Imagine living with the knowledge of the day everyone is going to die. That is what life is like for Jem- ever since she can remember, she looks at people and sees the date of their death. It isn't easy for her. To protect herself, she keeps people at a distance. This makes for a very lonely life, but at least she is safe from getting close to someone when she knows they will die.
Then, Jem meets Spider. A troubled boy who for some reason Jem is drawn to. Together they start building a relationship and make plans to spend time together.
One day in London, Jem pulls Spider away from a near disaster and suddenly they are on the run from the police and wanted for questioning. As Jem and Spider grow closer, Jem knows the date of Spider's death and she desperately tries to find a way to cheat death.
I heard about this book from another teacher and picked it up on her recommendation. It is written with an real English flair, which I do enjoy reading. However, it is a bit too mature to put in my grade 7 classroom. The concept is pretty cool, but there are times when the story drags on a bit. I liked Jem and her relationship with Spider was quite interesting to watch develop. The ending left me wanting to read the sequel, even though I don't think I can put it in my classroom.
a perfect book to accompany the not-the-end-of-the-world day. steven
ReplyDelete