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Poster Boy
Sixteen-year-old Gray Fallon’s life is looking pretty good. His easygoing parents let him entertain his friends in their basement "sweet," complete with TV, video games, and hot tub. A part-time job at the Cineplex; the occasional beer or joint; a smart, funny best friend; a hot new girlfriend — things couldn’t be better. Then Gray’s 12-year-old science-nerd sister, Maggie, contracts a rare form of cancer. When he learns the cancer may have environmental origins, Gray sets out to investigate and make Maggie better. While his mother joins his crusade, Gray’s father, to his son’s disgust, only wants to celebrate what’s left of his daughter’s life. Eventually Gray’s obsessive campaign alienates his friends. When his research indicates silkscreen chemicals may have caused the cancer, his mother’s subsequent breakdown and his father’s anger drive him to quit school and seek haven at an organic farm run by an older couple. What will Gray do next? Dede Crane’s acute observation of teen bravado, vulnerability, humor, and self-righteousness, coupled with a serious theme handled with sensitivity and directness, makes Poster Boy an unforgettable read.
214 pages, Hardcover
First published August 25, 2009
1 person is currently reading
69 people want to read
About the author
Dede Crane
8 books5 followersDede Crane is the author of the literary novel Sympathy, which was a finalist for the Victoria Butler Book Prize. She has also published the teen novel, The 25 Pains of Kennedy Baines. Her first published story, “Seers,” appeared in Grain magazine and was short listed for the CBC Literary Award; she has since been published in numerous literary journals.
Dede has also co-edited, with author Lisa Moore, a collection of non-fiction stories about the experience of giving birth. She is currently working on a second teen novel, Poster Boy. A former professional ballet dancer and choreographer, Dede Crane has studied Buddhist psychology and psychokinetics at Naropa Institute in Colorado and the Body-Mind Institute in Amherst, Massachusetts. She currently calls Victoria, B.C. home.
From the Author:
I started writing because of a bad back. No longer able to dance and choreograph but still pregnant with creative energy, words became my new, untrained limbs. Though not a word person by instinct, I did have a connection to the world of storytelling. I had always been an excellent daydreamer. I could keep a daydream going all day, go to sleep and wake up and begin where I left off. And these imagined worlds were equally as vivid as the so called real one.
Going from being such a physical person to a sedentary writer (also hard on the back) was a big change but it was time, I think, to give my voice its due. Moving to Vancouver Island was the final other catalyst. There was something about the power of the land here, in particular the trees, that urged voice. I know this may sound strange but unlike the east coast where the forest isn't wild anymore, the trees here still have stories to tell. And they want them told. I will also add that I love being around writers. Writers are sexy.
Dede has also co-edited, with author Lisa Moore, a collection of non-fiction stories about the experience of giving birth. She is currently working on a second teen novel, Poster Boy. A former professional ballet dancer and choreographer, Dede Crane has studied Buddhist psychology and psychokinetics at Naropa Institute in Colorado and the Body-Mind Institute in Amherst, Massachusetts. She currently calls Victoria, B.C. home.
From the Author:
I started writing because of a bad back. No longer able to dance and choreograph but still pregnant with creative energy, words became my new, untrained limbs. Though not a word person by instinct, I did have a connection to the world of storytelling. I had always been an excellent daydreamer. I could keep a daydream going all day, go to sleep and wake up and begin where I left off. And these imagined worlds were equally as vivid as the so called real one.
Going from being such a physical person to a sedentary writer (also hard on the back) was a big change but it was time, I think, to give my voice its due. Moving to Vancouver Island was the final other catalyst. There was something about the power of the land here, in particular the trees, that urged voice. I know this may sound strange but unlike the east coast where the forest isn't wild anymore, the trees here still have stories to tell. And they want them told. I will also add that I love being around writers. Writers are sexy.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 19, 2011
2.5 Stars --> 3 for the story, 2 for protagonist being such an obnoxious twit (albeit well-intended, but still annoying).
16 yo Gray has a pretty good life, partying with his friends, a part-time job at the local cinema, and occasionally getting the chance to fondle his girlfriend's breasts.
Maggie is his 12 yo sister. She begins to deteriorate from a healthy pre-teen to having significant problems. She limps, bruises easily, develops lumps under her skin, and has to start writing with her other hand. Her parents variously write off the symptoms as growing pains, getting ready to start having her period, ganglion cysts, and the flu. By the time they finally get around to having her seriously checked out, it is Stage IV cancer and she doesn't have a prayer of surviving.
Mom goes totally into "let's try anything to save her life no matter how off the wall it is" mode. On the other hand, Dad the scientist essentially say "she's screwed so let's just let her enjoy the time she has left doing what she wants." Gray starts doing research on her cancer, then starts reciting his latest findings on every known carcinogen and what changes they need to make in their lifestyles. Mom generally sides with Gray, running off to buy new deodorant and shampoo, converting to a macrobiotic diet, etc. Dad is generally disgusted and thinks they're over-reacting. The conflict between them increases as Maggie's condition worsens.
Gray decides he has to live a zero-impact lifestyle, so he quits his job and drops out of school to work on a farm and live in a tent. He becomes a quasi-celebrity with several profiles about his lifestyle, but only sees his sister once a week. As she gets closer to terminal he moves back home and gets reinvolved with her care. Eventually, the inevitable happens.
My ojections against Gray:
1)He is a hypocrite, because his motives aren't that pure. He makes a big deal out of how he's living his zero-impact lifestyle, then makes exceptions when it is convenient (such as when he wants to go on-line). When he receives publicity, his concern is whether he'll look like a hunk on tv so that girls (like his ex-girlfriend) will now want him.
2) He sees everything as being black or white. Either it is wholesome and pure or it kills you. His dad is a scientist and tries to explain the parts per million (or billion) and relative risk of chemicals, but he blows dad off because he is all-knowing. "If it has any risk at all it is bad, therefore we must stop using it because I say so." Just about anything can cause cancer in lab animals if you give them hundreds of times the amount of something that humans would ingest. I remember one scientist who, just to prove his point, caused cancer in rats by putting dimes under their skin, and jokingly argued that money causes cancer and needed to be regulated.
3) He is clueless. What kind of an idiot tells the mother of a dying child that she is responsible for the child developing cancer? He claims he feels bad about it but that he had to tell his mom that the chemicals she works with are known carcinogens (and implying that therefore it's mom's fault that his sister is dying).
4) He is self-centered. He knows his sister is dying and only has a few months to live. So naturally it's more important that he quit school and go flouncing off to pull his Walden routine and only come by to see her once a week. When he's there he can see his mom is struggling to keep it together, so his idea of being helpful is to tell her she needs to start composting. He needs a clue-by-four to the head.
My other objection was that there was no discussion or recriminations about the parents waiting so long to seek treatment for Maggie. They argue all about what they're going to do for her now, but they never discuss whether they failed her by not aggressively trying to find out what was wrong with her. It may not have made a difference in the end, but I can't believe they never thought "if only..."
16 yo Gray has a pretty good life, partying with his friends, a part-time job at the local cinema, and occasionally getting the chance to fondle his girlfriend's breasts.
Maggie is his 12 yo sister. She begins to deteriorate from a healthy pre-teen to having significant problems. She limps, bruises easily, develops lumps under her skin, and has to start writing with her other hand. Her parents variously write off the symptoms as growing pains, getting ready to start having her period, ganglion cysts, and the flu. By the time they finally get around to having her seriously checked out, it is Stage IV cancer and she doesn't have a prayer of surviving.
Mom goes totally into "let's try anything to save her life no matter how off the wall it is" mode. On the other hand, Dad the scientist essentially say "she's screwed so let's just let her enjoy the time she has left doing what she wants." Gray starts doing research on her cancer, then starts reciting his latest findings on every known carcinogen and what changes they need to make in their lifestyles. Mom generally sides with Gray, running off to buy new deodorant and shampoo, converting to a macrobiotic diet, etc. Dad is generally disgusted and thinks they're over-reacting. The conflict between them increases as Maggie's condition worsens.
Gray decides he has to live a zero-impact lifestyle, so he quits his job and drops out of school to work on a farm and live in a tent. He becomes a quasi-celebrity with several profiles about his lifestyle, but only sees his sister once a week. As she gets closer to terminal he moves back home and gets reinvolved with her care. Eventually, the inevitable happens.
My ojections against Gray:
1)He is a hypocrite, because his motives aren't that pure. He makes a big deal out of how he's living his zero-impact lifestyle, then makes exceptions when it is convenient (such as when he wants to go on-line). When he receives publicity, his concern is whether he'll look like a hunk on tv so that girls (like his ex-girlfriend) will now want him.
2) He sees everything as being black or white. Either it is wholesome and pure or it kills you. His dad is a scientist and tries to explain the parts per million (or billion) and relative risk of chemicals, but he blows dad off because he is all-knowing. "If it has any risk at all it is bad, therefore we must stop using it because I say so." Just about anything can cause cancer in lab animals if you give them hundreds of times the amount of something that humans would ingest. I remember one scientist who, just to prove his point, caused cancer in rats by putting dimes under their skin, and jokingly argued that money causes cancer and needed to be regulated.
3) He is clueless. What kind of an idiot tells the mother of a dying child that she is responsible for the child developing cancer? He claims he feels bad about it but that he had to tell his mom that the chemicals she works with are known carcinogens (and implying that therefore it's mom's fault that his sister is dying).
4) He is self-centered. He knows his sister is dying and only has a few months to live. So naturally it's more important that he quit school and go flouncing off to pull his Walden routine and only come by to see her once a week. When he's there he can see his mom is struggling to keep it together, so his idea of being helpful is to tell her she needs to start composting. He needs a clue-by-four to the head.
My other objection was that there was no discussion or recriminations about the parents waiting so long to seek treatment for Maggie. They argue all about what they're going to do for her now, but they never discuss whether they failed her by not aggressively trying to find out what was wrong with her. It may not have made a difference in the end, but I can't believe they never thought "if only..."
October 21, 2016
I think that the book brought awareness to how much an illness can make an impact. No one wants to believe they would loose their minds if something bad happens. Everyone wants to believe they'd keep their cool and focus on fixing the situation. But this book proves that we don't keep our cool. Everything that could go wrong went wrong. It was the opposite of what someone would imagine themselves doing.
Poster boy is a brutally truth and is set to awaken the minds of sleeping thoughts that everything will be okay. It also supports the fact that even if everything isn't okay, you can find some sort of peace in all of the crazy.
Poster boy is a brutally truth and is set to awaken the minds of sleeping thoughts that everything will be okay. It also supports the fact that even if everything isn't okay, you can find some sort of peace in all of the crazy.
May 12, 2011
Sixteen-year-old Gray Fallon’s life is pretty good. He has an awesome basement bedroom/game room/hangout that is the envy of his friends. He’s started dating one of the prettiest, most popular girls in school (an accomplishment for a part-time stoner like himself). He’s got good friends and a pretty nice family. And then the bombshell hits: his little sister is sick. And, in Gray’s eyes, it could have been prevented.
The more Gray researches, the more he realizes that almost everything in his life is carcinogenic. Plastics, fuels, pesticides, meat. The things his family uses and eats every day might be behind his sister’s terminal cancer. So he’s determined to change his life — and his families — adopting a vegitarian diet, ridding the house of things like bleached paper and processed foods. That’s when he meets the couple running an organic farm not far away from his home. He sets up a homestead there in exchange for helping with farm chores. He becomes the poster boy for green living, with which comes media attention. Meanwhile, his mom and dad are struggling to cope with the devastation of the impending death of their daughter, and Gray’s sister just wants a few cheeseburgers and ice cream sundaes while she can still enjoy them.
Deeply moving and beautifully written, this highly literary YA novel is a must-read for fans of Deb Caletti and Matt de la Peña. POSTER BOY by Dede Crane is a fabulous read, from the small press Groundwood Books. If you can’t find it at your local bookstore or library, be sure to place a special order or request it!
The more Gray researches, the more he realizes that almost everything in his life is carcinogenic. Plastics, fuels, pesticides, meat. The things his family uses and eats every day might be behind his sister’s terminal cancer. So he’s determined to change his life — and his families — adopting a vegitarian diet, ridding the house of things like bleached paper and processed foods. That’s when he meets the couple running an organic farm not far away from his home. He sets up a homestead there in exchange for helping with farm chores. He becomes the poster boy for green living, with which comes media attention. Meanwhile, his mom and dad are struggling to cope with the devastation of the impending death of their daughter, and Gray’s sister just wants a few cheeseburgers and ice cream sundaes while she can still enjoy them.
Deeply moving and beautifully written, this highly literary YA novel is a must-read for fans of Deb Caletti and Matt de la Peña. POSTER BOY by Dede Crane is a fabulous read, from the small press Groundwood Books. If you can’t find it at your local bookstore or library, be sure to place a special order or request it!
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February 7, 2012Reviewed by Trevor J. Froates
Dede Crane’s latest teen novel Poster Boy delivers a satisfying and emotionally rich story with realistic and colourful characters. This novel deftly explores the serious issues of illness, familial bonds and environmentalism while providing the reader with an enjoyable, though heart wrenching, experience. Crane handles this delicate subject matter with grace and understanding. The reader is left with a sense of hope and an interesting insight into the differences between love and gratitude. When the story begins we meet Gray, a 16-year-old boy interested in girls, gaming, photography and partying. To Gray, his family life seems rather mundane – with parents who rarely argue and an overachieving little sister named Maggie. When Maggie is diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma, a debilitating type of cancer, his straightforward life is overturned. As Maggie’s health declines, Gray’s parents drift apart as they both cope with their child’s illness. Gray searches for a way to save his sister while also discovering a passion for environmentalism. This passion leads him to drop out of school and find a position working at an organic farm. Making mistakes along the way, Gray develops a greater understanding of himself and ultimately finds a new outlook on life. I highly recommend this novel as it not only captures the interest of its readers, it also encourages them to examine their own lives and passions. Gray’s journey is one that should be shared by all.
Canadian Children's Book News (Fall 2009, Vol. 32, No. 4)
Dede Crane’s latest teen novel Poster Boy delivers a satisfying and emotionally rich story with realistic and colourful characters. This novel deftly explores the serious issues of illness, familial bonds and environmentalism while providing the reader with an enjoyable, though heart wrenching, experience. Crane handles this delicate subject matter with grace and understanding. The reader is left with a sense of hope and an interesting insight into the differences between love and gratitude. When the story begins we meet Gray, a 16-year-old boy interested in girls, gaming, photography and partying. To Gray, his family life seems rather mundane – with parents who rarely argue and an overachieving little sister named Maggie. When Maggie is diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma, a debilitating type of cancer, his straightforward life is overturned. As Maggie’s health declines, Gray’s parents drift apart as they both cope with their child’s illness. Gray searches for a way to save his sister while also discovering a passion for environmentalism. This passion leads him to drop out of school and find a position working at an organic farm. Making mistakes along the way, Gray develops a greater understanding of himself and ultimately finds a new outlook on life. I highly recommend this novel as it not only captures the interest of its readers, it also encourages them to examine their own lives and passions. Gray’s journey is one that should be shared by all.
Canadian Children's Book News (Fall 2009, Vol. 32, No. 4)
May 2, 2010
One word review - Beautiful.
Okay, you know I'm not really going to stop with just one single word, so here's a brief description.
Gray is a slacker-stoner teenage boy mostly concerned with smoking weed and when he'll be turning in his 'v-card,' in his hopes, the sooner the better. His life takes a drastic turn when his twelve-year-old brainiac little sister, Maggie, who mostly just irritates him, is diagnosed with cancer.
In an effort to try to help her, he researches what might have caused it and becomes concerned with all of the chemicals and various carcinogenic things that exist in the world.
I don't want to give spoilers, but author, Dede Crane, does a good job of showing how Gray's friends, classmates and girlfriend react to what's happening in his life, how Maggie's friends behave around her, the different reactions of his parents, the different paths they choose in dealing with their daughter's illness.
Gray, slacker-stoner boy that he is, is still a great character, even though he makes some mistakes, he's still a character you hope will find his way through what's happening in his life and that character of Maggie is wonderfully drawn, how she's thinking and feeling about her life.
I enjoyed Gray's voice; sarcastic, funny and heartbreaking.
But prepare yourelf, have a extra large box of tissues handy.
Okay, you know I'm not really going to stop with just one single word, so here's a brief description.
Gray is a slacker-stoner teenage boy mostly concerned with smoking weed and when he'll be turning in his 'v-card,' in his hopes, the sooner the better. His life takes a drastic turn when his twelve-year-old brainiac little sister, Maggie, who mostly just irritates him, is diagnosed with cancer.
In an effort to try to help her, he researches what might have caused it and becomes concerned with all of the chemicals and various carcinogenic things that exist in the world.
I don't want to give spoilers, but author, Dede Crane, does a good job of showing how Gray's friends, classmates and girlfriend react to what's happening in his life, how Maggie's friends behave around her, the different reactions of his parents, the different paths they choose in dealing with their daughter's illness.
Gray, slacker-stoner boy that he is, is still a great character, even though he makes some mistakes, he's still a character you hope will find his way through what's happening in his life and that character of Maggie is wonderfully drawn, how she's thinking and feeling about her life.
I enjoyed Gray's voice; sarcastic, funny and heartbreaking.
But prepare yourelf, have a extra large box of tissues handy.
January 15, 2010
Warning - have a box of tissues close at hand. I finished Poster Boy in my office during a lunch hour and spent the remaining part crying. I should have seen the ending coming but I don’t think I was prepared for the depth of writing or the sensitive portrayal of Maggies illness. This was one of those really good novels – the kind I could not put down. The character of Gray was done so well. His voice is refreshingly authentic. His cancer research and his need to go to the extreme to do everything to help his sister is realistic. Fantastic writing by a Canadian author. I hope Crane writes more.
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January 9, 2013auther: Dede Crane
title: Poster Boy
pages: 270
Gene: no matter how short life is you can always love it tothe fullest.
expositon-Sixteen-year-old Gray Fallons life is good. has part time job at the Movies has a beutiful girfried.He has a sister Maggie.
conflics: Gray’s little sister Maggie, gets a rare case ofcancer.Gray Makes a campaing for his sister. Gray gets for involved and ends up leaving his friends behind. he finds out that the cancer may be because of his mothers silksceen job.
resolution: maggs dies because the cancer spreeds. Maggs mom thinks is her fault but its not. While all this is happening Maggs father is just trying to be happy while they have time together
title: Poster Boy
pages: 270
Gene: no matter how short life is you can always love it tothe fullest.
expositon-Sixteen-year-old Gray Fallons life is good. has part time job at the Movies has a beutiful girfried.He has a sister Maggie.
conflics: Gray’s little sister Maggie, gets a rare case ofcancer.Gray Makes a campaing for his sister. Gray gets for involved and ends up leaving his friends behind. he finds out that the cancer may be because of his mothers silksceen job.
resolution: maggs dies because the cancer spreeds. Maggs mom thinks is her fault but its not. While all this is happening Maggs father is just trying to be happy while they have time together
June 29, 2013
The character Gray is so unlike the many 16 year old guys I know, I had a hard time believing in him. And, knowing how draining a life threatening illness can be, I couldn't totally swallow Maggie either. However, I enjoyed the story for how it presented the Mom's guilt - how she went over the falls into depression herself. THAT spoke true to life and brought the story through to believable/appreciated. G2L!
May 6, 2010
This is pathetic, the kid goes organic to try and cure his kid sister's cancer. In the process, he quits high school {while his parents simply watch} and moves into the woods to grow marijuana. I hate this book. It was a sever disappointment considering it's the first book I've gotten from the library in 3 weeks.
July 15, 2010
A quick read, Dede Crane has done an excellent job here. The voice of 16-year old Gray is believable and the storyline, tragic. How she managed to place humour into this sad tale of a 12-year old sister dying from terminal cancer is clever indeed. Even though you know the end is coming, it still manages to sneak into your heart nonetheless. Get out the kleenex.
December 13, 2011
Life seems to offer us bits of fantastic with bits of frustrations as well. A well written dialogue that captures the language and daily life of a brother who finds out his sister is dying. Perhaps an avenue for young adults to better cope with the realities of losing a loved one. (realistic fiction)
November 12, 2021
This was a really good book that will make you cry. The whole book has some darker themes that will make you cry. But the ending was the hardest to read. I loved the book. But every few chapters I would cry because of what I was reading.
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April 20, 2010I know this is listed as Young Fiction, but so far I like it. Quick read.
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June 8, 2010health- cancer - life (philosophy) - teen friendship etc
April 1, 2011
Made me cry, but in a good way. I wasn't fond of Gray at first, but he grows on you. It's written from the point of view of a teenage boy, and I get that.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews