Antsy Does Time

Antsy Does Time

by Neal Shusterman

Dutton, 2008

ISBN 9780525478256

247 pages

4 (out of 5) STARS

Plot Summary

Fueled by friendship and sympathy, Antsy Bonano signs a month of his life over to his “dying” classmate Gunnar Umlaut. Soon everyone at school follows suit, giving new meaning to the idea of “living on borrowed time.” But does Gunnar really have six months to live, or is news of his imminent death greatly exaggerated? When a family member suffers a heart attack after donating two years to Gunnar, Antsy wonders if he has tempted fate by playing God.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3112309-antsy-does-time

Critical Evaluation

I was pleasantly surprised by this novel. I know I wanted a ya humor book but I put off reading this one for a few weeks because the cover did not appeal to me. But once I got started it, I found it to be quite funny. However, underneath the humor, there is some sadness. Gunnar's family is falling apart. His dad is losing everything to gambling and does nothing to change his behavior. The humor helps to keep the story light but does not diminish the pain of Gunnar and his family.

Reader’s Annotation

Antsy gets sweeped into a scheme to help saving a "dying" classmate.

Information about the author

"When I was a kid, I wanted to be everything. A writer, an actor, a doctor, a rock star, an artist, an architect, and a film director. I had a teacher who said "You can't do that ? you'll be a jack of all trades and a master of none!" But I had it worked out: I'd be a jack of seven trades, and master of three.

Then, in ninth grade I had an English teacher who really made a difference in my life. She saw my love of writing, and challenged me to write a story a month for extra credit. Since I desperately needed extra credit in her class, I took her up on the challenge, and by the end of ninth grade, I really began to feel like a writer. That's when writing emerged above all my other interests as my driving passion.

When I was sixteen, our family moved from Brooklyn, New York, to Mexico City, and I spent my last two years of High School there. Having an international experience changed my life, giving me a fresh perspective on the world, and a sense of confidence I might not have had otherwise.

My own children are a constant source of material, support, and editorial suggestions. I have four wonderful kids who fill out the core of my life, and keep me balanced. Writing is, after all, about taking your characters and challenging them to grow by throwing them off-balance. All the more reason for a writer to find some sense of balance in his or her own life. Of course our home is quite often a madhouse, but that's okay, because life is all about finding wondrous moments in the mayhem. And the same can be said for writing!" (http://www.storyman.com/bio/)

Genre

Humor. Realistic fiction.

Curriculum Ties

Booktalking Ideas

Reading Level

Ages 12 and up

Challenge Issues

N/A

Why Included?

I included this book because I wanted to read a humorous YA book. I have also read another book by this author entitled Unwind which is a post apocalyptic novel. I was interested to see his versatility. This is also a great novel for the reluctant reader.