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Grasshopper Jungle #2
Exile from Eden: Or, After the Hole
From New York Times bestselling author Andrew Smith comes the stunning, long-awaited sequel to the groundbreaking Printz Honor Book Grasshopper Jungle.
It’s been sixteen years since an army of horny, hungry, six-foot-tall praying mantises forced Arek’s family underground and into the hole where he was born; it’s the only home he’s ever known. But now, post-end-of-the-world, the army of horny, hungry praying mantises might finally be dying out, and Arek’s ready to leave the hole for good.
All he has are mysterious letters from Breakfast, a naked, wild boy traveling the countryside with his silent companion, Olive. Together, Arek and his best friend Mel, who stowed away in his van, navigate their way through the ravaged remains of the outside world.
This long-awaited sequel to the irreverent, groundbreaking Printz Honor Book Grasshopper Jungle is stunning, compelling, and even more hilarious and beautifully bizarre than its predecessor.
It’s been sixteen years since an army of horny, hungry, six-foot-tall praying mantises forced Arek’s family underground and into the hole where he was born; it’s the only home he’s ever known. But now, post-end-of-the-world, the army of horny, hungry praying mantises might finally be dying out, and Arek’s ready to leave the hole for good.
All he has are mysterious letters from Breakfast, a naked, wild boy traveling the countryside with his silent companion, Olive. Together, Arek and his best friend Mel, who stowed away in his van, navigate their way through the ravaged remains of the outside world.
This long-awaited sequel to the irreverent, groundbreaking Printz Honor Book Grasshopper Jungle is stunning, compelling, and even more hilarious and beautifully bizarre than its predecessor.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published September 24, 2019
40 people are currently reading
1111 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Smith
19 books1,703 followersAndrew Smith is the author of Winger, Grasshopper Jungle, The Alex Crow, 100 Sideways Miles, and Rabbit & Robot, among others. Exile from Eden: Or, After the Hole, the long-awaited sequel to Grasshopper Jungle, is coming from Simon & Schuster on September 24, 2019.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 146 reviews
September 28, 2019
This was not what I was expecting the sequel to Grasshopper Jungle to be, and that made it so much better. The scale of this book felt smaller and much more personal. It felt like climbing out of a hole myself.
Want to read
January 25, 2019HOW DID I NOT KNOW A SEQUEL TO MY FAVOURITE BOOK WAS COMING OUT
I AM SUCH A FAKE FAN WOW
I AM SUCH A FAKE FAN WOW
May 29, 2019
every time Austin and Robby were mentioned I started ugly baby crying
June 3, 2019
1. I still love austin and robby
2. the themes wrapped up in this coming of age story didn’t personally hit as hard as the themes from GJ. ymmv
3. andrew smith... can’t write women. mel is the most one-dimensional manic pixie dream girl I think I’ve ever read and shann’s character was absolutely obliterated from who she was in GJ. and I deeply hated both of those things
2. the themes wrapped up in this coming of age story didn’t personally hit as hard as the themes from GJ. ymmv
3. andrew smith... can’t write women. mel is the most one-dimensional manic pixie dream girl I think I’ve ever read and shann’s character was absolutely obliterated from who she was in GJ. and I deeply hated both of those things
March 15, 2019
So, you know how you're reading a book and you're so wrapped up in it that everything is lovely and then you get to the end and you're sad it's over and then it's the next morning and you're all like, "Wait. Wait. I have questions." but you're still madly in love with what you read? Yeah, that's me right now. But the questions are, I think, part of the experience.
This is not as bizarre and surreal as Grasshopper Jungle, though it has its moments. It is, in many ways, a smaller, more intimate and personal story, even while it is about expanding one's world and breaking the rules that limit one's life. I love Arek and Mel and Breakfast (both the character and the meal, to be honest) and Olive. (Oh, Olive. You were not what I expected you to be and I love you for it.)
Grasshopper Jungle broke the world. Exile from Eden explores the aftermath of that breaking and the beginnings of the healing. And now I want a third book about what comes after the aftermath.
This is not as bizarre and surreal as Grasshopper Jungle, though it has its moments. It is, in many ways, a smaller, more intimate and personal story, even while it is about expanding one's world and breaking the rules that limit one's life. I love Arek and Mel and Breakfast (both the character and the meal, to be honest) and Olive. (Oh, Olive. You were not what I expected you to be and I love you for it.)
Grasshopper Jungle broke the world. Exile from Eden explores the aftermath of that breaking and the beginnings of the healing. And now I want a third book about what comes after the aftermath.
May 21, 2019
Great sequel, maybe even better than the first book. I remember really liking the story, but wishing that Smith was better at writing about women, since Shann really disappears in the book. I think there was space, both in GJ and in the sequel to have a better understanding of Austin's desire/love for both Robby and Shann and how that changes over time for each person. Instead this book reveals that Shann basically hates Austin b/c he loves and wants to be with Robby, so while Austin and Robby's relationship strengthens, Austin and Shann don't really interact at all, except for one scene where Shann slaps Austin for taking Arek without telling anyone. After that it feels like Shann disappears, which is a missed opportunity.
I loved the book for the moments where readers see Austin and Robby still in love, getting married, and as fathers to young Arek. Smith does a great job in narrating what happens after Austin, Robby, Shann and the others find themselves locked in a bunker after the apocalypse of the Unstoppable Soldiers, but showing through the eyes of new narrators, Arek and Breakfast, what has become of the world, and from a lens of someone who hasn't had the same social conditioning most folks in America grow up experiencing.
Although I was somewhat disappointed in Smith, yet again sidestepping the women in the story, I did feel somewhat appeased that he writes Mel, a 'new human' as a woman who doesn't think that bodies are something to be ashamed of, that she couldn't do whatever she wants, or wear whatever she wants, are be as in charge of exploring the outside world as Arek. I was disappointed that Shann falls to the background as just a bitter barely there mother figure who hates Austin and Robby for being supportive partners. I think it's a missed opportunity to show a 'new world' kind of relationship where one person doesn't have to own another, and more than two people can be in love, in a relationship, and that's okay. I would have loved for Shann to have been represented in opposition to her mother Wendy (one whose rigid religious beliefs and 1950's era social conditioning make her a figure of fear in the novel) as an open, caring, and more resilient person.
Still, I really enjoyed the book, and was glad that Mel overcame one of the last vestiges of American misogyny and 'national pride.' That Sergeant Stuart was disgusting, just wish Smith had written in a scene for him to get eaten by a bug.
I loved the book for the moments where readers see Austin and Robby still in love, getting married, and as fathers to young Arek. Smith does a great job in narrating what happens after Austin, Robby, Shann and the others find themselves locked in a bunker after the apocalypse of the Unstoppable Soldiers, but showing through the eyes of new narrators, Arek and Breakfast, what has become of the world, and from a lens of someone who hasn't had the same social conditioning most folks in America grow up experiencing.
Although I was somewhat disappointed in Smith, yet again sidestepping the women in the story, I did feel somewhat appeased that he writes Mel, a 'new human' as a woman who doesn't think that bodies are something to be ashamed of, that she couldn't do whatever she wants, or wear whatever she wants, are be as in charge of exploring the outside world as Arek. I was disappointed that Shann falls to the background as just a bitter barely there mother figure who hates Austin and Robby for being supportive partners. I think it's a missed opportunity to show a 'new world' kind of relationship where one person doesn't have to own another, and more than two people can be in love, in a relationship, and that's okay. I would have loved for Shann to have been represented in opposition to her mother Wendy (one whose rigid religious beliefs and 1950's era social conditioning make her a figure of fear in the novel) as an open, caring, and more resilient person.
Still, I really enjoyed the book, and was glad that Mel overcame one of the last vestiges of American misogyny and 'national pride.' That Sergeant Stuart was disgusting, just wish Smith had written in a scene for him to get eaten by a bug.
May 15, 2019
Andrew Smith writes teenage boys authentically and unapologetically, which is why I return to his works again and again. His characters are unabashedly male without any of the machismo or societal expectations of what masculinity should look like. Exile from Eden is no exception - this takes place 17 years after Grasshopper Jungle, and follows Arek and Mel, two 16 year olds who have grown up in Eden, or “the hole” - aka the bunker from Grasshopper Jungle. When Arek’s dads leave on one of their excursions and don’t come back, Arek and Mel steal an RV and escape the hole, starting on a cross-country journey to find Arek’s dads. We also follow Breakfast, a wild boy obsessed with collecting money and being naked, and Olive, a girl who doesn’t speak but terrifies the giant praying mantises still roaming the world.
On the surface, this is an action-packed survival story with plenty of farting, swearing (“Fuckbuckets!”), oozing bodily fluids, and thoughts on the current state of Arek’s penis. However, the book insightfully examines the various “holes” and cages in our life, and how fear can keep us in the hole. It also delves into the stories Arek tells himself and others as he tries to reconstruct the pre-hole world through the limited model of Eden he grew up with and the ruins he stumbles across. He examines how other people told their own stories pre- and post-hole - fixating especially on Max Beckmann’s paintings and how his experiences with WWI and WWII impacted how he portrayed himself on canvas.
Fans of Grasshopper Jungle will be thrilled with this return to Eden. The story hints at change coming for this post-hole world, and there were several unanswered questions and hanging plot threads I’d love to see wrapped up in another book. However, the story is satisfying on its own and was a joy to read. I can not recommend this highly enough. Perfect for fans of Shaun David Hutchinson, A.S King, and anything just a little whacky and bizarre.
On the surface, this is an action-packed survival story with plenty of farting, swearing (“Fuckbuckets!”), oozing bodily fluids, and thoughts on the current state of Arek’s penis. However, the book insightfully examines the various “holes” and cages in our life, and how fear can keep us in the hole. It also delves into the stories Arek tells himself and others as he tries to reconstruct the pre-hole world through the limited model of Eden he grew up with and the ruins he stumbles across. He examines how other people told their own stories pre- and post-hole - fixating especially on Max Beckmann’s paintings and how his experiences with WWI and WWII impacted how he portrayed himself on canvas.
Fans of Grasshopper Jungle will be thrilled with this return to Eden. The story hints at change coming for this post-hole world, and there were several unanswered questions and hanging plot threads I’d love to see wrapped up in another book. However, the story is satisfying on its own and was a joy to read. I can not recommend this highly enough. Perfect for fans of Shaun David Hutchinson, A.S King, and anything just a little whacky and bizarre.
October 16, 2019
WILD MOTHERFUCKER !
May 14, 2020
This was probably somewhere between a 3.5-3.8 I vacillated for a long time between giving this a 4 or 3 stars (give me the halves, Goodreads!). Most of the book was engaging, well-written, sharp, an enjoyable read. It's the kind of book that has multiple perspectives on it, which makes me eagerly wait until the perspectives are joined so that I can see what the meeting reveals about the story or how things change drastically when the stories finally come together. This book REALLY fumbles at that point. The stories join up and it's kind of like, "Oh cool, you're here." It left enough of a bad taste in my mouth that I'm leaning towards the 3.
Exile is the sequel to perhaps the weirdest book I've ever read, Grasshopper Jungle, but it is much less weird. It mostly follows conventional tropes of the post-apocalyptic genre and actually plays it safer and tamer than other works in the genre. It wouldn't truly be a sequel to Grasshopper Jungle without obsessing over the horniness of a boy in puberty, but again this aspect is downplayed from its predecessor and seems much tamer in comparison. All this tameness doesn't make the book less interesting than the first thanks to snappy dialogue, fun motifs throughout the book, and a clever exploration of how an imaginative, art-obsessed teenager would piece together our world from random artifacts discovered after its collapse.
Y'know what? After thinking through how entertained I was throughout the bulk of the book (and not just its incredibly anticlimactic ending), I decided that it's close enough to a 4 that I'll go ahead and up it a star.
Exile is the sequel to perhaps the weirdest book I've ever read, Grasshopper Jungle, but it is much less weird. It mostly follows conventional tropes of the post-apocalyptic genre and actually plays it safer and tamer than other works in the genre. It wouldn't truly be a sequel to Grasshopper Jungle without obsessing over the horniness of a boy in puberty, but again this aspect is downplayed from its predecessor and seems much tamer in comparison. All this tameness doesn't make the book less interesting than the first thanks to snappy dialogue, fun motifs throughout the book, and a clever exploration of how an imaginative, art-obsessed teenager would piece together our world from random artifacts discovered after its collapse.
Y'know what? After thinking through how entertained I was throughout the bulk of the book (and not just its incredibly anticlimactic ending), I decided that it's close enough to a 4 that I'll go ahead and up it a star.
March 12, 2022
Rep: biracial Chinese American li, bi side character, gay side character
CWs: homophobia, homophobic slurs, gore, racism
CWs: homophobia, homophobic slurs, gore, racism
December 12, 2022
Fun book, not as strong as the first one and the parts with breakfast drag a bit but I was surprised how well it fit together overall. Definitely recommend.
September 23, 2019
I loved this book by Andrew Smith. As usual, it was a total "boy" book. But I love that about it! While we started out and I was worried I might not remember who was who from the first book, Grasshopper Jungle, it was very nice that the main character, Arek, kept kind of reintroducing the other characters as he narrated the story. I liked so much about the story, all the different characters and viewpoints we got. It was towards the end when they all collided it seemed, and it was the perfect way to get them to meet up. Not a meet-cute since this isn't a romance, but is there another name for it? I don't know. Just know that it was a perfectly seamless way to fit the stories together. Now, in the first book we kind of got the background on how we got those giant praying mantises that were attacking, but in this one, I don't know that we ever find out exactly why they are changing or having issues, just that they are.
One thing that really stood out to me personally from the story is a note from the author at the back of the book. There is an artist that Arek is constantly referencing, Max Beckmann. Now I'd never heard of him before, but of course from this book I found I had to go look him up. What Smith talks about at the end is that Max Beckmann painted so many self portraits trying to maybe see who he was. Now the author also mentioned that he feels each of his own books are in a way his own self-portraits in a similar vein to Beckmann's paintings. That really stood out to me personally, because recently I realized a lot of the stories I write end up being kind of my own daydreams. Sometimes even starring me, just with different names and places. When I realized this, I also decided that this was okay. I remembered something another of my favorite authors once said, to write the book I want to read, she wrote her story for herself. And that's what I'm going to continue to do. While my books and writing are nowhere near as good as Andrew Smith's stories, I like that I'm not the only one who sees their writing this way.
Highly recommended, if you liked Grasshopper Jungle, you'll enjoy this as well!
Review first posted on Lisa Loves Literature.
One thing that really stood out to me personally from the story is a note from the author at the back of the book. There is an artist that Arek is constantly referencing, Max Beckmann. Now I'd never heard of him before, but of course from this book I found I had to go look him up. What Smith talks about at the end is that Max Beckmann painted so many self portraits trying to maybe see who he was. Now the author also mentioned that he feels each of his own books are in a way his own self-portraits in a similar vein to Beckmann's paintings. That really stood out to me personally, because recently I realized a lot of the stories I write end up being kind of my own daydreams. Sometimes even starring me, just with different names and places. When I realized this, I also decided that this was okay. I remembered something another of my favorite authors once said, to write the book I want to read, she wrote her story for herself. And that's what I'm going to continue to do. While my books and writing are nowhere near as good as Andrew Smith's stories, I like that I'm not the only one who sees their writing this way.
Highly recommended, if you liked Grasshopper Jungle, you'll enjoy this as well!
Review first posted on Lisa Loves Literature.
March 16, 2019
The publisher's blurb on the back of the ARC says that this sequel to Grasshopper Jungle is more bizarre than the first book. I don't agree with that; I thought GJ was Bizarre (with a capital B). But maybe reading the bizarreness that was GJ is like taking the polar plunge (I'm from Minnesota--we do stuff like that here). Afterwards you'll never mind jumping into an outdoor swimming pool--and a book needs to be really crazy for you to call it bizarre.
Exile from Eden is excellent. It takes place about 16 years after the ending of GJ and follows kids that were born after the bugs came. Thank you, Mr. Smith, for revisiting Iowa and the Hole.
Exile from Eden is excellent. It takes place about 16 years after the ending of GJ and follows kids that were born after the bugs came. Thank you, Mr. Smith, for revisiting Iowa and the Hole.
November 27, 2019
"That's why all boys go away: to chase endlessness."
Ahhh, the long-awaited sequel to Grasshopper Jungle, aka my favorite Andrew Smith novel - even if it's overly reliant on the Cheating Bisexual trope and is a go-to example of how much Smith is, by his own admission, not good at writing women. Then again, Shaun David Hutchinson loves the shit out of it, which I'm sure most of YA Twitter would tear him apart for. Lol.
Did Grasshopper Jungle need a sequel? Ehh, not really.
Am I glad Exile from Eden exists? Yes. Especially because it not only emphasizes Austin really embracing his bisexuality as an adult, not only condemns religion in the style of Stephen King (God but could Wendy just, you know, NOT?), but also brings up themes of a boy in need of escape that I relate to even more than with Austin's story in the first book. I even sent that line at the top of this review to my best bro Koda, whom I sent Rabbit & Robot last year - he'd get a real kick out of all the Andrew Smith books too, I'm sure. But yeah, Koda and I can both understand that urge to chase endlessness - it's why he and I wanna move in together and make music. God I hope that happens soon, before an apocalypse like the kind in this duology happens...
Ahhh, the long-awaited sequel to Grasshopper Jungle, aka my favorite Andrew Smith novel - even if it's overly reliant on the Cheating Bisexual trope and is a go-to example of how much Smith is, by his own admission, not good at writing women. Then again, Shaun David Hutchinson loves the shit out of it, which I'm sure most of YA Twitter would tear him apart for. Lol.
Did Grasshopper Jungle need a sequel? Ehh, not really.
Am I glad Exile from Eden exists? Yes. Especially because it not only emphasizes Austin really embracing his bisexuality as an adult, not only condemns religion in the style of Stephen King (God but could Wendy just, you know, NOT?), but also brings up themes of a boy in need of escape that I relate to even more than with Austin's story in the first book. I even sent that line at the top of this review to my best bro Koda, whom I sent Rabbit & Robot last year - he'd get a real kick out of all the Andrew Smith books too, I'm sure. But yeah, Koda and I can both understand that urge to chase endlessness - it's why he and I wanna move in together and make music. God I hope that happens soon, before an apocalypse like the kind in this duology happens...
January 6, 2025
I’ve read Grasshopper Jungle more times than I can count, and I would be tempted to go as far as to call it my favourite book. Probably to do with the fact I was like 12/13 when I first read it so there’s an element of nostalgia bias, but I loved how weird it was, how it was so unlike anything I’d ever read before, how it took such a crazy premise and twisted it into something so haunting and powerful. All of this to say that Exile from Eden was just as incredible, and I’m kicking myself for not getting round to reading it sooner because it was so so so great !
October 16, 2019
This one was eagerly anticipated, and it did not disappoint! I have a feeling there will be another one.
May 7, 2020
It was so good to see Austin and Robby again after such a long time. Their relationship was the best BEST thing about this book and made the whole thing worth it. That being said, I knew Andrew Smith would just not be able to follow up how amazing Grasshopper Jungle was. Although I had a really good time reading this book and absolutely loved diving into Smith's world and writing again, I found that there was a lot less depth to the sequel than the original novel. This was a sequel that didn't have to be written, and I don't think it brought much to the table in terms of the story. And I don't think Smith really pushed himself with the plot either.
I would read this if you loved Grasshopper Jungle regardless, because it's great to see some of the characters and again and to see what has happened to Eden and the world after the grasshoppers, but know that it is nowhere near as good as the original book and really falls short of the philosophical and apocalyptic horror that it's predecessor brings.
I would read this if you loved Grasshopper Jungle regardless, because it's great to see some of the characters and again and to see what has happened to Eden and the world after the grasshoppers, but know that it is nowhere near as good as the original book and really falls short of the philosophical and apocalyptic horror that it's predecessor brings.
March 11, 2020
This is a sequel but mostly follows completely different characters. It's 17 years since the initial outbreak, and after living in the hole for so long Arek wants out.
I enjoyed this book but I think it's maybe not as good as the first one. I loved Robby and we don't see much of him (although I did love it any time we did get those Robby and Austin scenes)
Also ,talking about Robby and Austin, we finally find out the truth about THAT night from GJ
The book also follows Breakfast and Olive, a wild pair who were both born after the outbreak, so don't know a lot about certain things. It was fun seeing them interact with objects we all know, but they have no idea about. I enjoyed the Breakfast storyline more than the Arek storyline because of this
I enjoyed this book but I think it's maybe not as good as the first one. I loved Robby and we don't see much of him (although I did love it any time we did get those Robby and Austin scenes)
Also ,talking about Robby and Austin, we finally find out the truth about THAT night from GJ
The book also follows Breakfast and Olive, a wild pair who were both born after the outbreak, so don't know a lot about certain things. It was fun seeing them interact with objects we all know, but they have no idea about. I enjoyed the Breakfast storyline more than the Arek storyline because of this
November 8, 2019
I actually liked this book more than Grasshopper Jungle. It was still out there in a definite Andrew Smith way, but it also felt more real and hopeful. I did feel bad for Shann though. Poor Shann. But I loved Arek and Mel and Breakfast and Olive. And the idea of straddling time being something you can do only as you get older and go through big, life-changing experiences. And even though everyone older in the book was somewhat scary, I thought he really had something to say about young generations and not having the same baggage as older generations, and thus being able to be hopeful and have a vision of a new and better world. Isn't that all of us when we're young?
So anyway, yeah. GOOD.
So anyway, yeah. GOOD.
July 11, 2019
Oh how I have wondered what has happened in Eden between Robby, Austin, and Shannon. In Exile from Eden, we meet Austin and Shannon's son Arek who is 16 years old. We also meet Mel who is Connie and Louis's daughter (Robby's sister). I was so happy to find Robby and Austin are still deeply in love and still fighting the Unstoppable Soldiers. Through Arek and Mel we get to explore the new world as they search for "the boys." The addition of Breakfast and Olive offer another lens of what life would be like in a world ravaged by destruction and human arrogance.
October 11, 2019
I was nervous when I read this book wasn’t told in Austin’s POV. I wasn’t sure Arek was gonna be as fun. But I actually loved the way it’s written. I was so happy everytime Austin and Robby were pretty much relationship goals, and the fact they were fake-married by themselves was not only really sweet but also such a Robby thing to do.
I mean I really liked Arek as well but I loved this book mostly because it gives such a satisfying conclusion to Austin’s story.
I mean I really liked Arek as well but I loved this book mostly because it gives such a satisfying conclusion to Austin’s story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 22, 2024
3.5 - Back in 2014 I was absolutely obsessed with Andrew Smith’s book Grasshopper Jungle. I just thought it was unlike any YA book I had read before. It was a completely bonkers story about six foot tall hungry and horny praying mantises taking over the world. But even more, it was a coming of age story about a teenage boy named Austin trying to figure out where he fits into the history of the world. And how his feelings for his girlfriend Shann and his best friend Robby play into that.
So I’m flabbergasted that I managed to completely miss the fact that a sequel came out FIVE YEARS AGO. This book follow’s Austin’s son Arek 16 years after the events of Grasshopper Jungle. Through his eyes we get to see the ways that a small group of people have adjusted to living in a bunker, barely stepping outside into the world. It’s really interesting to see what things he understood about the world before it ended, and how he and other characters who were born after the apocalypse make sense of things.
I had a good time reading this book, I definitely flew through it. But it also didn’t come close to what I remember loving so much about Grasshopper Jungle. But then again, it’s been so long since I read that book that maybe I would feel differently about it today. Either way, some of my favorite parts of this book were seeing the interactions between Arek, Austin, and Robby. I kept wanting to see more of them, though I understand why there weren’t that many because of the story this book was telling.
I’m really glad I read this, it does give closure to some plot threads from Grasshopper Jungle. But I don’t know if I’ll ever revisit this one.
So I’m flabbergasted that I managed to completely miss the fact that a sequel came out FIVE YEARS AGO. This book follow’s Austin’s son Arek 16 years after the events of Grasshopper Jungle. Through his eyes we get to see the ways that a small group of people have adjusted to living in a bunker, barely stepping outside into the world. It’s really interesting to see what things he understood about the world before it ended, and how he and other characters who were born after the apocalypse make sense of things.
I had a good time reading this book, I definitely flew through it. But it also didn’t come close to what I remember loving so much about Grasshopper Jungle. But then again, it’s been so long since I read that book that maybe I would feel differently about it today. Either way, some of my favorite parts of this book were seeing the interactions between Arek, Austin, and Robby. I kept wanting to see more of them, though I understand why there weren’t that many because of the story this book was telling.
I’m really glad I read this, it does give closure to some plot threads from Grasshopper Jungle. But I don’t know if I’ll ever revisit this one.
December 24, 2022
I am now an after-the-book man, straddling the time between having read this book and before, when I was happy.
This is a better written book than Grasshopper Jungle, but that just puts it into some sort of uncanny valley where it almost reads like a really thoughtful novel and then Breakfast scratches his nuts again. Honestly open the book to any page and you'll agree within only six or so pages...
Grasshopper Jungle was the read I enjoyed more given that it was so... fucked all the time.
This is a better written book than Grasshopper Jungle, but that just puts it into some sort of uncanny valley where it almost reads like a really thoughtful novel and then Breakfast scratches his nuts again. Honestly open the book to any page and you'll agree within only six or so pages...
Grasshopper Jungle was the read I enjoyed more given that it was so... fucked all the time.
November 5, 2019
Andrew Smith has amazed me a second time. I never wanted this book to end.
December 9, 2019
It’s a sequel to one of my favorite books, and somehow it’s exceeded my expectations. I love Andrew Smith’s books.
April 28, 2020
It wasn't as good as the first one but I still loved it a lot. Breakfast is also a really high quality character and so is Olive.
January 16, 2022
I stumbled upon Andrew Smith’s ‘Grasshopper Jungle’ when on a field trip to Powell’s with my students years ago. Discovering his work and then meeting him in person has been, for me, like climbing out of a hole. This sequel is all I had no idea it could be. What a beautiful read. Thank you, Andrew Smith 🧡📚
March 1, 2023
Breakfast was giving Donnie Thornberry energy
October 8, 2019
My thoughts are here.
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