Challenger Deep

Reviewed by: Karen Sandlin Silverman - Scarborough High School / Scarborough Middle School, Scarborough, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: November 18, 2015

Review

CREAM OF THE CROP

Neal Shusterman has written a gripping and all-too-real story of a young man's descent into mental illness. Caden Bosch (yes, as in Hieronymus) finds himself increasingly alienated from friends, worrying about the termites in his house, obsessively walking, and worrying that someone at school wants to kill him. All the while he is also hallucinating that he is a crew member on a pirate ship journeying to the deepest part of the ocean. After his parents have him admitted to a psychiatric hospital, his two worlds begin to intersect. The chapters may be brief but readers will find themselves pausing often to reflect on the story. Shusterman's son Brendan Shusterman -- who also dealt with his own mental illness -- drew the illustrations that perfectly complement the story. The book includes a list of organizations that provide assistance to those dealing with mental illness.

Overall Book Score: excellent