid named Jamie trying to make his way to Memphis to see his brother before he dies of cancer. The book is written in epistolary. Mostly it's letters that Jamie is writing to Peter but there are also letters from his parents and other brother Edward and a few other select people. He's been living on the streets since he ran away from a military academy his parents sent him to. Neither of the boys get along with their father. When Jamie lives on the str...more

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Dec 23, 2009 Jackie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: coming-of-age, death, grief, identity, homelessness, runaways, ya-fiction, written-in-letter-form, drugs, printz-honor-book

Jamie, aka Punkzilla, 14 is a runaway on a mission. He needs to get from Portland, Oregon to Memphis, Tennessee before his 27 year-old brother, Peter dies from cancer. Jamie's dad, Major, a military minded father, and his mother have created a home life full of strict and unreasonable rules. After they send him to a military school, Punkzilla escapes and hits the road, unaware of his brother's cancer at this time. When he hears from Peter, he finds out that Peter is sick. Trying desperately to g...more

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Apr 13, 2013 Megan Mann rated it 5 of 5 stars

Jamie, or as he more prefers to be called Punkzilla, has had an interesting life in the last six months. He's run away from Buckner Military Academy after realizing it wasn't the place for him and has managed to hitchhike his way all the way to Portland. At the tender age of fourteen, this could be dangerous. He's had strange drivers that lead to stranger experiences, but he made it to where he wanted to go.

Now after months of going AWOL, he receives a letter from his brother Peter urging him to...more

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About Adam Rapp

Adam Rapp says that when he was working on his chilling, compulsively readable young adult novel 33 SNOWFISH, he was haunted by several questions. Among them: "When we have nowhere to go, who do we turn to? Why are we sometimes drawn to those who are deeply troubled? How far do we have to run before we find new possibilities?"

At once harrowing and hypnotic, 33 SNOWFISH--which was nominated as a Be...more Adam Rapp says that when he was working on his chilling, compulsively readable young adult novel 33 SNOWFISH, he was haunted by several questions. Among them: "When we have nowhere to go, who do we turn to? Why are we sometimes drawn to those who are deeply troubled? How far do we have to run before we find new possibilities?"

At once harrowing and hypnotic, 33 SNOWFISH--which was nominated as a Best Book for Young Adults by the American Library Association--follows three troubled young people on the run in a stolen car with a kidnapped baby in tow. With the language of the street and lyrical prose, Adam Rapp hurtles the reader into the world of lost children, a world that is not for the faint of heart. His narration captures the voices of two damaged souls (a third speaks only through drawings) to tell a story of alienation, deprivation, and ultimately, the saving power of compassion. "For those readers who are ready to be challenged by a serious work of shockingly realistic fiction," notes SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, "it invites both an emotional and intellectual response, and begs to be discussed."

Adam Rapp’s first novel, MISSING THE PIANO, was named a Best Book for Young Adults as well as a Best Book for Reluctant Readers by the American Library Association. His subsequent titles include THE BUFFALO TREE, THE COPPER ELEPHANT, and LITTLE CHICAGO, which was chosen as a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age. The author’s raw, stream-of-consciousness writing style has earned him critical acclaim. "Rapp’s prose is powerful, graphic and haunting," says SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL. [He] writes in an earthy but adept language," says KIRKUS REVIEWS. "Takes a mesmerizing hold on the reader," adds HORN BOOK MAGAZINE.

In addition to being a novelist, Adam Rapp is also an accomplished and award-winning playwright. His plays--including NOCTURNE, ANIMALS AND PLANTS, BLACKBIRD, and STONE COLD DEAD SERIOUS--have been produced by the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the New York Theatre Workshop, and the Bush Theatre in London, among other venues.

Born and raised in Chicago, the novelist and playwright now lives in New York City.
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