Travis Coates is dying of leukaemia. As his body slowly deteriorates, Travis and his family realise he will soon die. When a doctor suggests he take part in a cryogenics trial (where you are preserved in below-freezing temperatures until future medical developments are able to bring you back to life), Travis decides he might as well give it a go. And, with that, his head is removed from his cancer-ridden body and frozen until, five years later, doctors manage successfully to reattach it to another person’s body.

But five years is a long time to be away and Travis realises that being brought back to life might be a lot tougher than he expected. Not only does he have to get used to his new (although far superior) body, he also has to come to terms with international fame (due to being brought back from the dead) and the fact that a lot can happen in five years. People change, things evolve and the loved ones who you thought would wait for your return have moved on. In the words of Travis Coates, ‘shit got weird’.

From the quietly brilliant author of Where Things Come Back, Noggin is a touching, hilarious somewhat-coming-of-age novel that shows that life really is too short to waste. For ages 14 and up.

Katherine Dretzke