Adam Rapp

Adam Rapp says that when he was working on his chilling, compulsively readable young adult novel 33 SNOWFISH, he was haunted by several questions. Among them: “When we have nowhere to go, who do we turn to? Why are we sometimes drawn to those who are deeply troubled? How far do we have to run before we find new possibilities?”

At once harrowing and hypnotic, 33 SNOWFISH–which was nominated as a Best Book for Young Adults by the American Library Association–follows three troubled young people on the run in a stolen car with a kidnapped baby in tow. With the language of the street and lyrical prose, Adam Rapp hurtles the reader into the world of lost children, a world that is not for the faint of heart. His narration captures the voices of two damaged souls (a third speaks only through drawings) to tell a story of alienation, deprivation, and ultimately, the saving power of compassion. “For those readers who are ready to be challenged by a serious work of shockingly realistic fiction,” notes SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, “it invites both an emotional and intellectual response, and begs to be discussed.”

Adam Rapp’s first novel, MISSING THE PIANO, was named a Best Book for Young Adults as well as a Best Book for Reluctant Readers by the American Library Association. His subsequent titles include THE BUFFALO TREE, THE COPPER ELEPHANT, and LITTLE CHICAGO, which was chosen as a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age. The author’s raw, stream-of-consciousness writing style has earned him critical acclaim. “Rapp’s prose is powerful, graphic and haunting,” says SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL. [He] writes in an earthy but adept language,” says KIRKUS REVIEWS. “Takes a mesmerizing hold on the reader,” adds HORN BOOK MAGAZINE.

Books in order of publication:

Novels

The Year of Endless Sorrows (2006)

Know Your Beholder (2015)

Wolf at the Table (2024)

Young adult novels

Missing the Piano (1994)

The Buffalo Tree (1997)

The Copper Elephant (1999)

Little Chicago (2002)

33 Snowfish (2003)

Under the Wolf, Under the Dog (2004)

Punkzilla (2009)

The Children and the Wolves (2012)

Decelerate Blue (2017)

Fum (2018)