Arnston, Steven. The Wrap-up List.

Arnston, Steven.  The Wrap-up List.   Houghton Mifflin  2013  236p  ISBN 978-0-547-82410-9        ms/hs (Grades 7-10)  Hardback      VG  Science fiction

When Gabriela receives the letter saying she has been selected to die, she goes through a series of emotions in the week before Death will come to take her.  Her bucket list is more about other people than herself, which is unusual, according to her Death companion.  As she goes through normal school activities, she realizes that the uniforms (band, football, cheerleader, teacher, soldier, priest) people wear are just facades.  This is partially a love story, partially an antiwar novel, and partially a novel about what is really important in life. It appears to be set in the not-too-distant future where a war in Africa and the compulsory draft have young men on edge.  Time-wise, references to a grandfather having served in World War II seem incongruent.  The rationale for selecting people to die is not clearly presented, and the selection process and its relationship to war casualties may go over some readers’ heads.  The role of Gabriela’s Death companion becomes murky when she kidnaps him and starts to consider his feelings and happiness, while striving to receive a “Pardon.”  This book requires a second reading to completely understand the rules of the Death process and the creatures who will lead humans to the “Oaks.”  It would be a good choice for readers who ponder life’s questions, and would fit well in middle-school libraries and high-school libraries where “bucket list” titles are appreciated.   

Summary: In the near future, a girl is selected to depart life and is given a week to put her affairs in order, create a bucket list, and try to outwit Death. In her quest to make the most of her final week, she learns more about her family and the facades people put on than she ever imagined.

Fantasy, Death-Fiction                                      --Lois McNicol