AUGUST 2010 - AudioFile
If 15-year-old Jem looks into people’s eyes, she sees their numbers—numbers that foretell that person’s death date. Naturally, she avoids eye contact and, as a result, is considered shifty and weird. She makes no friends until Spider, a tall, skinny black classmate forces the issue. Reluctantly, Jem lowers her defenses, letting Spider into her life. To her horror, she discovers that his time in this life is nearly at an end. As one mishap after another plagues Jem and Spider, forcing them to go on the run, their relationship deepens. Sarah Coomes portrays young people especially well. Her youthful voice is energetic, and her characterizations are truthful. Rachel Ward spins an engrossing yarn, and Sarah Coomes gives it a fine reading. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
Fifteen-year-old Jem has a singular and terrifying ability—looking people in the eye reveals to her the date they will die. Needless to say, she avoids eye contact. Her mother overdosed; she's on her umpteenth foster home; and school (when she goes) is a dead-end special education class. But school also brings her closer to Spider, a gangly bundle of raw energy who genuinely likes Jem—and who she knows has just weeks to live. Their bittersweet courtship becomes terrifying when their first date ends in a terrorist bombing at the London Eye. Jem escapes with Spider moments before the blast, but witnesses report their flight and suddenly they are persons of interest in a police investigation. It's a gritty tale, unsparingly told, and debut novelist Ward demonstrates exceptional control of her material. Her characters remain true to themselves and their bleak circumstances, making for some excruciating moments. This is not an easy read, but it isn't entirely hopeless either. Despite its supernatural premise, Jem's story shines a stark and honest light on the lives of teens on the fringe. Ages 14–18. (Feb.)
School Library Journal
Gr 8–10—10102001. That's Jem's mother's number. Jem saw it whenever she looked into her mother's eyes, but it wasn't until four years after the woman's fatal heroin overdose when Jem was 11 that she realized that the number was the date her mother would die. And it's not just that number that the teen sees—she knows when everyone will die by looking into their eyes. Isolating herself from the rest of humanity seems to be the only solution until Spider, a freakishly tall, twitchy mess of a boy, refuses to leave her alone. In spite of the fact that she knows his death date is only months away, she can't resist his overtures of friendship. One afternoon, while ditching school, they head for the London Eye tourist attraction. When Jem realizes that several people standing in line are fated to die that very day, she panics and takes off. Newspapers and television pick up the story, and Jem and Spider, targeted as the terrorists responsible for destroying the Eye, or at least witnesses, are on the run in a stolen car. Ward's debut novel is gritty, bold, and utterly unique. Jem's isolation and pain, hidden beneath a veneer of toughness, are palpable, and the ending is a real shocker. Teens who read Charles De Lint, Holly Black, and Melvin Burgess will take to this riveting book and eagerly await the upcoming sequel.—Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage Public Library, AK
Kirkus Reviews
Jem's been bouncing between foster homes since her mother overdosed when Jem was only six. Now she's a typical troubled teen, skipping her special-ed classes almost as often as she goes. Though she's not entirely typical, as most troubled teens don't see the death dates of every person they meet, floating in eight stark numerals over each head. 10102001, her mother's number. 07142013, her foster mother's. And 12152010, Spider's. Spider is the gangly, twitchy, stinky classmate who's the first person ever to try to be Jem's friend. When the two of them are seen running away from a massive terrorist attack in London-Jem had warning of the deaths, hadn't she?-they flee the police investigation and run away into the country. If only December 15 weren't closing in fast, Jem could even be happy with her new romance. Their journey is filled with heartwarming encounters with helpful but realistically wary strangers feeding their bodies and touching their hearts. A lovely, bittersweet tearjerker about living life to its fullest. (Fantasy. 13-15)
AUGUST 2010 - AudioFile
If 15-year-old Jem looks into people’s eyes, she sees their numbers—numbers that foretell that person’s death date. Naturally, she avoids eye contact and, as a result, is considered shifty and weird. She makes no friends until Spider, a tall, skinny black classmate forces the issue. Reluctantly, Jem lowers her defenses, letting Spider into her life. To her horror, she discovers that his time in this life is nearly at an end. As one mishap after another plagues Jem and Spider, forcing them to go on the run, their relationship deepens. Sarah Coomes portrays young people especially well. Her youthful voice is energetic, and her characterizations are truthful. Rachel Ward spins an engrossing yarn, and Sarah Coomes gives it a fine reading. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine
