Deadline by Chris Crutcher

I love the author, Chris Crutcher. He is honest and unflinching when he writes about teens. In Deadline, he continues this. I thought this would be a good book to read after reading John Green's The Fault in Our Stars, and after finishing it, I feel so even more strongly.

Ben Wolf is an 18 year old young man who is about to start his senior year of high school. He lives in a small Idaho town and has some big dreams: getting a track scholarship and getting out of that small town are chief among them. His plans change drastically when he is told by his doctor that he has a terminal illness and about one year left to live. 

His first decision is to keep this a secret. He does not want everyone in town to treat him differently. He wants to live as normal a life as possible. His second decision, based on the whole life remaining normal idea, is to refuse treatment. The chance of him surviving with treatment is minuscule. Rather than end his life that way, he decides that if this year is all he has left, he is going to live it to the fullest. 

This success of this book is due to the excellent, in-depth characters that Crutcher has created. They are richly detailed and multilayered. There are no caricatures in his writing. These people came alive for me. There was character-based surprise after surprise. The exploration of the power and problems involved in all levels of secrecy made me stop and think more than a few times. Hard to look at secrets the same way after reading this.

I might not put this on my middle school bookshelf, but in a high school classroom, definitely. I urge you to read it.  

Justice League: Gods And Monsters by Bruce Timm and J.M. DeMatteis

Back in the day, Marvel had a comic titled "What if...?" and DC answered with its own version: "Elseworlds." Each title would explore alternate possibilities for characters and story lines.  Like what if Aunt May had been bitten by the radioactive spider? What if Batman had become our sector's Green Lantern? This graphic novel, a collection of three different origin tales and a combined adventure, has that sort of feel to it.

In this graphic novel DC explores a different version of "The Trinity": Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. It starts with Superman. In this version he is the son of Zod, not Jor-El, and is brought up by a family of migrant workers.  He experiences a very different upbringing than Clark Kent did. He is not so much a hero for a great deal of the story. It is disconcerting to see Superman as arrogant and uncaring as he is portrayed. Although in the context of the story, it makes sense.

Batman is also very different. Kirk Langstrom is a brilliant doctor. When it is discovered that he has terminal cancer, he creates a cure for himself. The unanticipated side effect was that he became a vampirelike creature who needed blood to survive. In order to try and assuage his guilt, he vowed only to prey on evil men. And he found this was not as easy as it seemed.

Bekka of New Genesis is this reality’s Wonder Woman. Having come to Earth through a random boom tube fleeing Darkseid, she is rescued by a kind couple. She learns that while there is real goodness here, there is also evil and she is driven to protect her new home. Often her adventures end rather badly.

The three come together to to investigate a man who is offering “upgrades” to those who can afford them. These new “Forever People” are endowed with godlike powers. But, if they do not continue to pay for upgrades, they soon die. It doesn’t take them long to decide that the Earth is theirs to rule.

There are some epic battle scenes. Many the moral conundrum is considered and puzzled over. Does might make right? Who are these “heroes” who so casually take the lives of those they see as wrong-doers? Are they any better than the Forever People? What is to stop them from declaring themselves rulers of the world?

These fears are stoked by a Lois Lane who adamantly hates these three. She is suspicious and belligerent. So different from the many iterations of this character that have come before. Only Lex Luthor seems to be himself. And doesn’t that just sound like grand news?

I liked the feel of this graphic novel. The limited nature of the series gave the authors the freedom to really push a few boundaries that they may not have been able to if this was to be an ongoing series. I especially enjoyed the character development. I deeply enjoyed seeing variations of these iconic heroes. It was a fun read and worth my time.

I recommend this. All my comic book geeks out there, give it a shot.

Dark Night: A True Batman Story by Paul Dini

I was not sure what to expect when I first looked at this graphic novel. What I didn't expect, but most certainly got, was a riveting true story. Paul Dini, the author, uses the graphic novel format to write a stirring autobiography. He is not gentle with himself. I was intrigued by the story and impressed by the level of honesty Mr. Dini showed.

In writing about the tragic event where he was severely beaten, the author uses the cartoon and comic book characters he worked with to help portray his inner landscape. This psychological play is a powerful metaphor. The villains from Batman,chosen with great care, were there trying to sabotage him, and the Dark Knight was there with encouragement, insight, and tough love.

I would recommend this book highly. If you are not a graphic novel fan, I encourage you to give it a try. It is worth the read.

It's the End of the World as We Know It by Saci Lloyd

This was a whirlwind of a book! It took off fast and kept accelerating. The author's view of the wacky parallel universe was fun and not what I expected. For me, that's always a plus. The twists and turns kept me reading.

 I especially enjoyed the way the author handled the dialog. It gave me a good verbal image of each character.

 If you are looking for a lot of logic and a book that makes total sense, this may not be for you. If you're just looking for a good time, I say give it a shot.