Denton Little's Still Not Dead

November 15, 2016
This follow-up to 2015's Denton Little's Deathdate continues the comedic saga of a high school senior who lives in a world in which the government is able to divine at birth when each person will die. Picking up just after Denton has outrun agents from the Death Investigation Agency, this second offering explains Denton's history, which includes a series of clandestine events his biological mother has kept from him. As the book opens, he's locked down in New York City, first in a safe house and then at his mother's apartment. Denton, who is white, and his best friend, Paolo, who's Puerto Rican, get involved in a lot of madcap action as they try to make sense of all the vague details about death dates and Denton's apparent immunity to his. These antics include a highly entertaining car chase and a hilarious thwarted attempt to pass the virus that saved Denton to an obnoxious congressman's daughter by spitting in her drink. Their witty interactions are filled with realistically lewd banter that is nicely balanced by their genuine friendship, and though Denton is still starry-eyed over Paolo's sister, Veronica, whom he hooks up with for a second time, it is Paolo and Denton's relationship that takes center stage. A sequel that neatly wraps up this funny and original story. (Fiction. 14-18)

COPYRIGHT(2016) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

December 1, 2016

Gr 8 Up-In this sequel to Denton Little's Deathdate, Denton is still alive, one day after he was supposed to have died. Even more confusing, he wakes to find his mother, who he thought had died while giving birth to him. At first, he thinks that they are both ghosts, or that she is leading him up the stairs to heaven-and a very ugly heaven at that. Then Denton's mother explains that she was part of a team that developed a virus that could counteract assigned deathdates and she had injected herself with it while she was pregnant with him. Beating his deathdate does not live up to the "wonderfulness" that Denton expects, though. He is virtually a prisoner in his mother's apartment while she and her colleagues run tests on him, and he's barred from using social media and seeing his friends. On top of that, the DIA (Death Investigation Agency) is after him, and his best friend Paolo's deathdate is coming soon. Can he help? Full of humor, suspense, family drama, romance, car chases, evil government agents, and scientists, this reads almost like a movie script. Denton and his quirky friends are laugh-out-loud funny, even as their riotous adventures raise deeper questions about science, government control, life, and death. While the book can be read as a stand-alone, those who are familiar with the first title will have a greater understanding of the plot. VERDICT The humor, strong characters, and thoughtful themes make this a strong choice for a wide audience.-Janet Hilbun, University of North Texas, Denton

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2016
Grades 9-12 Denton Little escaped government agents and, more important, his own deathdate at the end of Rubin's debut (Denton Little's Deathdate, 2015). In this follow-up, Denton is in for even more surprises: his mother is still alive; the weird, purple splotch that appeared all over his body on the day he was supposed to die is the result of a lab-produced virus; and, since he's a vector for the infection, he could potentially destroy deathdates once and for all. Now Denton's unwittingly involved in an illegal mission he's not sure he agrees with, and trying desperately to save his best friend Paolo from his impending deathdate. Though the plot drags at times, there are bright spots, such as Denton's heartwarming friendship with Paolo and their pun-filled, sarcastic banter, and the chases and escapes keep the pages turning. Denton's struggle to connect to his biological mother and his ambivalence over the ethics of her plans adds some thought-provoking depth as well. Fans of the first book will be happy to know more about Denton's ultimate fate.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2017
Denton was supposed to die the day before this book begins, as readers will recall from Denton Little's Deathdate (rev. 3/15), but it turns out that he has been injected with a virus to override the deathdates predicted at birth by a mandatory test, and what he thought would be the last day of his life is instead the start of a covert existence full of illicit shenanigans. Because of the secrecy necessitated by the government's investment in deathdates, Denton goes off the grid to hide his continued existence. Though he's always been told that his mother died the day he was born, she's actually been alive all this time--and involved in an anti-deathdate movement in which Denton, too, is suddenly embroiled. He finds himself on missions to transfer the life-saving virus, via his saliva, to people whose deathdates are approaching. But persuading people to drink the beverages he hands them--or to kiss him--is harder than it sounds. The caper aspect of the first installment is heightened in this sequel, but there's still plenty of focus on family relationships, friendships, and (often awkward) romantic entanglements. shoshana flax

(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)