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Denton Little's Death Date
Author:
Rubin, Lance
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Class:
Fiction
Age: 14-19
Language: English
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LC: PZ7.R831
Grade: 9-12
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ISBN-13: 9780553496963
LCCN: 2014008677
Imprint: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publisher: Random House
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Pub Date: 04/14/2015
Availability: Available
List: $17.99
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Hardcover
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Physical Description:
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346 pages ; 22 cm
H 8.5",
W 5.81",
D 1.11",
1.025 lbs.
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LC Series:
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Brodart Sources:
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Brodart's For Youth Interest: Popular
Brodart's Insight Catalog: Teen
Brodart's TOP Young Adult Titles
Brodart's YA Reads for Adults
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Bibliographies:
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Senior High Core Collection, 20th ed.
Senior High Core Collection, 21st ed.
Senior High Core Collection, 22nd ed.
Young Adult Fiction Core Collection, 4th ed.
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Awards:
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Best Fiction for Young Adults
Horn Book Guide Titles, Rated 1 - 4
VOYA's 5P Picks
VOYA's Best Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror
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Starred Reviews:
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TIPS Subjects:
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Death and Dying
Humorous Fiction
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BISAC Subjects: |
YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Humorous / General
YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Boys & Men
YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Social Themes / Death, Grief, Bereavement
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LC Subjects:
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Death, Fiction
Death, Juvenile fiction
Humorous fiction
Identity, Fiction
Identity, Juvenile fiction
Science fiction
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SEARS Subjects: |
Death, Fiction
Humorous fiction
Identity, Fiction
Science fiction
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Reading Programs: |
Accelerated Reader Level:
4.4
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Points: 11.0
Lexile Level:
660
Reading Counts Level:
4.8
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Points: 19.0
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| Annotations |
| Brodart's TOP Young Adult Titles | 04/01/2015 |
| Everyone in Denton's world knows the date that they will die. Despite knowing that his time on Earth will expire on the day of his senior prom, Denton fills his final days with sex and a brutal hangover that reveals he may have just slept with his best friend's sister. The growing purple rash, the strange man at Denton's funeral, and shady government conspirators add to the list of mysteries Denton must solve before his time runs out…for good. Debut Novel, 352pp. |
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| Journal Reviews |
| Booklist | 03/01/2015 |
| Grades 9-12. Ever since he was a kid, Denton Little knew he would die when he was 17--not the precise moment of the day or how, but enough to know he had a deadline by which to accomplish certain goals. That's not that big a deal, though; almost everyone in this near-future tale knows the precise day of his or her death. For the most part, Denton has tried to keep his life fairly normal, but his last day is anything but. The morning of his deathdate, Denton notices a purple splotch on his thigh that slowly grows to cover his whole body, and all day long he experiences near misses with death. As he get closer to midnight on his deathdate, he learns beguiling secrets about his past, particularly regarding his mother, whose deathdate was the same day he was born. Though some readers might be rankled by the one-dimensional women characters and the uneven pacing of this debut novel, they will likely still be intrigued by Denton's charmingly glib first-person narrative and sarcastic, irreverent gallows humor. Hunter, Sarah. 352p. AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, c2015. |
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| Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books | 06/01/2015 |
| R. Gr. 9-12. In a time when scientists can predict the date a person will die, seventeen-year-old Denton Little is preparing for his funeral. With his day of demise looming, Denton plans to celebrate his short, unremarkable life in the conventional ways: attending a party where friends and family give eulogies, getting drunk with his best friend, and finally having sex with his girlfriend. However, a creepy cop has started mysteriously following him around, and his girlfriend's psychotic ex seems to lurk around every corner; additionally, his best friend's hot older sister is giving off romantic vibes. Things get weirder when an old family friend shows up at the funeral, claiming to have secrets about Denton's past that might just keep him from dying. Suddenly Denton's last few hours are jam-packed with life-changing events as he juggles two girls, uncovers a possible conspiracy, and finds himself on the run from people who want to make sure he dies when he's supposed to. With its over-the-top combination of dark humor, teen hijinks, and conspiracy theories, this novel is an utterly enjoyable, engrossing page-turner. Denton is an endearing narrator, snarky but sincere, resigned to his fate yet willing to fight for every last moment of his life. The rest of the novel is populated by an eclectic cast of lovable goofballs, unexpected allies and villains, and intriguingly layered characters. While the ending (and its lack of clear resolution) is somewhat predictable, the narrative maintains tension, and as the final moments of Denton's deathdate tick by, readers will be right there with him, holding their breath and wondering about possible sequels. AM. 346p. THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE UNIV. OF ILLINOIS, c2015. |
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| Horn Book | 03/01/2015 |
| High School. In seventeen-year-old Denton's world, AstroThanatoGenetics makes it possible -- and the U.S. government makes it mandatory -- to find out the date of a person's death at the time of his or her birth, though the exact moment and cause of death remain a surprise. Funerals take place the day before death and end in dance parties, and many families spend deathdates in "Sittings" while they wait for whatever will befall their loved ones. Denton, an "Early" (because his deathdate is before age twenty-one), is still wrestling with the usual adolescent confusion as his fate approaches and in fact wakes up the morning of his funeral in his best friend's sister's bed, unsure of whether he's cheated on his girlfriend. (Not a spoiler: he has.) He spends his deathdate, which happens to be the day of his senior prom, wondering how he'll go; his mysterious purple rash may provide a hint, but so might a brawl with a gun-wielding rival and several encounters with a strung-out driver. There's dark humor in spades here, along with fully developed relationships and a mystery that will keep readers turning pages while Denton receives strange messages and enters and leaves his own Sitting far more times than his family expects. A surprisingly breezy read, both for its hilarity and for its gradually revealed secrets. Some questions are left unanswered, but -- not to give too much away -- the story does not appear to be over. shoshana flax. 345pg. THE HORN BOOK, c2015. |
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| Horn Book Guide | 11/01/2015 |
| 2. In seventeen-year-old Denton's world, AstroThanatoGenetics makes it possible to find out the date of a person's death at birth, though not the exact moment and cause. Denton spends his deathdate, which happens to be the day of his senior prom, wondering how he'll go. There's dark humor in spades here, along with fully developed relationships and a mystery that will keep pages turning. sf. 346pg. THE HORN BOOK, c2015. |
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| Kirkus Reviews | 01/15/2015 |
| A young man lives out his last hours in this comedic novel set at a time in the near future in which people grow up knowing when they will die.When 17-year-old Denton wakes up with a hangover in the bed of his best friend's sister with only some groggy memories of what happened the night before, he's horrified that it seems he may have cheated on his girlfriend. Adding urgency to the whole situation is that, due to information gleaned from an improbable quasi-scientific formula, he knows he is just a day away from the date that will be his last. The details surrounding what seems to be a covert tug of war between entities involved in Denton's projected death are vague, remaining so even as the 300-plus-page story concludes, which is sure to frustrate some readers. Yet the novel features warmly real characters. Denton's funny, self-effacing genuineness will keep readers rooting for him. Vivid secondary characters include his goofy, pot-smoking best friend, Paolo, who helpfully urges Denton to "own that shit" in regard to following his heart as well as his quirky, loving family; even the brief snapshots provided of Denton's schoolmates are believable and engaging. The planned companion novel might provide some of the answers missing here, and those who have been charmed by the winsome characters will look forward to it. (Fiction. 14-18). 352pg. KIRKUS MEDIA LLC, c2015. |
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| Publishers Weekly | 02/09/2015 |
| Ages 14-up. Denton Little lives in a world just like ours, except that most people know the exact day they will die, thanks to advances in the field of "AstroThanatoGenetics." Denton is a so-called "Early," because he's slated to die at age 17. On the day of his funeral, Denton wakes up with a wicked hangover and few memories of the night before, other than that he thinks he broke up with his girlfriend and made out with his best friend's sister. As Denton's death date creeps closer, he develops a strange purple rash, begins to have questions about his late mother, and wonders if he's wasted his short life by trying to live it "normally." Rubin's debut doesn't take itself too seriously--Denton gives a horrible rambling eulogy at his own funeral, and there's even a coordinated dance number at prom--and the open-ended conclusion necessitates a sequel. But the tweaked contemporary setting, irreverent end-of-life humor, and big, existential questions make this a good pick for fans of John Corey Whaley's Noggin. Agent: Mollie Glick, Foundry Literary + Media. (Apr.). 352p. PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, c2015. |
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| School Library Journal | 01/01/2015 |
| Gr 9 Up. In a not-so-distant future, every person knows from tests performed on hair and blood at birth what day he or she will die. As the book begins, Denton knows that tomorrow is his deathdate and he is as ready as a person can be in this rather weird situation. His family has planned the funeral and the "sitting," the wait for death to come. Denton attends the funeral, but as far as the sitting, he has other plans--time with his friends and girlfriends, some alcohol, smoking pot, sex--much better ways of spending his last day of Earth than just waiting. Then there is this strange purple rash with red dots that is spreading over his body, as well as the bodies of the people he has exchanged "spit" with--and the numerous near misses of his death when he's almost hit by a car (twice) and is nearly shot. Denton's deathdate gets stranger and stranger. This humorous story of mortality, friendship, family, and secrets is a strange, fun, and unusual read that keeps readers laughing, gasping, and quickly turning pages. Denton, a likable and well-rounded character, just can't keep from getting in trouble--his hookup with his best friend's sister has made his girlfriend mad, his girlfriend's ex keeps trying to kill him--as does the neighborhood drug dealer--and everything he does seems to cause a problem. The plot is quirky and highly original. Denton Little just can't win--but readers certainly do. While this seems to be a stand-alone novel, and a satisfying one at that, there is plenty of fodder for a sequel. Rubin's is a new voice on the YA literature scene and is well-worth reading. Janet Hilbun, University of North Texas. 352p. SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, c2015. |
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| ~VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates Magazine - Retired Journal) | 04/01/2015 |
| 4Q 5P J S. Denton Little's "Deathdate" just happens to coincide with his senior prom, so he does not buy tickets. After all, his death could occur anytime in that 24-hour period, and chances are he will not be around to enjoy the prom. He and his friend, Paolo, whose Deathdate is scheduled one month after Denton's, decide to cram as much fun as possible in the few days left to them. Denton smokes pot, gets drunk, and sleeps with Paolo's sister, Veronica. He wakes up to find a weird purple rash on his thigh and Veronica develops it, too. When Paola also contracts the rash, things begin to get crazy. Denton is almost shot by a friend, hounded by a cop, avoids being killed by a car twice, and is kidnapped by Paolo's mother. He miraculously survives his appointment with death only to find out that most of what he knows about life is a lie. Words cannot capture the spirit and humor of this novel. In a society very much like our own, babies are assigned a scientifically formulated Deathdate at birth. This allows them to attend their own funeral, which is followed by a huge party in their honor. The next day is The Sitting, during which only their immediate family and closest friends await their death together. Denton greets his impending demise with resignation and a hefty amount of humor. The dialogue is witty and raunchy, the plot uniquely twisted, and the ending is to die for. Even the cover is distinctive, with its vertical orientation depicting a hearse. Buy multiple copies because this book will fly off the shelves.--Nancy K. Wallace. 352p. VOICE OF YOUTH ADVOCATES, c2015. |
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9780553496963,dl.it[0].title
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