Review: Noggin

Noggin by John Corey Whaley
Publishing date: April 8, 2014
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers

NOGGIN, by John Corey Whaley is a tremendously good book and I’m glad that I had the chance to read it. Without spoiling any plot twists or surprises, I will say a little bit about the story. Our main character, Travis, wakes up five years after having his head cryogenically frozen and now put on another man’s body. This book paints the reader a picture of a boy struggling to find his way in the world, with the love of his life five years older and engaged to another man, and his best friend secretly gay. As the story progresses, Travis finds himself conflicted between his physical age of 16 and all the changes that have occurred around him. As he deals with the fame of being one of two people to have ever survived that experiment, he slowly begins to find himself and realize how much everything has changed around him. One of the reasons that I liked this book so much was because although Travis is far from ordinary, you find yourself empathizing with him and his plight. This book is masterfully written and children 12-16 will find themselves enjoying this great novel.