10 Things to Do Before I Die

Ted Burgers day starts out fairly normal, with his friends teasing him into making a top 10 list of things he has to do before he dies while sitting at their favorite greasy spoon diner. But then things get a little crazy and Teds got just 24 hours to live courtesy a freaked out fry cook (yeegods) and he and his friends go on an adventure of a lifetime to check off everything on his list before he kicks the proverbial bucket.

The list has the normal teenage boy things on it (number one: lose virginity), but also has some items uniquely Ted, like number three: party with Shakes the Clown, his favorite alternative (actually, this band is in a special place beyond alternative) band. Theres also the ever-popular getting back at an old bully (Billy Rifkin), robbing a bank, doing something heroic (like saving a baby), going to a third world country (a little hard to do on short notice, but hey), and even pulling a crazy stunt (like bungee jumping off a building).

From the first few pages on, you know that things are going to get a little crazy. While Ted is out searching for Billy Rifkin, his friends Mark and Nikki are working on getting the rest of the list to happen. I wont tell you how the situation with Billy works out, since I think it is one of the gems in the book, but I will tell you that it isnt what youd expect which is really exactly how Id describe the book as a whole.

Every chapter is a wild ride and author Daniel Ehrenhaft has a nice light touch, even when dealing with deep dark subjects. This is a great book for both boys and girls, teens and tweens, and also for neurotic obsessed adults (yeah, you know who you are go read the bits about Teds parents and think about your own lives). I highly recommend it. If youve got a sense of humor, you wont regret reading this book.