The Death-Defying Pepper Roux

by Geraldine McCaughrean

Overview

Pepper's fourteenth birthday is a momentous one.

It's the day he's supposed to die.

Everyone seems resigned to it—even Pepper, although he would much prefer to live. But can you sidestep Fate? Jump sideways into a different life? Naïve and trusting, Pepper sets a course through dangerous waters, inviting disaster and mayhem at every turn, one eye on the sky for fear of angels, one on the magnificent possibilities of being alive.

New York Times bestselling and Printz Award-winning author GeraldineMcCaughrean has created a gripping tale filled with dark humor and daringescapades, where the key to a boy's lifelies in facing his own death.

Join him on the run—if you can keep up.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780061836657
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	01/19/2010
Pages:	328
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.40(d)
Lexile:	920L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Geraldine McCaughrean is the Printz Award-winning author of The White Darkness. She has been honored with England's most prestigious children's book award, the Carnegie Medal, and is the only three-time winner ever of the Whitbread Children's Book Award. She also wrote Peter Pan in Scarlet, the first official sequel to the treasured masterpiece Peter Pan, and the critically acclaimed The Death-Defying Pepper Roux. Geraldine lives in Berkshire, England, with her husband and actress daughter.

Editorial Reviews

The Death-Defying Pepper Roux is a thoughtful novel and an entertaining adventure story. McCaughrean once again proves that she is a talented writer with the ability to weave truly enchanting metaphors.

Assembly on Literature for Adolescents

[T]horoughly entertaining. It’s McCaughrean’s way with language that establish[es] this picaresque tale as the latest evidence that she is one of the more remarkable novelists writing for children today.

The Horn Book

Exuberant prose and whirling humor animate an unforgettable cast of characters. A more whimsical, French cousin to Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book (2008), with a similar timelessly classic feel.

Booklist (starred review)

Aunt Mireille greets the birth of her nephew with a grave prediction—that he will die at age fourteen. She spends his childhood teaching him the last rites instead of nursery rhymes and convinces everyone in the family this death is inevitable. On his fourteenth birthday, Pepper runs away in an attempt to escape death. Pepper steals aboard his father's ship and poses as the captain, managing to enlist the support of Duchesse, a cross-dressing and nurturing steward. In the midst of the ship going down, Pepper is plunged into one rollicking adventure after another, pretending to be a deli worker, a delivery boy, a reporter, and a member of the Foreign Legion. In each case, Pepper's genuine concern for people and desire to help others helps him bring out the best in some of the people around him. But will he be able to continue to cheat sure death? Or will the large man who has been following him manage to catch him and fulfill the prophesy? The plot is wandering and sometimes difficult to follow, but the writing is fun and the characters are very engaging. Probably most appealing for readers (especially boys) aged 10 to 14. Reviewer: Carol Ann Lloyd-Stanger

Children's Literature - Carol Ann Lloyd-Stanger

"Exuberant prose and whirling humor animate an unforgettable cast of characters. A more whimsical, French cousin to Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book (2008), with a similar timelessly classic feel."

Booklist

Gr 6–9—When Paul "Pepper" Roux wakes up on his 14th birthday, he knows one thing: today, he is supposed to die. His entire life has been spent preparing for the death foretold by his Aunt Mireille, but it looks like he might find a way to sidestep fate. He will simply slip into another life. Posing as a ship's captain gets him away from home, and in his travels he becomes a deli meat-slicer, a reporter, and a legionnaire, among other unlikely careers. He shifts from one identity to another, finding that people see what they expect to see. Pepper's innocence and good nature will charm listeners, even as his good intentions bring the wrath of the police, gangsters, and the Foreign Legion down on him in a hilariously messy climax. British actor Anton Lesser provides fantastic narration of Geraldine McCaughrean's tale (HarperCollins, 2010), set in France, giving the characters distinct voices and bringing them to life while complementing the classic, lyrical feel of the text. Filled with humor and hope, this is a winner.—Beth Gallego, Los Angeles Public Library, CA

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