From School Library Journal
Starred Review. Grade 7–10—In this sequel to The Schwa Was Here (Dutton, 2004), Brooklynite Antsy Bonano, 14, finds another peculiar friend, a Swedish import named Gunnar Ümlaut. When a balloon from the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade gets away, Antsy and his friends Howie and Ira head into Manhattan to follow the debacle. On the way, they run into their classmate Gunnar. Watching the catastrophe unfold, he confides to Antsy that he's been "coming to disasters" lately, and that he's dying of Pulmonary Monoxic Systemia. Gunnar says he has only six months to live, so Antsy gives him one of his own, drawing up a legal-looking document, and, before he knows it, the whole school's giving Gunnar months of their lives. Spending more time at Gunnar's house, Antsy falls for his friend's older sister, and also notices that things seem off. Gunnar's obsession with his presumed imminent death is largely ignored. When Antsy discovers that Gunnar is not going to die, that he was "diagnosed" by a fake online doctor, he wonders why the boy lied. As Antsy uncovers the truth—that Gunnar's dad has gambled away the family's money and they're headed back to Sweden—he learns more about the meaning of the time you have on Earth. This novel is as cleverly plotted and well paced as The Schwa; it is brimming with amusing secondary characters and situations that add depth and interest. Fans won't be disappointed, and newcomers won't have any problem jumping right in.—Jennifer Barnes, Homewood Library, IL
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From Booklist
*Starred Review* The wisecracking teenage Brooklynite introduced in Shusterman’s award-winning The Schwa Was Here (2004) takes a second ride on the emotional roller coaster in this equally screwball sequel. When classmate Gunnar Ümlaut announces that he is going to die in six months from a rare disease, Antsy Bonnano prints up a formal contract that signs over a month of his own life to his gloomy buddy. This impulsive gesture of comfort unexpectedly nets Antsy a series of dates with Gunnar’s hot older sister Kjersten—but also takes on a life of its own when everyone who finds out about the good deed wants to get into the act. Meanwhile, Antsy and his closest friend (and ex-girlfriend), blind Lexie, plot to kidnap Lexie’s irascible grandpa “Creepy” Crawley (again), and Antsy’s father works his way toward heart-attack country struggling to get the Bonnano family’s new restaurant on its feet. Featuring a terrific supporting cast led by Antsy’s wise, acerbic mother, an expert blend of comedy and near tragedy, and the wry observations of a narrator whose glib tongue and big heart are as apt to get him into trouble as out of it, this will keep tween readers hooked from start to finish. Grades 6-9. --John Peters
Book Specs:
Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile (September 18, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0525478256
ISBN-13: 978-0525478256
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