For all those into the dystopian, sci-fi future books, this is another one for your reading list. The book is framed by the main character, Tegan, telling her story. We don't know who she's telling this story to or how she is telling it, but the premise is that we, the readers, are the recipient of this message some time in the future. We also know that this is Tegan's second lifetime. She has already died once and been brought back to life by a secret military cyrogenics project. Being that Tegan is still in a 16 year old body with a 16 year old mind, we still follow her in her normal teen pursuits even thought its more than a hundred years into the future passed the time of her death. But it's not just the teen pursuits we follow along after. With political intrigue and human rights issues surrounding her resurrection, Tegan and her friends find a mystery they must uncover and bring to the light of day.
I liked the framing of the story and the connection it created between the main character and the reader. I felt that I was implicit in this plot somehow and wanted to know why she was in hiding and where she was broadcasting, or 'casting, from. I had questions about the reality of the science that brought her back to life without any brain damage, but I suspended my disbelief to go along with the action and drama of the story. Also, I liked the cover even though it was another with a pretty girl face on the front, but this one applies. While there is a romantic storyline, its stays relatively PG, so I don't mind sharing this one with middle schoolers. I think there will be a lot of great discussions to be had about human rights issues around the world as well as the climate change issue.
Intended reading level: YA -Grades 5-8 okay
First in series
Questions for the Readers:
Does the mean always justify the end? Do you believe sacrificing a few to save millions is worth it? Would you want to be frozen after your death to be revived in a different century? What were some of the hardships Tegan faced when she woke up? Can you think of more that the book didn't address? What issues surrounding climate change were in the book? How did the different factions handle their thoughts or opinions about these issues? What do you think the Australian government should do to address these issues?
Read-alikes: Delirium series by Lauren Oliver. Matched series by Ally Condy. I haven't read them yet, but this book almost seemed like it could be a prequel to the Across the Universe series only they're written by separate authors. I would encourage reading them in tandem.
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