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The Last Summer of the Death Warriors

by Francisco X. Stork (Goodreads Author)

3.94 of 5 stars 3.94 · rating details · 1,142 ratings · 284 reviews

Two young men -- one dying of cancer, one planning a murder -- explore the true meanings of death and life in the tense and passionate new novel from the author of MARCELO IN THE REAL WORLD.

When Pancho arrives at St. Anthony's Home, he knows his time there will be short: If his plans succeed, he'll soon be arrested for the murder of his sister's killer. But then he's assig...more

Hardcover, 344 pages

Published March 1st 2010 by Arthur A. Levine Books

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Lists with This Book

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green

Mock Printz 2011

9th out of 61 books — 134 voters

The Last Summer of the Death Warriors by Francisco X. Stork

Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta

Printz 2011

4th out of 33 books — 46 voters

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Feb 21, 2011 Milly rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, realistic-fiction, audible, favorite-ya

(Audible Review)

Though I love Francisco X. Stork and the last book I read from him (Marcelo and the Real World) I wasn't as excited to read his newest book. After reading the book jacket for The Last Summer of The Death Warriors, I was reluctant to read it during the holiday season thinking it would be another downer, a definite no-no for me this time of the year. But after reading Maggie Stiefvater's review of it, I thought of giving it another chance. And good thing I did because it delivered...more (Audible Review)

Though I love Francisco X. Stork and the last book I read from him (Marcelo and the Real World) I wasn't as excited to read his newest book. After reading the book jacket for The Last Summer of The Death Warriors, I was reluctant to read it during the holiday season thinking it would be another downer, a definite no-no for me this time of the year. But after reading Maggie Stiefvater's review of it, I thought of giving it another chance. And good thing I did because it delivered the emotions and feelings I'm looking for this time of the year: hope and that happy feeling you get after watching a feel-good movie.

I've been trying to figure out myself what worked so well for this book and why I loved it so. Francisco Stork has a way of tugging at your thoughts and searing in these characters in your mind long after you're done reading the book. I found myself wishing courage and forgiveness into Pancho so he could forget about the anger and his vengeful thoughts towards the person who killed his cognitively-delayed older sister. Page after page, I wished it would be the day Pancho (our 17-year old male protagonist) would wake up and realize that there's more to life than looking forward to killing a murderer and be okay with rotting in prison for the rest of his life for it. Chapter after chapter, I kept hoping that Pancho would come to realize that he too deserves to be happy, that he deserved to receive good things in his life. But because of the tragedies that has befallen him one after the other, first the death of his father and now the death of his sister, Pancho ends up feeling that nothing good can ever happen to him. That's not til he meets D.Q.

D.Q. or Daniel Quentin, is the wise and terminally-ill teenager Pancho meets at St. Anthony's Home. D.Q. quickly takes Pancho into his wing and somehow manages to have Pancho become his companion and helper as he goes through chemotherapy. It is through D.Q. that Pancho finds himself and finally realizes that he too could have good things happen to him, that he too could go to college, that he too could be loved, that he too should have the courage to love back and to not be afraid when that someone leaves...that he, Pancho, could have hope. That was D.Q. wish for Pancho, to have HOPE. D.Q. I find in the book to be the most admirable character of all. He shows us the true meaning of courage and kindness. Though physically the weakest, D.Q. is the strongest emotionally and spiritually in this book. By his actions, he was able to tear the walls of anger that Pancho has put up around him. D.Q. was able to inspire hope and the will to live in Pancho. And through Pancho, D.Q., also discovered himself and finally could live with courage and accept death when it comes.

The book had the power to put you in these characters' shoes and to think and live like they do, to suck the marrow out of life and live like you're dying: To be a Death Warrior! Though it was an emotional and a thought-provoking read, reading it didn't feel taxing but rather a most gratifying read especially in the end. Stork's so effective in making his characters come alive and appear so real, perhaps because he too lived the lives of these characters at that age. Just like MARCELO, this book is another masterpiece. I highly recommend!

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Feb 03, 2010 Newengland rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: finished-in-2010, ya

So you want to be a Death Warrior? First you’ll have to fully accept your opponent – you know, the hooded guy with the rusting scythe – even if you’re seventeen-years-old and still a virgin, for chrissakes. Then you’ll have to repeat after me: “We’re all dying, even if we don’t happen to have brain cancer at the moment.” Finally, you’ll need your weapons. Love and time. Can’t get enough of those for the daily wars, I’ll tell you. Tempus fugit ain’t the beginning of it when you finally are one wi...more So you want to be a Death Warrior? First you’ll have to fully accept your opponent – you know, the hooded guy with the rusting scythe – even if you’re seventeen-years-old and still a virgin, for chrissakes. Then you’ll have to repeat after me: “We’re all dying, even if we don’t happen to have brain cancer at the moment.” Finally, you’ll need your weapons. Love and time. Can’t get enough of those for the daily wars, I’ll tell you. Tempus fugit ain’t the beginning of it when you finally are one with your body’s slow (or fast) appointment with Death.

This character-driven book is a find. The protagonist, Pancho, is the angry young man in spades. His father just died, and now his mentally-handicapped sister has been murdered by some man in a motel room (or so Pancho is convinced, though the police say “natural causes”). Pancho, a pugilist who loves to punch and be punched, becomes a boy on a mission. Yep. Vigilantism. He traces the killer down to Albuquerque (not far from the orphanage where he is now “stuck” thanks to the law) and vows to murder this man in cold blood.

Complication: Pancho is assigned the job of assisting Daniel Quentin (D.Q.) at the orphanage. D.Q. is the kid with brain cancer, the kid writing the manifesto of the Death Warriors, and the kid with the annoying ability to sniff out Pancho’s murderous goal. Pancho helps D.Q. begrudgingly and refuses to let himself become emotionally involved. D.Q.? He couldn’t care less. He’s as unsentimental as the next guy about his impending death. What’s more, he’s ready, willing, and able to trade insults and teenage-boy humor with Pancho. Francisco X. Stork, the author, avoids anything corny, in other words. Thank God! And the Reaper, for that matter!

But wait, there are complications here. First, Pancho has this bad habit of mixing it up with streetlife in Albuquerque when he accompanies D.Q. to the children’s hospital there. While most of us avoid eye contact with, say, gang members, Pancho just eats that stuff up (with all of its consequences). The book has some great scenes of violence. Hold-on- to-your-page scenes. Then there’s the romantic complication. D.Q. has this dream girl named Marisol and he’s convinced she might agree to fall in love (and lust) with a boy dying of cancer. Unfortunately, Pancho meets an opponent that’s less easy to TKO when he starts to fall for Marisol, too. He fights it, though. Boy, does he fight it.

Lots of philosophy and fight to this book, and tons of character. Good, gritty realism that avoids the trap of sentimentality. Pancho hurdles toward his destiny with this guy who murdered his sister while D.Q. slips toward his destiny with premature death. But Death (and Fate) can be funny and Fate has a penchant for the unexpected. The reader knows that, and Stork KNOWS the reader knows that.

Finally, I loved the ending (and endings are usually annoying or inept). It’s unflinching, realistic, and appropriate in my mind. Trouble is, I didn’t want to say goodbye to these guys. Pancho, D.Q., and Marisol are about the best odd triangle I’ve come across in a YA book in a long time. But you don’t have to be a kid to love the book. Honest. Try it when it releases (March 2010). Or better yet, get your lucky hands on an ARC like me.
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Jul 12, 2010 Donalyn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-realistic-fiction, lone-star-list-2011

I really liked this book until the end, when the climax of the story seemed abrupt and unsatisfying. Pancho's conflict over the death of his sister seemed resolved too neatly and other conflicts in the story were left open at the end.

I do enjoy Franciso X. Stork's writing, though, and I will look for more books from him in the future.

2 likes · like · see review

Dec 06, 2012 Laura Masterson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: eng-420

FRANCISCO X. STORK-REQUIRED AUTHOR
This book follows Pancho, who is an orphan. On top of that his mentally disabled sister recently died of explainable causes, and he believes that she was murdered. He vows to find her murderer and kill him. He is sent to St. Anthony's orphanage where he meets a white boy in a wheelchair, D.Q. who expects to have about 6 months to live. D.Q. teaches Pancho about being a Death Warrior, or someone who can accept all aspects of life and be happy. D.Q. tells Pancho t...more

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Dec 05, 2012 Emma rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: eng-420

REQUIRED AUTHOR FRANCISCO X. STORK

A well-written novel about a latino boy, Pancho who has recently lost all of his family. His mother died when he was very young, his father within the last year, and finally his sister, Rosa just recently. Rosa has a condition where her brain is at the capacity of a ten-year-old, but she is in her twenties. She was found dead in a hotel room seemingly from natural causes. Pancho is convinced that her boyfriend, Bobby, took advantage of Rosa and then killed her,...more

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Dec 04, 2012 Ed added it

Stork, Francisco X. (2010). The Last Summer of the Death Warriors. New York: Scholastic Press. 348 pp. ISBN 978-0-545-15133-7 (Hard Cover); $17.99.

Going Bovine by Libba Bray won the Printz award last year for her amazing retelling of Don Quixote. Can lightning strike twice? Stork has a very different book that also makes use of Cervantes’ classic story to tell of Pancho’s attempt to avenge the death of his sister. Pancho KNOWS that his sister Rosa was murdered despite his lack of evidence; knows...more Stork, Francisco X. (2010). The Last Summer of the Death Warriors. New York: Scholastic Press. 348 pp. ISBN 978-0-545-15133-7 (Hard Cover); $17.99.

Going Bovine by Libba Bray won the Printz award last year for her amazing retelling of Don Quixote. Can lightning strike twice? Stork has a very different book that also makes use of Cervantes’ classic story to tell of Pancho’s attempt to avenge the death of his sister. Pancho KNOWS that his sister Rosa was murdered despite his lack of evidence; knows that the police will not spend too much time investigating the death of a disabled, orphaned girl; and he knows that he will avenge her death. His plans, however, have not taken into consideration the Death Warrior Manifesto that D.Q. is writing or Marisol. Pancho is placed in an orphanage where he meets D.Q., a “Death Warrior” who is battling a rare and deadly cancer that he is determined to beat while also searching for love. Pancho realizes that by assisting and traveling with D.Q. he has solved his transportation problem to the city housing his sister’s killer. Assisting D.Q., however, pulls Pancho under the spell of Marisol, the girl whom D.Q. hopes to woo. Love complicates Pancho’s murder plot and calls into question Pancho’s love for his sister (or, at least, Pancho’s somewhat twisted notion of love). The characters are deftly drawn. While readers quickly realize that Pancho’s plans for revenge are immature at best, the real drama unfolds in Pancho’s growing relationship with D.Q. and Marisol. Astute readers will recognize the code of chivalry and Pancho’s intuitive realization that the code he has created for his own life does not match the very real people with whom he comes into contact. This is another book that uses intertextuality with great skill. Stork has created very real characters. Especially noteworthy is the dialogue in this text. Despite a story framework built around Don Quixote, the story is fresh and often quite funny, despite its serious subject matter. Teachers wanting books with big ideas to explore will appreciate the major themes Stork has crafted into this excellent book. Purchase this one for high school students.
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Oct 27, 2011 Mark rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Last Summer of The Death Warriors is great book to everyone who likes a dramatic and adventurous book. The book is about a Hispanic boy named Pancho who loses his sister and meets a new friend at a church. Pancho's purpose is find his sister's killer and do what he needs to do. Along the way Pancho meets a boy named D.Q. who becomes Pancho's full attention when Pancho finds out that D.Q. has a critical disease. Pancho eventually meets a girl that D.Q. deeply cares for,but who is also cared a...more

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Oct 24, 2011 Ms. Steiger rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: realistic-fiction

Pancho is no stranger to death. His mother died when he was only 5 months old. During Pablo's junior year of high school, his father died in a construction accident. And then only three months later, the last member of his immediate family, his older sister Rosa, passed away. Though the cause of her death was listed as "undetermined" on the Coroner's Report, Pancho knows there must be foul played involved. The police never bothered to find out who was with her in the motel room where they found...more

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Mar 09, 2011 Sarah BT added it

So I liked the author's first teen book Marcelo and the Real World well enough, but it wasn't my favorite and I didn't know how much teen appeal it really had. I ended up trying The Last Summer of Death Warriors on audiobook and it worked very well for me as an audiobook (I wasn't as bored with it as I was during parts of Marcelo), but again I found myself wondering about the teen appeal. I think Death Warriors works best for teens who might think they're "too old" for YA and there's nothing hig...more So I liked the author's first teen book Marcelo and the Real World well enough, but it wasn't my favorite and I didn't know how much teen appeal it really had. I ended up trying The Last Summer of Death Warriors on audiobook and it worked very well for me as an audiobook (I wasn't as bored with it as I was during parts of Marcelo), but again I found myself wondering about the teen appeal. I think Death Warriors works best for teens who might think they're "too old" for YA and there's nothing high brow enough for them to read or adults who look down on YA books. That's not to say other YA readers won't enjoy it, I just think it has an older appeal to it. I did think this one was more accessible than the author's previous YA novel, so points for that.

I found the story for Death Warriors to be engaging, but part of me wonders if that was due to the audibook narration-I really liked the way the narrator brought the story to life. I also liked D.Q. and his thoughts on life and his Death Warrior Manifesto. There's even a passage about D.Q.'s thoughts on religion (page 109 if you're interested) that I've shared with people because I thought it was brilliantly written.

What bothered me about this book was the fact that it starts out with one story, Poncho wanting revenge on his sister's killer, but then goes into another plot with D.Q. and the two don't always connect. There were times I forgot about Poncho's quest for revenge and it felt like we left that storyline alone and it was almost jarring when we came back to it. That aspect of the plot wasn't as fleshed out as I would have liked it to be and there were times we hadn't read anything about it in a good while, so when it appeared again it felt out of place. So that took away a lot of my enjoyment because I felt there were times the two plots didn't connect as smoothly as they could have.

My other gripe with this book is a minor one, but I'm going to bring it up anyway. We learn in the beginning of the story that Poncho's sister had sex before she died, but Poncho didn't even know she was seeing someone and can't believe his sister would do that (his sister has some sort of mental handicap and Poncho didn't think his sister kept secrets like that from him). There's a point when Poncho is talking about sex and he says "...do more sex things to her." "Sex things"-really? Poncho is about 17, so I would think he'd be more mature than say "sex things" and I think the teens who read this book would be able to handle it. It just felt immature for the character and the book and really took me out of the book and annoyed me. Like I said, a minor gripe, but one that ended up sticking with me because I thought the phrasing was just so strange.

Overall, The Last Summer of the Death Warriors is a decent read and I would recommend it on audio. The narrator made the story compelling and I finished listening to it in two days because it held my interest. It's not just a story about death, but about philosophy, race, and life. Will it be on the Printz list this year? Maybe-in some ways it strikes me as a typical award book that adults love and teens not so much. In some ways it reminded me of last year's winner Going Bovine (another one I enjoyed largely due to the audiobook-maybe I need to read philosophical books on audio??) The discussion of life and death and philosophy makes this a good read alike to Going Bovine I think, although Death Warriors is not nearly as quirky.

Book Pairings: Going Bovine by Libba Bray, Marcelo and the Real World by Francisco X. Stork

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Jan 25, 2011 Jean rated it 4 of 5 stars

Stork follows up his phenomenal "Marcello in the Real World" with another exploration of life through the eyes of someone who is forced to see life through a different lens. In this case there are two boys, who are opposites in so many ways. Pancho is physically strong, active, a fighter, unsure of his own intellect and his future. He is angry over the death of his sister, sure that he must find the person who caused her death. D.Q. is physically weak and he knows he is dying of cancer. He is su...more

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Jan 03, 2011 Miz Lizzie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: anger, death, disabilities-differences, foster-care, friendship, grief, latino, new-mexico, siblings, usa, writing, young-adult

Actually listened to this one and it was very well performed by Ryan Gesell. When seventeen-year-old Pancho's mentally disabled sister dies in a hotel room shortly after their father dies, Pancho is absolutely convinced it was murder. But the police don't see it that way and refuse to investigate. Sent to a Catholic home for boys, Pancho meets D.Q. who is dying of cancer. Pancho is a tough kid, a loner and a boxer who prefers physical action and being left alone to deep thought and conversation....more

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Nov 24, 2010 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: teen-reality

There is a great deal to like about this book. It is an interesting and engaging story and defies stereotypes like; the buddy book, teen dying book, philosophical smarty pants teen book, angry kid making good, and orphan tale; even though it has elements of all these things. There is some real beauty about the human condition and foibles in this book but with teenagers. This may be the first time I have read anything quite like that in a book with teen characters. The quietness of the friendship...more

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Sep 15, 2010 Sherrie rated it 5 of 5 stars

I read this book after hearing it mentioned as a strong Printz Award candidate last year, and it didn't disappoint. Pancho is placed in a residential center for teens following the death of his father in an accident and the possible murder of his sister. All Pancho can think about is finding the truth behind his sister's death and killing the man involved. At his new home, he meets D.Q., a teen in the final stages of leukemia. D.Q. is writing the Death Warrior Manifesto, a declaration of his int...more

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Aug 15, 2010 Maggie Stiefvater rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

I just finished reading Francisco X. Stork’s latest, THE LAST SUMMER OF THE DEATH WARRIORS, and I think I’m going to have a hard time reviewing it. I know why I liked it so well, and it’s the same reason why I liked his last novel (MARCELO IN THE REAL WORLD). I’m just not certain it’s the most convincing-sounding reason for me to love a novel. It makes for a review consisting of mostly emotion and precious little fact. But I think I’m going to say it anyway.

Basically, it’s this: both of Stork’s...more I just finished reading Francisco X. Stork’s latest, THE LAST SUMMER OF THE DEATH WARRIORS, and I think I’m going to have a hard time reviewing it. I know why I liked it so well, and it’s the same reason why I liked his last novel (MARCELO IN THE REAL WORLD). I’m just not certain it’s the most convincing-sounding reason for me to love a novel. It makes for a review consisting of mostly emotion and precious little fact. But I think I’m going to say it anyway.

Basically, it’s this: both of Stork’s novels leave me feeling convinced of the human race’s decency.

I could tell you what DEATH WARRIORS was about, but it’s one of those books that isn’t really about its plot summary (sulky boy intent on avenging his sister’s death meets a boy with cancer who changes his life). At best, it sounds maudlin. At worst, it sounds bleedingly depressing. The actual novel is neither of those things. Instead, it’s a novel about anger and identity -- the identity others give us, the identities we wear, and our actual identities that we might never find. It’s also about big abstract words like love and faith and grief. All things that are very unhelpful to throw around in a review, but Stork’s books seem to encourage that sort of thinking. It’s hard to feel unchanged after you close the cover.

Which is another reason why I love his books. They make you bigger inside after reading them. These people, these teens from all walks of life (and even without reading Stork’s bio, I believe in them) -- they feel real. Every bit of kindness in this novel is fought for, every spiritual (and I mean spiritual in the very broadest sense) milestone is bled for (sometimes literally), and for every moment where you sigh with the perfection of it, there are ten where you wince at the awkwardness and the painfulness and the realness of it.

As with all novels, I had some issues with it, but they didn’t end up being enough to take away from my ultimate cheerfulness about this book. The big one seems silly: I missed dialog tags. There were a lot of conversations where the speakers were not delineated and I got lost several times. Also, Pancho, the prickly narrator, takes some getting used to, but that’s the point. Neither were enough of a speed bump to stop me, however.

It took me a year to read this book, even after I’d gotten an advanced review copy and also bought myself a hardcover while recalling the warm-fuzzy of reading MARCELO. I just was so afraid to read his next offering, thinking that the same, nameless magic that caught me in MARCELO couldn’t possibly be duplicated. But DEATH WARRIORS captures that same sense: that genuine kindness that you wish was real. It’s an incredibly spiritual book, a spirituality that defies labels. Highly recommended. (less)

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Aug 05, 2010 Donna rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, reality, young-adult

Francisco X. Stork is a wonderful storyteller. This book is such a good story - touching on friendship, right vs. wrong, making decisions, and values. Here's the description from goodreads:

When Pancho arrives at St. Anthony's Home, he knows his time there will be short: If his plans succeed, he'll soon be arrested for the murder of his sister's killer. But then he's assigned to help D.Q., whose brain cancer has slowed neither his spirit nor his mouth. D.Q. tells Pancho all about his "Death Warr...more

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Aug 03, 2010 Elaine Bearden rated it 4 of 5 stars

Wow, I really like this Francisco X. Stork guy. Marcello in the Real World was absolutely amazing. This book started out just as amazing - wonderful characters, voice, setting, plot -- with two older teenagers who meet at St. Anthony's school for boys - basically a Catholic orphanage in New Mexico. D.Q. is fighting a glioma brain cancer, in and out of a wheelchair, and Pancho has just arrived against his will, after both his father and sister die within three months of each other. D.Q. befriends...more

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Jul 28, 2010 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: advance-readers-copies

When I read Marcelo in the Real World, I messed up and called this book its sequel. The books look similar and probably had the same designer, but aren't related.

Pancho is an angry teenager forced to move into an orphanage because his parents are dead and his older sister was just possibly murdered. He's obsessed with finding the man who caused her death, mainly because she was a mentally challenged woman who couldn't defend herself. But Pancho is forced into an almost servant relationship with...more

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Jul 05, 2010 Eva Mitnick rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya

What do people see when they look at you? Do different people see different things? Do any of them see the "real" you? Can anyone see a complete picture? Is there a "real" you at all, and how do you find out what it is?

These are the sorts of questions that arose as I read this excellent coming-of-age novel. Pancho is a New Mexico teenager to whom several awful things have happened all at once - his dad died in an accident, his older "simple" sister died in what Pancho considers to be suspicious...more What do people see when they look at you? Do different people see different things? Do any of them see the "real" you? Can anyone see a complete picture? Is there a "real" you at all, and how do you find out what it is?

These are the sorts of questions that arose as I read this excellent coming-of-age novel. Pancho is a New Mexico teenager to whom several awful things have happened all at once - his dad died in an accident, his older "simple" sister died in what Pancho considers to be suspicious and sordid circumstances, and he has not been allowed to stay in his family's trailer, being deposited instead at an orphanage run by Father Concha.

I was certain that Father Concha would be a pivotal character, but instead this story is about how Pancho's quest to get revenge for his sister's death gets entwined with the need of fellow "orphan" (although not really - his mother is very much alive) D.Q. to live out what days remain to him as a "death warrior," sucking marrow out of the bones of life before he dies of cancer.

Pancho sees his life - and himself - as empty and meaningless. All he cares about at first is getting revenge, and then he figures he'll get sent to jail, where he'll be killed. And that's fine with him. But D.Q. sees something else in Pancho the moment he claps eyes on him - a fellow death warrior and, more importantly, a potential friend. And although Pancho doesn't understand or particularly like this odd, brainy, desperately ill white guy, there's no denying that D.Q. has some uncanny insight. While other folks see all kinds of things in Pancho - tough guys see a fellow tough guy looking for a fight, little kids see someone to play with, talk to, and trust, and a certain girl sees someone she could fall in love with - D.Q. seems to see all of Pancho all at once.

It's how Pancho learns how to see - and understand - himself as well as the people around him that is the heart of this story. The reader has to get to know Pancho, and he doesn't make it easy, but by the end of the book we know and appreciate him as much as D.Q. does. Pancho is the kind of rich and completely real character that is hard to part with at the end of a story - I'd like to find out what he's doing in 5 years, and in 10.

Highly recommended for ages 13 and up. By the way, this is the third absolutely excellent coming-of-age story I've read recently that features a teenage boy, after The Cardturner and As Easy as Falling off the Face of the Earth. Very refreshing trend. (less)

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Jun 04, 2010 Suzanne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: peach-consideration

I really want to know the kind of teens who can appreciate this book and its predecessor MARCELO IN THE REAL WORLD, but I can't think of very many YAs who are sure to dig them because they are philosophical and hinge so mightily on relationships that aren't the sort that provide a big pay-off in the romance department for female readers. I think that Stork is writing about boys mostly, and I am hopeful that I can get some to check out these novels.

This one takes place in New Mexico. Pancho's old...more

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May 27, 2010 Abby rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: teen

Another great ya realistic fiction/coming-of-age story from Stork, author of the great "Marcelo in the Real World." Strangely enough, this is the second teen book I've read in recent months that pays homage to "Don Quixote" and in which the teen character based on Don Quixote is dying from a neurodegenerative condition (Libba Bray's "Going Bovine" was the other one). Unlike Bray's book (which I found incredibly maudlin and poorly written), Stork tackles heavy issues like confronting death as a y...more

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May 24, 2010 Deanna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Realistic fiction, cancer, dying, identity, boxing, friendship, young love.

I couldn't put down Stork's 2009 novel, Marcelo in the real world, but sadly this one dragged. It took me a month to finish, but my hubby read it in one night. Maybe the theme of boxing turned me off.

The book opens with Pancho, a high school junior, arriving at a Catholic orphanage because his sister has recently been found dead in a hotel room. Previously his father passed away. Pancho has a lot of anger because the pol...more

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May 06, 2010 Jeanne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 15, 2010 Janice marked it as to-read

teen scene newsletter--i might be able to handle this one
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2010-03
Arthur A. Levine Books
9780545151337
Catalog Link

The Last Summer of the Death Warriors
By Stork, Francisco X.

BookPage Notable Title

When Pancho arrives at St. Anthony's Home, he knows his time there will be short: If his plans succeed, he'll soon be arrested for the murder of his sister's killer. But then he's assigned to help D.Q., whose brain cancer has slowed neither his spirit nor his mouth.

Living by a warrior's code

Review by A...more

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Mar 28, 2010 Charlou Lunsford rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, first-reads

Pancho, 17, who has had too much recent experience with death, ends up at St. Anthony's orphanage and meets D.Q., who is fighting brain cancer. And D. Q. wants to fight, not just to live, but to live his way. His philosophy is in his Death Warrior Manifesto. A Death Warrior is someone who accepts death and chooses to love life by loving. Pancho just wants to avenge the death of his sister Rosa and doesn't care what happens after that. He feels he has nothing. Marisol, a quiet and wise young wom...more

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Apr 10, 2011 Elena rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: realistic, young-adult, male-protag

4.5 stars

When Pancho's father and older sister both die a few months apart from one another, Pancho is sent to orphanage St. Anthony's. Pancho isn't interested in making friends with the other boys, intent on getting justice for his sister, who he believes was murdered. But oddball D.Q. is determined to befriend him, and before too long Pancho finds himself accompanying D.Q. to Albuquerque for D.Q.'s cancer treatments. While there, he hopes to find the man who killed his sister and exact his rev...more 4.5 stars

When Pancho's father and older sister both die a few months apart from one another, Pancho is sent to orphanage St. Anthony's. Pancho isn't interested in making friends with the other boys, intent on getting justice for his sister, who he believes was murdered. But oddball D.Q. is determined to befriend him, and before too long Pancho finds himself accompanying D.Q. to Albuquerque for D.Q.'s cancer treatments. While there, he hopes to find the man who killed his sister and exact his revenge, but he is sidetracked by caring for D.Q., helping out with the kids at the outpatient care facility Casa Esperanza, and becoming reluctantly closer to Marisol, Casa Esperanza staff member and D.Q.'s crush. Pancho must choose between vengeance and becoming a Death Warrior who (according to D.Q.) acknowledges the existence and inevitability of death but doesn't give in to it, vowing to live life to the fullest.

The Last Summer of the Death Warriors is a multidimensional novel full of complex characters who grow and change throughout the novel. Pancho's struggle is both believable and relatable, and each of the entire cast of characters from cancer patient Josie to D.Q.'s mother Helen is vividly drawn. The book balances the heavy subjects of cancer, death, and revenge with enough humor and lightness to keep the book from being overwhelmingly depressing while still giving the subjects the gravity and consideration they deserve.

I really loved this book. I only gave myself one day to read it, and I wish I had had longer, to give the story and the prose longer to sink in. I could relate to Pancho, D.Q., and Marisol. All three of these characters were flawed, and I liked all three anyway, which is unusual for me (not that I don't like flawed characters, but in any given novel there's usually at least one character I don't particularly care for). I really think that this novel is one that can transcend boundaries of race, age, gender, and even, to a certain extent, reading level. If I taught a high school English class, I'd be making note of this one and planning to teach it.(less)

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Jan 02, 2011 Karen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Like Stork's first book, Marcelo in the Real World, I liked but didn't love The Last Summer of the Death Warriors. There are some strong characters, strong enough that I followed them all to the end, though not all characters seem developed equally. The big problem for me, character-wise, was Pancho, the main character, whose moods and actions seemed to shift depending on what the author wanted in a particular moment. I didn't feel his motivations were adequately justified much of the time....more

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Nov 30, 2010 Ms.P rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

Reasons why I liked this book and thought it was fantastic:

The characters are nuanced. The main boy characters are not solely motivated by their desire for a female. Similarly, the main girl character is not motivated solely by her desire for a male and she does not base her self worth on the quest for a male. That is not to say that there are no relationship issues, but it’s done in a way that is not the sole focus of the book and it doesn’t drive the plot.

None of the main characters are twee....more

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Jun 24, 2010 jane gallagher rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wow. It has been a long time since I've come across a YA book with as much depth as this one. Frankly, it completely floored me.

The Last Summer of the Death Warriors is a modern day adaptation of Cervantes' Don Quixote. But you don't need to be at all familiar with that work in order to appreciate this novel.

Pancho is a robust young man (17 yrs old), driven by the desire to avenge the murder of his sister. D.Q. is also 17, but seems ageless, wise beyond his years, and is dying of cancer. On the...more Wow. It has been a long time since I've come across a YA book with as much depth as this one. Frankly, it completely floored me.

The Last Summer of the Death Warriors is a modern day adaptation of Cervantes' Don Quixote. But you don't need to be at all familiar with that work in order to appreciate this novel.

Pancho is a robust young man (17 yrs old), driven by the desire to avenge the murder of his sister. D.Q. is also 17, but seems ageless, wise beyond his years, and is dying of cancer. On the surface they have nothing in common: Pancho is all brute strength and bitterness; D.Q. is passionate, optimistic, eerily intelligent, and desperate to live life to its fullest, even though (or perhaps because) he doesn't have much time left. They meet in an orphanage, and D.Q., sensing something special about Pancho, immediately recruits him to be a Death Warrior. What is a Death Warrior? The concept is inspired by Henry David Thoreau's famous declaration in Walden, "I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life." According to the Death Warrior Manifesto that D.Q. has been writing,

Anyone can be a Death Warrior, not just someone who is terminally ill. A Death Warrior accepts death and makes a commitment to live a certain way, whether it be for one year or thirty years...Once you accept that life will end, you can become a Death Warrior by choosing to love life at all times and in all circumstances. You choose to love life by loving.

I finished the book last night (eyes still red this morning from the weeping...happy weeping as well as sad weeping), and I can already tell this is going to be a book that stays with me for a long time...one that I will be harassing friends and family to read asap so I have someone to discuss it with. The philosophy of the Death Warrior is simple but powerful. Who hasn't felt the haunting sense that we're wasting the limited time we have on this planet? It's easy to ignore that sensation and just carry on with our daily routine...but The Last Summer of the Death Warriors gives you a righteous sense of shame for doing so, without being preachy. No small feat.

The book has a bit of everything: action, romance, poignancy, humor, villains, heroes, life philosophy etc. Come to think of it, the only thing it's lacking is vampires. Just kidding!

READ IT!!!!(less)

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Mar 22, 2010 Shari rated it 5 of 5 stars

"I just finished this amazing book THE LAST SUMMER OF THE DEATH WARRIORS. It's about a brilliant 17 year old teenager dying of brain cancer. His mother had left him at an orphanage after his father died and she almost killed him in a car accident because she was bi-polar. She has been trying to get him back to live with her, now that she is much better and has remarried a very wealthy lawyer. As the novel begins, she is trying to control his treatment. He wants to have control of his life and hi...more

"I just finished this amazing book THE LAST SUMMER OF THE DEATH WARRIORS. It's about a brilliant 17 year old teenager dying of brain cancer. His mother had left him at an orphanage after his father died and she almost killed him in a car accident because she was bi-polar. She has been trying to get him back to live with her, now that she is much better and has remarried a very wealthy lawyer. As the novel begins, she is trying to control his treatment. He wants to have control of his life and his death. But actually the main character is another 17 year old whose mom died when he was young and then right before the story begins, his father died while trying to help out a fellow car mechanic and his mentally disabled sister was found dead in a motel room. The main character winds up at the orphanage and the two teens become entwined. The main character is out for revenge. He believes that his sister was murdered. OK, this all sounds very intense and gruesome, but the story is really about the philosophy of the Death Warriors who must "always fight for life wherever." "A Death Warrior is grateful for every second of time given and is aware of how precious every second of life is,..." You choose to love life by loving." But I love the book because it is so about humanity. The brilliant teen is writing all about the Death Warriors because he wants to impress a girl whom he loves. And when she doesn't love him as more than a friend, he gives up the Death Warrior philosophy, for awhile. I just find this so human. I can learn about great philosophies and think "wow, that is so profound and how does anyone really live like that?, because really I believe we are governed by the basic stuff, like love and revenge and jealousy and friendship and all of the human stuff. Anyway, this book is full of great philosophy and passions and being human. I probably am not making any sense. But you probably get the idea that I really responded passionately to this book."

And then I continued on about how I wondered if the Buddhists got it wrong and that if we give up suffering, we will also give up beauty and humanity? It is DQ's illness that spurs him on to write about the Death Warriors. He meets Marisol because of the cancer and he can't woo Marisol any other way than through his writing. It is when he suffers his jealousy that he finally makes the decision to let go and unconditionally love Pancho. It is because of Pancho's anger/revenge/and wanting justice that Pancho is finally free to make the decision to honor his sister's love of Bobby. It is the mom's pain that causes her to paint. Of course, I keep thinking about Don Quixote and Sancho Panza and how this masterpiece all ties in. (To be truthful, I kept waiting for windmills--didn't find any. Did I miss them?) Of course, the ending is about choosing life--DQ isn't dead at the end of the book. This is no Hamlet--thank God. But the title does say "the last summer." So, the title is a little disturbing. I am going to be thinking about this book for a long time.

(less)

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Feb 19, 2010 Tasha rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: teen

Stork returns with his second teen novel after Marcelo in the Real World. D.Q. and Pancho could not be more different except for their focus on life and death. D.Q. is dying of cancer and trying to understand how to hold onto life. Pancho is healthy but everyone in his family has died, and he is now planning to murder someone. When Pancho meets D.Q., he wants nothing to do with him. But he gets paid to help D.Q. and when D.Q. is sent for treatment to Albuquerque, Pancho is eager to go along beca...more

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About Francisco X. Stork

Francisco X. Stork was born in Mexico. He moved to El Paso Texas with his adoptive father and mother when he was nine. He attended Spring Hill College, Harvard University and Columbia Law School. He works as an attorney with a state agency in Massachusetts that finances affordable housing. He is married and has two grown children and one beautiful granddaughter.
He loves to play tennis, go for walk...more

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“She reached up and kissed him on the lips. It was a small kiss. It lasted only two or three seconds, just long enough for him to taste the future.” — 4 people liked it

“There's quiet because you don't need to say anything, and then there's quiet because you don't want to say something.
--Marisol” — 2 people liked it

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