Reviewed by Mrs. Nieder (Mathematics)
A boy finds out he is terminally ill right before his senior year. He decided to not tell anyone and make it the year of his lifetime--going out for football, going after the girl he's always admired. He finds that keeping the secret though, has consequences. I loved this book. I thought the dialogue was excellent--totally sounded like the teens around here. I could also really relate to all the characters and found it to be a great story. ( )

What would you do with your life if you knew you only had a year to live? That’s the question Ben Wolf, the hero of Chris Crutcher’s excellent novel, Deadline, must ask himself when, during a routine physical before the start of senior year, he is diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. His answer? Tell no one, go out for varsity football (despite being rail-thin, short, and the brother of the star QB), and pursue Dallas Suzuki, the tallest, most confident, athletic, and beautiful girl in school. Oh, and tirelessly challenge (and make a fool out of) that thoughtless, authoritarian American Government teacher who’s always getting on his nerves.

This funny, touching, and compassionate book is that rare beast: a gripping, plot-driven read that weaves in controversial turns without once feeling didactic or forced. As Ben sets down the new path he’s set for himself he begins succeeding wildly. He is an unexpected animal on the ballfield with a sharp eye for strategy, and becomes the team’s secret weapon. He ends up in Dallas’s welcoming arms so fast and so early on that his head spins. But with each success he develops new, unexpectedly meaningful relationships – with his brother, with Dallas, with the coach, even with the town drunk. These relationships deepen as the novel progresses and force him to wrestle with his decision to keep his fate a secret. It also makes his impending death that much harder to bear: How can he leave these amazing people he loves behind? How can he not tell them how little time he has? Was it up to him to “protect” his family and friends from his fate? And why can’t he find the courage to tell Dallas even when, after they fall in love, she reveals two dark, shocking secrets of her own?

Crutcher’s book is packed with memorable characters, complex relationships, and philosophical and moral hot potatoes you’ll be turning over for days. He is as unflinching here about the ugly side of human nature as he is certain, ultimately, in the basic goodness of most people. Ben’s voice is irreverent, sarcastic, and fiercely independent, but he’s rattled by how much he doesn’t know. He’s in a race to make life mean something, and, in only a short while (because that’s all he’s got), he learns about the central importance of love, about his own weaknesses, about the power of selflessness, and the possibility of compassion for even the lowest of God’s creatures. His story exhorts us to make the most of our own short time on this planet. This is Crutcher at his very best.

Reviewed by coollibrarianchick for TeensReadToo.com

Let's say you find out in a routine physical exam that you have a rare disease and will only have approximately one year left to live. What would you do? Would you get treatment to prolong your life even if it's just for a little while, or would you refuse treatment and just live out the rest of your days as a normal person? Tough choice; I am not sure what I would do.

Ben Wolf is faced with this dilemma in Chris Crutcher's newest book, DEADLINE. He finds out in the beginning of his senior year that he has leukemia. Not only does he refuse treatment but he also decides not to tell anyone about his condition, either, which means that his family and friends are all in the dark until almost the very end of the story.

Why did he decide to do things that way, you might wonder? I get why he decided not to tell anyone at school. They would treat him as if he was fragile, like glass, or like the town leper. Normalcy is something you strive for when things in your world are turned upside down. I would've told my family, though, because they are my family through better or worse. I hate lying to them. Ben didn't see it as lying at first. He just saw it as hiding the truth, which in reality is the same thing.

Being sick made Ben do and see things that he never would have done before. Instead of coasting through his senior year, he used the year to find information, read everything he could and speak up and push his teachers so he could get the most from his education. He also decided to switch sports and play football instead of running cross country. And, finally, he got the girl, too.

Courageous or foolish? You decide. Eventually, though, reality does set in..... ( )

18, a big year, marks the endof childhood for most kids and the beginning of the rest of their lives. For Ben Wolf, 18 is an even bigger year. It's his only year, and he plans to make it the best year of his life. After being diagnosed with a terminal blood disease, Ben decides that he was never meant to grow old. To avoid all the pity, he doesn't tell anyone; he just makes his dreams come true. Ben becomes a star football player, a boyfriend, a friend, and an activist all because he took some risks. But when he's finally ready to tell his secret, how will everyone he's come to love handle it? Chris Crutcher gets in the mind of an 18 year-old and leaves nothing out. This book will have you cheering for Ben on the football field and off. ( )

"Dealine" is a great book. It's about an 18 year old boy finding out he has cancer and less than a year to live but decides to tell no one. His doctor would like to tell his parents but due to him being a legal adult he can't. Ben knows he needs to make his time left count. Seeing as this is such a short time he also decides to take risks, like playing football, and fliting with a girl he's been lusting on for a while. He is also trying to learn the truth in school and as much of it as he can.
To me this book was a combination of a million emotions ranging from comical to depressing. I recommend it to anyone looking for a good, entertaining read with a well-written ending. ( )