Genre: Realistic Fiction
# of Pages: 325
RAC Book: No
Jem has always seen numbers when she looks directly into people’s eyes, but she never knew what they meant. When her mother overdoses and dies, Jem realizes that the numbers she sees spell out the day a person will die. Naturally, Jem tries not to get close to anyone or look directly into their eyes because she cannot bear knowing such important information. A boy named Spider tries to befriend her anyway, and Jem finds herself wanting to spend time with him, even though she knows his death day is mere weeks away. Can she change his fate?
This story has an interesting premise, but drags in places and many readers will struggle to get through it. The ending is fast paced and interesting, but the journey to get there may lose some readers along the way. Jem’s character seems flat and uninteresting until the end when she accepts her role in life. This was a clever idea, but only somewhat realized through the story.