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iceangel32's review against another edition
3.0
Jamie aka Punkzilla is a troubled teen. At 14 he is addicted to drugs, has ADD and is sent to a military school by his parents. He can't take the military school and goes AWOL. Through letter in a notebook that he writes to his brother we learn about his journey from the military school to Portland Oregon and then to his brother in Memphis, TN. Things are not easy for Punkzilla on his trip. He gets in bad situations and learns alot about the world and himself.
Adam Rapp keeps to his method of getting into these young mens lives and writing in there voices. It does not hide the sex, drug, gritty world that Jamie lives in. Overall not a bad read.
Adam Rapp keeps to his method of getting into these young mens lives and writing in there voices. It does not hide the sex, drug, gritty world that Jamie lives in. Overall not a bad read.
amystinereads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.25
lannthacker's review against another edition
4.0
A modern-day "Catcher in the Rye" but with a street kid, instead of a privileged one.
sbelasco40's review against another edition
2.0
If one of the defining characteristics of YA is the focus/fixation on voice, then this is a successful YA book. The voice is completely convincing as that of a teenage boy, and the book itself meanders like the road trip Punkzilla is on - but never becoming boring. I have only one objection: why do teenage boy runaway books have to be afraid of commas? I'm judging from my sampler of DARK DUDE by Oscar Hijuelos and RULE OF THE BONE by Russell Banks, but that seems like a good number. DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE COMMA.
shonaningyo's review against another edition
4.0
I was first drawn to the cover of this book. The dark shades of gray forewarned me that this would not be a sunny book, but one of emotional baggage and teenaged angst. But that is one of my favorite subjects to read so I cracked it open and instantly began to read.
This book was my first encounter with Adam Rapp's magical way of prose; it captivated me, the way the book really seemed to be from a teenage boy's point of view. The characters were all believable, and nothing faltered for a second.
The letters from brother to brother from the most current one to the oldest gives you a sense that time is running out and you know in the back of your head that he isn't going to make it, but still root for him to hurry before cancer take his beloved older brother's life.
A very good book that takes a good long look at the seediness and dirtiness of society and its grimey spots, and yet sprinkles some humanity every once in awhile to remind the reader that life itself isn't all doom and gloom, all you have to do is reach out and lend a helping hand, and that'll make a world of a difference for the person.
This book was my first encounter with Adam Rapp's magical way of prose; it captivated me, the way the book really seemed to be from a teenage boy's point of view. The characters were all believable, and nothing faltered for a second.
The letters from brother to brother from the most current one to the oldest gives you a sense that time is running out and you know in the back of your head that he isn't going to make it, but still root for him to hurry before cancer take his beloved older brother's life.
A very good book that takes a good long look at the seediness and dirtiness of society and its grimey spots, and yet sprinkles some humanity every once in awhile to remind the reader that life itself isn't all doom and gloom, all you have to do is reach out and lend a helping hand, and that'll make a world of a difference for the person.
annebennett1957's review against another edition
1.0
I hated this book so much it kind of became a joke. Everytime my librarian friends and I would talk about how much we liked Printz books we'd have to mention Punkzilla as the exception.
adka_088's review against another edition
4.0
i quite enjoyed this book. it's one of those books where you feel like you're going on the adventure with the character and when the book is over you realize how much of an impact it has on you
thisbookishcat's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
jang's review against another edition
4.0
This book is mad good and has some mad themes I shit you not. That was me trying to bite Jamie's style. Jamie is a 14yr. old boy who was sent to Buckner military school after getting caught smoking pot, stealing, and doing more shit that most curious young teens do. After running away from military school, he journeyed to Portland where he met his comrade Branson and started doing more shit that teenage boys do like getting a hand job, more "thieving", doing meth and being christened as "Punkzilla."
The title of this book grabbed my attention because I thought I'd be treated to a 70s or 80s CBGB punk scene but instead, I got a wandering boy who travelled half the country just to get to his cancer-stricken brother after he went AWOL at the military school. The story line was actually reminiscent of beatnik, Kerouacian journeys. It's unexpected, raw, dangerous, genuine, and beat.
Punkzilla was about J's life on the streets. There were a lot of supporting characters that made a dent in his confused journey but the focus remained on Jamie wanting to discover what he really wanted in life and learning from chaos. I loved the format since I have always been fond of letters and journal entry types of narratives. I liked how the author depicted the different tones of the book. It really helped you know Jamie and his struggles and the way his young mind perceived things.
I enjoyed reading his thoughts and found myself lauging at some parts where his curious, unapologetic mind was legit hustling. I liked reading about his demons and the things he was capable of doing. I liked the perversion and at the same time, his innocence. Those things are evident in the streets and in a way it becomes a warning about how you need to choose who you trust, who you judge, and who you journey with.
The title of this book grabbed my attention because I thought I'd be treated to a 70s or 80s CBGB punk scene but instead, I got a wandering boy who travelled half the country just to get to his cancer-stricken brother after he went AWOL at the military school. The story line was actually reminiscent of beatnik, Kerouacian journeys. It's unexpected, raw, dangerous, genuine, and beat.
Punkzilla was about J's life on the streets. There were a lot of supporting characters that made a dent in his confused journey but the focus remained on Jamie wanting to discover what he really wanted in life and learning from chaos. I loved the format since I have always been fond of letters and journal entry types of narratives. I liked how the author depicted the different tones of the book. It really helped you know Jamie and his struggles and the way his young mind perceived things.
I enjoyed reading his thoughts and found myself lauging at some parts where his curious, unapologetic mind was legit hustling. I liked reading about his demons and the things he was capable of doing. I liked the perversion and at the same time, his innocence. Those things are evident in the streets and in a way it becomes a warning about how you need to choose who you trust, who you judge, and who you journey with.
sc104906's review against another edition
3.0
Punkzilla is an AWOL military school student, who is just trying to get by in Portland, Oregon. Punkzilla had some discipline problems in his old life and his parents decided to use military school to rectify them. Tired of unjust treatment, he runs away and lives with other runaway teens in Oregon. Using a massive alarm clock to “clock” people in the head, Punkzilla makes a living stealing phones and selling them for money. This troubled teen spends much of his time using drugs and prostitutes. The only adult connection he truly feels in his world is with his older brother, who is also ostracized from the family for being gay. When Punkzilla finds out that his brother is dying of cancer, he makes the trek across the country to Tennessee to see his brother.
This novel is told entirely through a collection of letters. While this is not a book I would recommend to a young teen, due to the strong sexual content, I found it interesting. Punkzilla is pretty quirky and prickly, but he does have an important story to tell.
This novel is told entirely through a collection of letters. While this is not a book I would recommend to a young teen, due to the strong sexual content, I found it interesting. Punkzilla is pretty quirky and prickly, but he does have an important story to tell.