Denton Little's Deathdate

By Author / Illustrator

Lance Rubin

Genre

Adventure

Age range(s)

11+

Publisher

Simon & Schuster Ltd

ISBN

9781471124235

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

26-03-2015

Synopsis

The first of two books, Denton Little's Deathdate is an utterly gripping read - with a killer plot twist, hilarious characters, and a truly memorable voice.

Imminent death has never been so funny! Denton Little's Deathdate takes place in a world exactly like our own - except that everyone knows the day on which they will die. For Denton, that's in just two days - the day of his senior prom. Despite his early deathdate, Denton has always wanted to live a normal life - but his final days are filled with dramatic firsts. First hangover. First sex. First love triangle (the first sex seems to have happened not with his adoring girlfriend, but with his best friend's sister. Though he's not totallysure - see, first hangover).

His anxiety builds when he discovers a mysterious purple rash making its way up his body. Is this what will kill him? Then a strange man shows up at his funeral, claiming to have known Denton's long-deceased mother, and giving him a confusing warning...

Suddenly Denton's life is filled with mysterious questions and precious little time to find the answers. Lance Rubin takes us on a fast, gripping, and outrageously funny ride through the last hours of a teenager's life as he searches for love, meaning and (just maybe) a way to live on . . .

Reviews

Catherine

'I don't think this is my bed.' And so begin the frenetic last days of Denton Little's life! ...which might sound like a sad read, right? Wrong! It's funny...we're allowed to laugh at death. It starts with the premise that, thanks to the field of AstroThanatoGenetics, everyone knows the date of their own death, for better or for worse. The story then careers through Denton's final days; peppered with hangovers, love triangles (though due to the hangover he can't be sure), Senior Prom, a mystery man and an even more mysterious rash. There are as you can see plenty of firsts in Denton's final days. It's funny and pacey and ends with a beginning...which is just as well because I have some (actually quite a few) questions that need answers! 352 pages / Ages 12+ / Reviewed by Catherine Purcell, school librarian