Parents' Guide to

I Crawl Through It

By Andrea Beach, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Bizarre, brilliant, poignant tale of resilient teens.

Book A.S. King Literary Fiction 2015
I Crawl Through It Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

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age 15+

Based on 1 parent review

Kjbartolotta
Kjbartolotta Adult
November 24, 2015
age 15+

Challenging, strange and compassionate

AS King is not you typical YA writer, and this is not you typical YA book. Surrealistic and disjointed, it takes on a lot of difficult issues in teen's lives with a high degree of honest, it also give voice to their frustrations, anxieties, and traumas, often in a cringe-inducing way. It is also funny and heartbreaking, and, despite the surrealism, features some real human moments and lots of interesting, memorable characters. Save this one for your self-motivated teen readers, or better yet, read it for yourself!

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
Too much swearing
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

Stanzi is exceptionally good at dissection and never takes off her lab coat. Gustav is building an invisible helicopter. China is inside out, and Lansdale's hair can grow by the foot. Added to the inner turmoil of each are the daily bomb threats at their Pennsylvania high school -- some days even multiple bomb threats. Can they find a way to crawl through past trauma, daily drudgery, and constantly feeling like they're about to explode?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (1 ):

A.S. King brilliantly probes the anxiety and loneliness of adolescence as bizarrely and delicately as her narrator Stanzi dissects frogs. The veteran author has really nailed what it's like to live with constant fear, unsure of the one you love, and unable to fight back against your inner demons. Surrealist elements are strongly at the forefront, keeping the reader as off guard as each of the four protagonists feels. Teens who like to look at the world through a strange and often-changing lens will love following the four teens' twisting paths, and even those who don't like what surrealism they've been exposed to so far may see it in a whole new, strange, relatable light.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how violent events around the country and the world affect our daily lives. Does your school have frequent drills, or has it taken any other measures to try to protect students from mass violence? Do they make you feel safer?

  • Have you read any other books with surrealist elements? How does this book compare? How do the bizarre or magical aspects of the story affect you as you're reading?

  • Stanzi talks about each character choosing a battle to fight, such as her own battle of remembering what she wants to forget. Which of these battles would yours be, or would it be something else?

Book Details

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