Challenger Deep

Shusterman, N. (2015). Challenger deep. New York: HarperTeen.

Summary: Caden Bosch is a 15 year old boy that is being visited by a pirate Captain. The Captain is a manifestation of Caden's mental illness. When Caden agrees to go on the Captain's voyage to Challenger Deep, the deepest area in the whole world, he begins to fall deeper and deeper into his psychosis. Caden's parents commit him in a mental hospital as he spirals out of control. All the characters that Caden meets on the ship are people that he encounters in the hospital. Through therapy and medication, Caden begins to get better. The better he gets the closer to the trench he goes. After a relapse, Caden finds the root of his mental illness and is released from the hospital. He finds the strength to resist the Captain when he visits, but he knows that although he's been treated, he has not been cured. He will fight with his illness for the rest of his life.
Commentary: In this story, the author gives us a deep down understanding of Caden as he decends into his mental illness. The style of the book may be difficult for some readers. There are two parallel story lines. The first is Caden in his day-to-day life as he begins to mentally deteriorate. The second is his life aboard the ship that is heading for the deepest part of the world. The author switches back and forth between the two story lines and that may be confusing. It is important to understand that it is part of the experience of mental illness that the author wants to portray.
Connections: Teacher Resources, Book Trailer, Book Review, Author Interview
Similar Books: I Crawl Through It by A.S. King; Made You Up by Francesca Zappia; The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B by Teresa Toten
Textbook Connections: Challenger Deep reminded me that not all mental development happens the same for all students. There are students that may be suffering from mental illness.