Today I want to talk about one of my favorite young adult novels to share with my 12th grade students:  Deadline by Chris Crutcher.  This is the story of a teenager named Ben Wolf who finds out right before the start of his senior year that he has leukemia and only has one year to live.  He decides that instead of feeling sorry for himself he is going to make the most of the time he has left.  He joins the varsity football team (even though he is one of the smallest seniors in school) and becomes the star player, chases after (and gets) the hottest girl in school, and stands up to his least favorite teacher.  Even though the premise sounds a bit depressing, Ben is clever and witty and the book has many funny moments.  Its message is to make the most of every moment and to never say that you can't do something.  My reluctant readers really enjoy the story.  They find the narrator funny and relatable.  They also appreciate the message, "Y.O.L.O!" as they would say.  :)