The Gold children have heard about a woman that can tell them the date that they will die. So of course they must find her and find out when that will be. What should be just a fun adventure becomes something more that rules how they end up living their lives. Simon and Klara seek adventure and want to make the most of their lives. Daniel and Varya are more conservative just trying to make sure they make it as long as they are supposed to. I spent so much time while reading this book wondering what I would do if I knew the date I would die. The other thing is as a child or teenager would I have put stock in what a mysterious woman tells me. Would I have told my parents? Would I have told my friends? The weight they put with her words and the way it resonated throughout their lives was interesting, exciting, and sad. Some of the stories like Simon and Klara I raced through and was sad to see end. While Varya I mainly got angry at for how she chose to make her life as an adult. What I loved about the book though was the family aspect and how superstitions our parents have can continue in us and when we finally have the courage to examine it we might realize we shouldn't have been thinking like that all along.