While attending NCTE in New York City this past fall, some colleagues and I had the pleasure of visiting with Chris Crutcher. The topics of conversation ranged from politics to education to airport experiences.
I always enjoy the ALAN workshop. Meeting the authors of Young Adult Literature and receiving copies of their books is a real treat. In my box of books I found a copy of Deadline, Crutcher's latest novel.
This book grabbed me from the first page. Ben Walker is diagnosed with an incurable disease and makes the decision to not tell anyone; not his parents, not his brother, not his friends. And then this gutsy, small-of-stature cross country star decides to go out for football instead. The rest of the book gives us a peek at how he lives out the last year of his life. The book has mature language, but young adult readers will empathize with the challenges and obstacles Ben faces with humor and dignity.
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