LS 5632 Punkzilla

Rapp, Adam. Punkzilla. Candlewick Press: Somerville, MA, 2009.

ISBN: 978-0-7636-3031-7

“Dear P.
Hey.
I’m finally writing you back.”

Adam Rapp’s Punkzilla, a novel in letters is a voyeuristic look into troubled teen’s life. Here is the story of a naïve and unworldly teen named Jamie, known as Punkzilla, who has run away from Buckner Military Academy after being forced to attend by his father, called “the Major.” He is traveling from Portland, OR on a Greyhound bus to his brother, Peter or P., who has been diagnosed with cancer. Atone stop, he gets attacked and misses the bus. He decides to hitch the rest of the way to his brother. Along the way, Punkzilla writes to his brother and tells him of his life AWOL from Buckner, his few months in Portland, and his activities on the road. Pedophiles and weirdoes; one nice, but mysterious guy, and a precocious pre-teen and his mother are among the cast of characters he meets on the road. His naiveté saves him from some genuinely heart pounding and stomach churning encounters; that as a reader, makes one cringe with the knowledge of hindsight.

There is a lot of stuff not to like in this book and about Punkzilla. Punkzilla, while in Portland, lives in a flophouse and steals for living. He drinks and smokes and experiments with drugs. He engages in dodgy sexual activity. He thinks he knows the way the world works but is just sliding by on luck and serendipity. There are things that make you feel for him, too. Punkzilla is honest; he will tell you what is on his mind without censoring himself. He also stays true to himself; there is something compelling about the way he never let anything stop him from getting to his sick brother. Teens will be drawn into his world and may be familiar with some of the personal conflicts he faces.

The July, 2009 issue of the School Library Journal calls Punkzilla “exquisitely true in its raw but vulnerable voice, this story is a compulsive read.” Punkzilla’s point of view is fascinating and keeps the reader engaged. The somewhat uplifting ending gives a sense that things will get better, but it will take time and many missteps, just the way it sometimes is in real life. Punkzilla is a 2010 Printz Honor Book.