Deadline

Jo-Ann Carhart, East Islip Public Library, NY -- School Library Journal, 7/29/2008

Deadline (unabr.). 8 cassettes or 8 CDs. 9 hrs. Recorded Books. 2008. cassette, ISBN 978-14281-8816-7: $61.75; CD, ISBN 978-1-4281-1: $87.75.

Gr 9 Up–Eighteen-year-old Ben, after a physical for the track team, finds out that he has a terminal, aggressive blood disorder in this novel (Greenwillow, 2007) by Chris Crutcher. The teen decides to hold his doctor to patient-doctor confidentiality rules and keep his illness a secret from everyone, including his family, while choosing to spend the year he has left living his life to the fullest. He will try to make the football team, on which his brother is the quarterback, a possibility in tiny Trout, Idaho, even though he is too small and too light. He will also try to pursue Dallas Suzuki, the girl of his dreams, attempt to enlighten his ultra-conservative civics teacher about censorship and racism, and try to save the town drunk along the way. Ben tackles all of these situations with humor, heart, and sincerity. Mature teen listeners (strong language and sexual situations) will relate to the novel’s valuable messages about tolerance, forgiveness, and honesty. Steven Boyer portrays Ben in an endearing manner, while creating just the right collection of voices for the large cast of characters. The placement of well-timed, long pauses between emotional chapters adds to the poignancy. While listeners will be heartbroken as Ben’s illness progresses, they will be uplifted by the way he touches the lives of the people he’ll leave behind. Fans of Chris Crutcher, Terry Trueman, and David Klass will find this story fulfilling.