“Deadline,” by Chris Crutcher (Greenwillow, 320 pages; $16.99)
Diagnosed with an unnamed fatal illness just as his senior year of high school commences, Ben Wolf decides to hide his condition from family and friends. He’s of age – 18 – and his disapproving physician agrees on the condition of regular counseling. As a storybook senior year unfolds – Ben becomes an unlikely football hero, and snags a smart hottie as a girlfriend – will Ben be able to maintain the deception before his body betrays him? Will he want to keep this darkest of secrets? Ages 14 and up
“Before I Die,” by Jenny Downham (David Fickling Books, 336 pages; $15.99)
Tessa, 16, is the antithesis of Hollywood’s gentle dying heroine. She’s ticked off and makes a to-do list of goals to accomplish before breathing her last. And she’s an adolescent whose hormones are by no means dying any more than her lack of judgment. Sex, clubbing, running away, shoplifting – can those targets mitigate the pain and terror that define what remains of her life? Age 15 and up.
“Edward’s Eyes,” by Patricia MacLachlan (Atheneum, 128 pages; $15.99)
The Newbery Medal-winning author of “Sarah Plain and Tall” returns with an evocative story, told from an admiring brother’s viewpoint, of a young man who led a charmed life. Edward becomes the only kid in his neighborhood capable of throwing a perfect knuckleball, to the fond astonishment of his big brother, Jake, the narrator. It is clear early on that Edward is no longer living, establishing a reverent, eulogistic tone that remembers Edward rather more ideally than is plausible. Breathe there brothers with hearts so dead that to each other they’ve never said insults? But it’s an eloquent argument in favor of organ donation. Ages 8 to 12.
“Walking on Glass,” by Alma Fullerton (HarperTeen, 144 pages; $15.99)
Told in spare, brittle poetry, this is something of a pre-postmortem. Like a fist slowly unclenching, the story emerges from the teenaged son who thwarts his mother’s suicide attempt, only to lose her to a relentless coma and an internal stew of anguish, anger and resentment. With his father withdrawn and his best friend in a destructive tailspin, the narrator rails at the world not only for its impassive unfairness but for its bursts of kindness. Ages 13 and up.
“New Found Land: Lewis & Clark’s Voyage of Discovery,” by Allan Wolf (Candlewick, 512 pages; $8.99)
Had the wildly heterogeneous individuals composing the Corps of Discovery written of their adventures in narrative poetry, the result might be difficult to distinguish from Allan Wolf’s remarkable saga. The vantage points span a wide measure, from the dog named Seaman and Clark’s slave York, to an alcoholic would-be shirker and to Meriwether Lewis’ internal demons. This is painless poetry reading, told in the first person, with the kind of details that clarify exactly what a remarkable accomplishment this constituted – and what a tragic letdown its aftermath created. Ages 10 and up.
“The Cat Who Liked Potato Soup,” by Terry Farish, illustrated by Barry Root (Candlewick, 40 pages; $6.99)
Artist Root’s light-saturated illustrations are perfect for this enigmatic story of an old man and his cat – fishing partners, dining companions and bed-warmers, but both a shade too self-absorbed.
One day, the cat prefers the toasty new electric blanket to braving a day on the old man’s boat.
Both find the other’s absence troubling but enlightening. Their unpredictable time apart brings a rapprochement that’s foreseeable but still rewarding. Ages 4 to 8.
Claire Martin: 303-954-1477 or
