In Steven Arntson's (The Wikkeling) probing novel, 16-year-old Gabriela Rivera reevaluates what's important to her when she learns that her time is almost up.
It's been more than 100 years since Franklin Delano Roosevelt was president, and the draft has been reinstated. Citizens receive a "Death Letter" with a date on which Death, in the form of an eight-foot-tall, silvery presence, will come for them. The recipient of the Letter may ask for an extension in order to "wrap up" certain things before they go, but go they must--unless they can find their Death's Noble Weakness. In that case, Death grants a Pardon. Gabriela and her friends witness a "departure" at the opening of the novel. Arnston's description of the process is balletic: a Death named Gretchen transforms "the Singing Man" with her silvery touch. When Gabriela gets home, there's a Death Letter waiting for her, signed by Hercule.
The balance of the novel focuses on Gabriela's preparations and her efforts--along with her friend Iris, who's fascinated with Death--to puzzle out Hercule's Noble Weakness. Gabriela's family's priest is but one resource, along with family and friends, available to her. Humor often lightens the mood and serves as an essential icebreaker. Deeper characterizations take a back seat to plot; the novel's strength is its implicit question to readers about what is truly important, and what legacy they leave. The idea of having a relationship with Death, and the constant presence of mortality making each moment matter, will linger long after teens close the cover. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness