Deadline By:Chris Crutcher

Ben Wolfe has just found out that he has a terminal illness that will kill him in less than a year. Ben is in his senior year of high school and is shocked by the news. He decides against telling his anyone at first or even having any treatment. Ben wants his last year to be his best, and he’s not going out “bald and puking” as he said. Instead he takes his vitamins, eats healthy, and exercises to see how much he can get out of life. In his requirements for the next year Ben wants to read every book he can get his hands on, play on the football team (which is not very believable since he weighs about 125 lbs.) and to become friends with a girl named Dallas Suzuki.

Ben starts having dreams with a person in them named “Hey Soos” which is thought to be Jesus and he helps him throughout his last year. During this year he starts out by reading a book about Malcolm X and becomes inspired to harass his teacher about him and why his issues aren’t addressed more and even does a project to get the town street named after Malcolm. Ben meets the school janitor, Rudy, also known as the town drunk and helps him to straighten his life out. Ben ends up becoming a star on the football team along beside his brother and also finally meets and becomes an interest of Dallas Suzuki. While Ben starts to struggle with his disease he wonders if it was the best idea to keep this from his family and friends, especially his brother Cody and now girlfriend Dallas. The question is if Ben does tell his friends and family, or if he dies without a word, and if he even dies at all. You will have to read it for yourself. :)
Merrill Thagard

I give this book 4 out of 5 stomps