The Amazing Snox Box

by Robert L. Park and Brian James Gage

An intergalactic salesman with very interesting wares arrives on the diamond-rich moon of Zanic with an offer that its King seemingly cannot refuse.

To subjugate slaves, convince them they're free, says Sammy Sopkins, the Intergalactic Salesman. King Locks has enslaved the entire population to mine his diamonds but, as conditions grow ever more intolerable, the slaves plan a revolt. As they prepare to storm the Bastille, enter Sammy...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1887128573
• ISBN13: 9781887128575
• Release Date: June 2003
• Publisher: Soft Skull
• Length: 44 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 10.0" x 9.0"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

TV causes the downfall of all civilization

I first read this book a couple of years ago and thought it was very clever. Though the author sometimes sacrifices compelling language to reach a rhyme, the overall story is a rich, satirical tale for adults about how TV is used to lull a group of dissatisfied slaves back into complacency, presented in the guise of a children's book. I bought a copy recently to read to my junior high media literacy class in honor of "Turn Off Your TV Week" and a lot of it flew right over their heads. I think the rhyming helps to cloud the real issues being presented so I would recommend this title only for a high-school-and-older audience. Also, this book, unedited, is not suitable for read-alouds as it is deceptively long (and one can only listen to rhyming couplets for so long).

WOW!

A classic! Fable for today's kids. My boys got the message, and my husband and I both loved it! Our current family favorite.

Very Smart

This is a very clever follow up to Snark, Inc. I read a review somewhere stating the book puts more twists into fewer pages, and I agree with that. I liked Snark but this book is more of an interesting critique of its enemy (if you will) as it has a stronger narrative. I think the best underlying theme of the book is that the "protaganosts" are treated as a faceless collective - which is exactly what people become as media consumers. There's a great illustration to convey this when the Snox Boxes are delivered to slaves, and they're all in the background with no discernable faces. Definitely worth picking up if you have your doubts about the true intentions of mega-media corporations. Control, control, control!

Kill Your Television!

This is a fun book. The graphics are really engaging, and the writing has a really incisive glance at consumerism and how TV and media control every aspect of our lives. It's a nice follow up to Snark, Inc. and in many ways it's a stronger book.Turn off the TV and check it out!