★ 02/16/2015
With lyricism and potent insight, Shusterman (Unwind) traces the schizophrenic descent and return of Caden Bosch, an intelligent 15-year-old and a gifted artist. His internal narratives are sometimes dreams, sometimes hallucinations, and sometimes undefinable, dominated by a galleon and its captain, sailing with an enormous, sullen crew to the deepest point of the Marianas Trench, Challenger Deep. The metaphor’s not exactly subtle, but Shusterman finds unexpected resonance in its details—the tarry seams in the wood, the human ballast. External reality still registers: people around Caden run the gamut of humor, scolding, threats, and avoidance to pressure him into changing behavior he no longer controls. Shusterman has mined personal experience of mental illness with his son Brendan, whose line drawings mirror Caden’s fragmentation in swirling lines eerily reminiscent of Van Gogh. It’s a powerful collaboration, and crucial to the novel’s credibility. As Caden says, “There is no such thing as a ‘correct’ diagnosis,” and though his story doesn’t necessarily represent a “typical” experience of mental illness, it turns symptoms into lived reality in ways readers won’t easily forget. Ages 14–up. Agent: Andrea Brown, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (Apr.)

A brilliant journey across the dark sea of mental illness; frightening, sensitive, and powerful. Simply extraordinary.” — Laurie Halse Anderson, award-winning author of Speak

★ “Haunting, unforgettable, and life-affirming all at once.” — Booklist (starred review)

★ “An adventure in perspective as well as plot, this unusual foray into schizophrenia should leave readers with a deeper understanding of the condition.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

★ “Clearly written with love, the novel is moving; but it’s also funny, with dry, insightful humor. Illustrations by the author’s son Brendan, drawn during his own time in the depths of mental illness, haunt the story with scrambling, rambling lines, tremulousness, and intensity.” — Horn Book (starred review)

★ “Teens, especially fans of the author’s other novels, will enjoy this book. This affecting deep dive into the mind of a schizophrenic will captivate readers, engender empathy for those with mental illnesses, and offer much fodder for discussion.” — School Library Journal (starred review)

★ “A powerful collaboration...[Caden’s] story turns symptoms into lived reality in ways readers won’t easily forget.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A thoroughly realistic story...Both male and female readers will find this compelling while acquiring a deeper compassion and understanding. ” — Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

“Shusterman does a masterful job...The intensity of living inside Caden’s mind makes this a wrenching read.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)

“Moving, funny, and insightful, Challenger Deep is about a boy named Caden who’s dealing with schizophrenia. Disorienting at times and emotionally poignant at others, this award-winning novel will make you ponder the complexities of mental illness.” — Brightly

Moving, funny, and insightful, Challenger Deep is about a boy named Caden who’s dealing with schizophrenia. Disorienting at times and emotionally poignant at others, this award-winning novel will make you ponder the complexities of mental illness.

★ “Haunting, unforgettable, and life-affirming all at once.

Shusterman does a masterful job...The intensity of living inside Caden’s mind makes this a wrenching read.

A brilliant journey across the dark sea of mental illness; frightening, sensitive, and powerful. Simply extraordinary.

★ “Clearly written with love, the novel is moving; but it’s also funny, with dry, insightful humor. Illustrations by the author’s son Brendan, drawn during his own time in the depths of mental illness, haunt the story with scrambling, rambling lines, tremulousness, and intensity.

A thoroughly realistic story...Both male and female readers will find this compelling while acquiring a deeper compassion and understanding.

Moving, funny, and insightful, Challenger Deep is about a boy named Caden who’s dealing with schizophrenia. Disorienting at times and emotionally poignant at others, this award-winning novel will make you ponder the complexities of mental illness.

★ 02/01/2015
Gr 9 Up—Caden Bosch lives in two worlds. One is his real life with his family, his friends, and high school. There he is paranoid for no reason, thinks people are trying to kill him, and demonstrates obsessive compulsive behaviors. In his other world, he's part of the crew for a pirate captain on a voyage to the Challenger Deep, the ocean's deepest trench. There he's paranoid, wary of the mercurial captain and his mutinous parrot, and tries hard to interpret the mutterings of his fellow shipmates as they sail uncharted waters toward unknown dangers. Slowly, Caden's fantasy and paranoia begin to take over, until his parents have only one choice left. Shusterman's latest novel gives readers a look at teen mental illness from inside the mind of Caden Bosch. He is a credible and sympathetic character, and his retreat into his own flawed mind is fascinating, full of riddles and surrealism. Shusterman based the novel on his son's mental illness, and Brendan's input regarding his diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder and psychiatric care makes the novel ring true. Teens, especially fans of the author's other novels, will enjoy this book. VERDICT This affecting deep dive into the mind of a schizophrenic will captivate readers, engender empathy for those with mental illnesses, and offer much fodder for discussion.—Heather Miller Cover, Homewood Public Library, AL

When handled well by a voice actor, an unreliable narrator is a delight—the narrator makes the listener believe in the character and then slowly reveals that all is not as it seems. Such is the work of Michael Curran-Dorsano as he narrates from the point of view of Caden Bosch, who becomes absorbed in a journey to the deepest point on Earth, in the Marianas Trench. When the teen finds himself aboard a strange ship in the ocean area known as Challenger Deep, he can't tell if it’s really happening—or if he’s losing his mind. Meanwhile, his friends and family grow increasingly concerned. Curran-Dorsano’s soft voice works well as the internal voice for the teenaged Bosch. He keeps to a steady rhythm while also being capable of shifting his voice for other characters. L.E. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

★ 2015-01-20
Fantasy becomes reality in an exploration of mental illness based partly on the experiences of the author's son, who is also the book's illustrator. For 14-year-old Caden Bosch, his gradual descent into schizophrenia is a quest to reach the bottom of Challenger Deep, the deepest place on Earth. In an internal reality that's superimposed over Caden's real life—where his behavior slips from anxiety to hearing voices and compulsively obeying signage—an Ahab-like captain promises riches in exchange for allegiance, while his parrot urges mutiny for a chance at life ashore. Shusterman unmoors readers with his constant use of present tense and lack of transitions, but Caden's nautical hallucination-turned-subplot becomes clearer once his parents commit him to Seaview Hospital's psychiatric unit with its idiosyncratic crew of patients and staff. However, Caden's disorientation and others' unease also make the story chillingly real. Except in the heights of Caden's delusions, nothing is romanticized—just off-kilter enough to show how easily unreality acquires its own logic and wit. The illustrator, who has struggled with mental illness himself, charts the journey with abstract line drawings that convey Caden's illness as well as his insight. When the depths are revealed with a dream-logic twist and Caden chooses an allegiance, the sea becomes a fine metaphor for a mind: amorphous and tumultuous but ultimately navigable. An adventure in perspective as well as plot, this unusual foray into schizophrenia should leave readers with a deeper understanding of the condition. (author's note) (Fiction. 14 & up)