Antsy Does Time by Neal Shusterman

Antsy is the nickname of Anthony Bonano. Antsy is 14 and just started high school. When he and his friends are watching the Thanksgiving parade they see a balloon get away and carry off 3 of its handlers. They rush downtown to see it "live". The balloon snags on top of the Empire State Building. While watching the dramatic rescue tragedy occurs.

Also standing there watching is Gunnar a fellow student. He tells Antsy that he only has 6 months to live. This makes Antsy sad and have a desire to "do something" to help bolster Gunnar's spirits. Antsy decides to draw up a contract to offer "time" to Gunnar. The idea takes off and becomes way bigger than Antsy or Gunnar or any of their friends could ever imagine.

While helping Gunnar accept his death Antsy meets Gunnar's family. Gunnar's sister becomes the "older woman" in Antsy's life. Amidst all of the mishaps of working for his family's restaurant, dating a new girl, dealing with the time contracts and being a caring friend Antsy displays great humor!

I totally enjoyed this book. There were many laugh-out-loud moments in the story. And even times that I would get choked up. A fantastic read!