Denton Little's Death Date by Lance Rubin...

How I Heard About It:  I remember reading about this book sometime this past spring.  I kind of forgot about it until I recently saw it on the shelf at the local bookstore.  I added it to my stack of purchases.  I was looking for a young-adult novel to read so I thought this would be the perfect one to try.  

What It Is About:  Denton lives in a world where people know the date they are going to die.  Unfortunately, his death date is an early one and he is "scheduled" to pass during his senior year of high school.  The night before his funeral, which he will attend, Denton finds himself very drunk, dumped by his girlfriend, and with his best friend's sister.  He can't quite believe his luck.  After a few mishaps, Denton finally arrives at his own funeral and gives a speech that soon won't be forgotten.  What follows the funeral is called the day of sitting when the person that is going to pass, spends the day sitting with their family and friends waiting to find out how they are going to die.  Denton's mother died the day he was born and there were many mysteries surrounding her death.  On Denton's sitting day, he decides he wants to find out the truth and will stop at nothing to do it.  There are issues with his girlfriend, his best friend, his best friend's sister, his best friend's mother, and a class bully.  The closer his "time" gets, the more complicated he realizes his life is.

What I Thought Of It:  I guess this novel is half realistic fiction and half fantasy/science fiction.  I normally don't enjoy fantasy or sci-fi, but this story worked very well for me.  I really enjoyed the story of Denton and all that happened to him the last few days before his "death".  There was a lot of humor used throughout the story which made me laugh out loud.  There were so many things happening in the plot that is made for quite the page -turner.  The ending took me completely by surprise and I didn't see it coming at all.  I love when that happens.  I guess there is going to be a sequel called Denton's Little's Birthdate which comes out in the spring of 2016.

Who Should Read It:  I can see young adult readers really getting into this story.  There are so many elements that they will be able to relate to.  The idea of knowing your death date would be quite intriguing to the young-adult reader.  The novel would also appeal to readers who enjoy high school fiction with elements of fantasy and science fiction.  It really has it all.  Happy Reading!  

Rating:  5 STARS out of 5 Stars