Title: 33 SnowfishAuthor: Adam Rapp
Publish Date: February 2003
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Pages: 192pp
IBSN: 0763618748
Classification: Fiction
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Range: 12 and up
Price: $15.99
Amazon: $6. 99
Annotation: Custis, a homeless boy, Curl, a fifteen-year-old drug-addicted prostitute and her boyfriend Boobie, who just killed his own parents, are on the run from the police with a baby, Boobie’s little brother. They are all set out to make a better life, regardless of their past.
Summary: When you have nowhere to go, whom do you turn to? Custis does not have parents. He has been living with Bob Motley, who has been sexually abusing him over a period of time and forces him to participate in pornographic films with other children. Custis decides to run, but he has nowhere really to run to. While collecting quarters on the street near an arcade he notices a strange boy with black eyes named Boobie. The two meet and become friends. They make a home in the woods and are soon joined by Curl, Boobie’s fifteen-year old girlfriend who is addicted to drugs and prostitutes herself in order to survive. After Boobie inexplicably murders his parents, he grabs his baby brother in hopes of selling him to the highest bidder. The four of them hit the road, running from the police and doing anything they can to survive.
Evaluation: A haunting and depressing story that shows an unfiltered view of three children who have been forced to live lives they did not deserve. Through all the pain and suffering, these characters display a human quality that is actually quite beautiful. The overall underlying message of the story is really amazing as each character gets the opportunity for redemption. It should be noted that there is a lot of offensive language, though the language fits the context of the story. There is no easy way out in this story, the reader must work for it, and I have to say, I really appreciated this aspect as it leaves the reader with a message to reflect on.
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness:
- Displays realities of being young and poor and abused.
- The life you are given isn’t always fair.
- Redemption.
- Coming from a rough beginning.
- Losing the people who are the closest to you.
Reason this book was chosen: This book was chosen because of the multitude of controversial issues, which are: sexual abuse, teen pornography, teen prostitution, murder, delinquent behavior, and teen sex.
Similar Titles:
Author Wikipedia Page: Click HERE
Awards:
ALA Best Books for Young Adults, 2004
New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age, 2004
