Awards
2010 Michael L. Printz Award
Synopses & Reviews
One part Libba Bray's GOING BOVINE, two parts String Theory, and three parts love story equals a whimsical novel that will change the way you think about the world.Sophie Sophia is obsessed with music from the late eighties. She also has an eccentric physicist father who sometimes vanishes for days and sees things other people don’t see. But when he disappears for good and Sophie’s mom moves them from Brooklyn, New York, to Havencrest, Illinois, for a fresh start, things take a turn for the weird. Sophie starts seeing things, like marching band pandas, just like her dad.
Guided by Walt, her shaman panda, and her new (human) friend named Finny, Sophie is determined to find her father and figure out her visions, once and for all. So she travels back to where it began—New York City and NYU’s physics department. As she discovers more about her dad’s research on M-theory and her father himself, Sophie opens her eyes to the world’s infinite possibilities—and her heart to love.
Perfect for fans of Going Bovine, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and The Probability of Miracles.
Review
"Jinks has hold of a clever idea and a solid sense of humor."—Publishers Weekly
"The satire isnt all thats biting in this darkly comedic sequel to The Reformed Vampire Support Group (2009)."—Kirkus Reviews
Reformed Vampire Support Group 2010 ALA Best Books for Young Adults
Nominated as a YALSA Teens Top Ten "Jinkss signature facility with plot and character development is intact as she turns to the topic of vampires—as fans can anticipate, hers are not the romantic superheroes of the Stephenie Meyers books....Throwing in delicious details and aperçus, the author works her way from the murder of one of the vampires to suspense and adventure of the sinister yet daffy variety beloved by readers of Evil Genius. The plot twists, more ornate than in previous works, ramp up the giddiness—and, perhaps, camouflage the corpses, blood and other byproducts of the genre." —Publishers Weekly, starred review "Support Group is truly like no other vampire story. It is witty, cunning, and humorous, with numerous plot twists and turns. Jinks has conjured up an eccentric but believable cast of characters in a story full of action and adventure." —School Library Journal "Jinkss quirky sense of humor will appeal to fans of her Evil Genius series. Those tired of torrid bloodsucker stories or looking for a comic riff on the trend will feel refreshed by the vomitous, guinea-pig-drinking accidental heroics of Nina and her pals." —Kirkus Reviews "The ill-assorted bunch of vampires in this offbeat Australian novel couldn't be further from the iconic image of the dangerous, sexy night creature....Jinks draws her characters and their unique challenges in great detail; though the adventure takes a while to get into gear, there's plenty of blood and guts (both types) to go around. One part problem novel, one part comedy, and one part murder-mystery, this alternative vampire story is for outsiders of all kinds, underground or otherwise." —The Horn Book "Jinks takes readers on a wild ride, poking wicked fun at vampire enthusiasts of all stripes with her wryly clinical take . . . a first-rate comedy with equal appeal for avid vampire fans and those who wouldn't be caught dead with a copy of Twilight." —The Bulletin
Review
"Smith is a spiritual heir to Kurt Vonnegut”
—Booklist, starred review
"Magnificently bizarre, irreverent and bitingly witty” —Kirkus, starred review
“Fans of Smiths raunchy, profane, and provocative work will find this funny but morally serious tale deeply appealing.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
Praise for Grasshopper Jungle:
“This raunchy, bizarre, smart and compelling sci-fi novel defies description—its best to go into it with an open mind and allow yourself to be first drawn in, then blown away.” —Rolling Stone
“A literary joy to behold. . . . reminds me of Kurt Vonneguts Slaughterhouse Five, in the best sense.”
—The New York Times Book Review
“A bizarrely fascinating premise that Smith pulls off with panache. . . . Like an absurdist Middlesex. A-” —Entertainment Weekly
“I found myself saying over and over again, ‘Where in the heck is he going with this? all the while turning the pages as fast as I could. Mostly I kept thinking, This was a brave book to write.” —Terry Brooks, author of the Shannara series
“Andrew Smith is the bravest storyteller I know. Grasshopper Jungle is the most intelligent and gripping book Ive read in over a decade. Its a masterpiece.” —A. S. King, Printz Honor-winning author of Ask the Passengers and Please Ignore Vera Dietz
“Grasshopper Jungle plays like a classic rock album, a killing machine of a book built for the masses that also dives effortlessly into more challenging, deeper regions of emotion. Above all else, when its done you want to play it all over again. Its sexy, gory, hilarious, and refreshingly amoral. I wish Id had this book when I was fifteen.” —Jake Shears, Scissor Sisters
“This book is nothing short of a brilliant, hilarious thrill-ride that is instantly infectious. The deft hand by which Smith explores teenage love and sexuality . . . is truly breathtaking. In writing a history of the end of the world, Smith may have just made history himself.” —John Corey Whaley, Printz Award-winning author of Where Things Come Back
“Original, weird, sexy, thought-provoking and guaranteed to stir controversy. One hell of a book.” —Michael Grant, New York Times bestselling author of the Gone series
“Grasshopper Jungle, in many ways, is a book about how there might be a manual for defeating monsters that have invaded town, but theres not going to be an easy manual for everything else that weighs on the mind.” —A.V. Club
“You, too, will love Smiths bold, bizarre, and beautiful novel.”—The Boston Globe
“No author writing for teens today can match Andrew Smiths mastery of the grotesque, the authentic experiences of teenage boys or the way one seamlessly becomes a metaphor for the other.” —BookPage, Top February Teen Pick
"A meanderingly funny, weirdly compelling and thoroughly brilliant chronicle of ‘the end of the world, and shit like that...a mighty good book." - Kirkus, starred review
"Filled with gonzo black humor, Smith's outrageous tale makes serious points about scientific research done in the name of patriotism and profit, the intersections between the personal and the global, the weight of history on the present, and the often out-of-control sexuality of 16-year-old boys." - PW, starred review
"Original, honest, and extraordinary… pushes the boundaries of young adult literature." - School Library Journal, starred review
Review
* "Skillful plot twists, mordant humor, and careful characterizations make this a memorable coming-of-age story and noteworthy debut."
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
* "A gritty, often troubling work that is nevertheless infused with humor and heart."
—Booklist, starred review
"For readers who like their realistic fiction with a whopping side of satire."
—Kirkus
Review
"The characters are well rounded and believable and represent multiple personalities and ideologies...Readers will be questioning their own belief systems and asking themselves just how far they would go to uncover the truth."
—School Library Journal
Synopsis
I still hadn't fully absorbed the terrible possibility that I might actually be a werewolf. A werewolf. I kept stumbling over that word; it made no sense to me. How could I be a werewolf? Werewolves didn't exist.
When Tobias Richard Vandevelde wakes up in hospital with no memory of the night before, his horrified mother tells him that he was found by the police. At Featherdale Park. In a dingo pen.
As if that isn't weird enough, suddenly a very menacing looking guy and a priest show up at his door.
As the mystery unfolds, Toby finds himself keeping company with some very strange and sickly looking people - members of a suburban vampire support group. And when he's abducted in broad daylight, he will need all their help to break free ... and to come to terms with his own incredibly rare condition.
Synopsis
When Tobias Richard Vandevelde wakes up in a hospital with no memory of the night before, his horrified mother tells him that he was found unconscious. At Featherdale Wildlife Park. In a dingo pen. He assumes that his two best friends are somehow responsible, until the mysterious Reuben turns up, claiming that Toby has a rare and dangerous “condition.” Next thing he knows, Toby finds himself involved with a strange bunch of sickly insomniacs who seem convinced that he needs their help. Its not until hes kidnapped and imprisoned that he starts to believe them—and to understand what being a paranormal monster really means.
Synopsis
One part Libba Bray's GOING BOVINE, two parts String Theory, and three parts love story equals a whimsical novel that will change the way you think about the world.Sophie Sophia is obsessed with music from the late eighties. She also has an eccentric physicist father who sometimes vanishes for days and sees things other people don’t see. But when he disappears for good and Sophie’s mom moves them from Brooklyn, New York, to Havencrest, Illinois, for a fresh start, things take a turn for the weird. Sophie starts seeing things, like marching band pandas, just like her dad.
Guided by Walt, her shaman panda, and her new (human) friend named Finny, Sophie is determined to find her father and figure out her visions, once and for all. So she travels back to where it began—New York City and NYU’s physics department. As she discovers more about her dad’s research on M-theory and her father himself, Sophie opens her eyes to the world’s infinite possibilities—and her heart to love.
Perfect for fans of Going Bovine, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and The Probability of Miracles.
Synopsis
In this darkly comedic road trip novel, seventeen year-old Vivian Apple returns home after the alleged "Rapture" to find her devout parents gone and two mysterious holes in the roof. Vivian never believed in the Rapture, or the uber powerful Church of America. Now that she has been left behind, Vivian's quest for the truth begins.
Synopsis
Seventeen-year-old Vivian Apple never believed in the evangelical Church of America, unlike her recently devout parents. But when Vivian returns home the night after the supposed "Rapture," all thats left of her parents are two holes in the roof. Suddenly, she doesn't know who or what to believe. With her best friend Harp and a mysterious ally, Peter, Vivian embarks on a desperate cross-country roadtrip through a paranoid and panic-stricken America to find answers. Because at the end of the world, Vivan Apple isn't looking for a savior. She's looking for the truth.
Synopsis
"Smith is a spiritual heir to Kurt Vonnegut” Booklist, starred review
Skillfully blending multiple story strands that transcend time and place, award-winning Grasshopper Jungle author Andrew Smith chronicles the story of Ariel, a refugee who is the sole survivor of an attack on his small village. Now living with an adoptive family in Sunday, West Virginia, Ariel's story is juxtaposed against those of a schizophrenic bomber and the diaries of a failed arctic expedition from the late nineteenth century . . . and a depressed, bionic reincarnated crow.
Synopsis
In this sequel to the compelling and thought-provoking novel Vivian Apple at the End of the World, Vivian and her best friend Harp fall in with a militant group who is trying to take down the Church of America as the world approaches the (supposed) apocalypse.
Synopsis
Tobias tries to come to terms with the possibility that he might be a werewolf, and enlists the help of suburban vampires when he is abducted, in the highly anticipated sequel to The Reformed Vampire Support Group.
Synopsis
“GET ANGRY. We should all be so pissed at the Church of America that we’re willing to break our hands in the metaphorical punching of its metaphorical face.” —Harpreet Janda, fugitive The predicted Rapture by Pastor Frick’s Church of America has come and gone, and three thousand Believers are now missing or dead. Seventeen-year-old Vivian Apple and her best friend, Harpreet, are revolutionaries, determined to expose the Church’s diabolical power grab . . . and to locate Viv’s missing heartthrob, Peter Ivey. This fast-paced, entertaining sequel to Vivian Apple at the End of the World challenges readers to consider how to live with integrity in a disintegrating world.
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About the Author
CATHERINE JINKS is the author of the Evil Genius trilogy, of which the first book was a PW Best Book of the Year and an SLJ Best Book of the Year, and The Reformed Vampire Support Group. The author of over thirty books for children and adults, she is a three-time winner of the Childrens Book Council of Australia Book of the Year award, and has also won a Victorian Premiers Literature Award, the Ena Noel Award for Childrens Literature, and an Aurealis Award for Science Fiction. In 2001 she was presented with a Centenary Medal for her contribution to Australian Childrens Literature. Catherine lives in Leura, Australia. www.catherinejinks.com