THE LAST SUMMER OF THE DEATH WARRIORS

At age 17, Pancho Sanchez is suddenly orphaned; his father is killed in an accident, and three months later his developmentally disabled sister dies mysteriously in a hotel room. Ryan Gesell presents a tough Pancho who swings from angry apathy to a fiery desire to avenge his sister's murder. Soon Pancho is enlisted to aid D.Q., a teen suffering from a rare kind of brain cancer. Gesell portrays D.Q. with a sureness and strength, especially when he speaks of his "Death Warrior Manifesto," a personal creed that urges embracing life. Gesell portrays the development of the boys' relationship as he expresses Pancho's returning humor, caring, and sensitivity and D.Q.'s weakening voice and growing dependency. Gesell's easy transitions between Hispanic and Anglo accents accent evoke the story’s Albuquerque setting and its racial tensions. S.W. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2010]