I Crawl Through It

I Crawl Through It by A.S. King is the story of four teens who are trying to deal with too much.

Stanzi is obsessed with biology. To calm herself she dissects frogs. The order of the insides calms her. For the last few weeks at school there has been an almost daily bomb threat. They are having most classes outside now. And when Stanzi gets home, a note says her parents are in bed, to make a frozen dinner and turn out the lights.

Gustav hasn't been to school in a long time. He spends all of his time building a helicopter in his garage - an invisible helicopter that he will use to fly himself and Stanzi away from their town.

Lansdale Cruise is a liar. She tells a lies all of the time. Her long hair grows each time she lies, like a hair-Pinocchio. She lies so much she doesn't remember how to stop.

China Knowles has turned herself inside out. Something bad happened that she is not talking about, but everyone knows. She mostly communicates by writing poetry, but has found a friend in an online support group and is thinking of running away to be with him.

King is a brilliant writer who writes weird book that make people think. Her characters are great and readers never know if they are going crazy or making a breakthrough. If you are a fan of reading, read something by A.S. King. It will be worth it and you will remember the book forever.

[I Crawl Through It will be released on September 22, 215.]

King, A.S. (2015). I Crawl Through It. New York: Little, Brown and Company.

Glory O'Brien's History of the Future

Glory O'Brien's History of the Future by AS King is the story of one girl who can see the future - or is losing it.

Glory is about to graduation from high school. She has no immediate plans for her future except to take pictures. She wants to find her place in the world - a place she is not sure is secure since her own mother committed suicide.

Then, after drinking a disgusting concoction, Glory is able to see the past and future of people. Each time she looks into someone's eyes, Glory has visions of his/her great-great grandmother on the Underground Railroad or escaping from Nazis. She can also see future generations - and the next US Civil War.

In order to keep track of what she is learning, Glory starts to write a history of the future. She is also dealing with her mother's death, her father's sadness, and a best friend she doesn't really like.

King is a masterful storyteller. Her characters are either more advanced than average or they are crazy. Readers will have to decide. Read any of her books!


King, AS. (2014). Glory O'Brien's History of the Future. New York: Little, Brown and Company.

Ask the Passengers

Ask the Passengers by A.S. King is a coming of age novel set in a small town in Pennsylvania.

Astrid Jones's family moved to Unity Valley when she was ten. Now, seven years later, she still misses New York City and the open-minded people who live there. Most of the people in her town seem to be small-minded and gossipy.

Astrid is a senior in high school. Her best friends are Kristina and Justin - who are the schools most loved couple of the senior class. Only they are not dating each other. They are covering for each other since they are both gay and dating other people. When they convince Astrid to come with them to a gay bar it makes her nervous.

Not because she has a problem with gays and lesbians, but because she is trying to figure out if she is one. She has been kissing her coworker, Dee, every weekend in the walk-in freezer at work, but she does not want to put herself into a box with a label until she is certain.

In the mean time, her school and town continue to spread gossip that usually has little to do with fact. In her philosophy class she is studying Socrates - who is beginning to influence her decisions. And when she feels trapped in her small town, she lays in the backyard and watches the planes flying overhead - wondering where the passengers are going.

King's novels vary greatly, but the two I have read have great lead characters who are strong women who refuse to be bullied into what others thing they should be or do with their lives. I will be reading all of her other books!

King, A.S. (2012). Ask the Passengers. New York: Little, Brown and Company.

The Dust of 100 Dogs

The Dust of 100 Dogs by A.S. King is a pirate story with a twist.

Emer Morrisey was born in the mid-1600s in Ireland. After a very eventful, but short life, she was cursed to live the lives of one hundred dogs before she can live another human life. Due to the curse, she will be conscious the whole time while she lives as a dog and longs to become human once again so she can resume her life of piracy - or at least claim the treasure she has buried in Jamaica.

Reborn as a human in 1972, Emer becomes Saffron Adams. She lives in Pennsylvania, much too far from the ocean for her liking. She must bide her time until she can be free of her new parents' house and search for her treasure.

King has created a pirate tale about two lives lived by one woman. The stories are woven together beautifully and sprinkled with the wisdom of dogs. The Dust of 100 Dogs is a must read! It is a great book and will be the most unique book you read this year.

King, AS. (2009). The Dust of 100 Dogs. Woodbury, MN: Flux.