When We Wake

January 14, 2013
Awakening from cryogenic stasis 100 years after being accidentally shot by a sniper, 16-year-old Tegan Oglietti must adjust to a new life in 22nd-century Australia. The big question, both for readers and for Tegan: why has she been revived? The answer, which is gradually revealed through Tegan’s confessional-style narration, demonstrates that, despite technological and other advances, human greed, corruption, and self-interest persist across the centuries. Healey (The Shattering) constructs a very persuasive future world, whose technology, slang, hyperconnectivity, and climatic peril are smartly extrapolated from contemporary society (meat consumption is heavily taxed, drugs are regulated and safe, and Australia has a strict “No Migrant” policy in place). The diversity of the cast is authentic and natural, from the lesbian and transgendered friends Tegan makes to her love interest, a brusque Somali classmate with secrets of his own. Healey doesn’t make her points about social justice and activism through big, flashy moments; the story’s injustices unfold in a way that’s stark and unvarnished, and Tegan’s determination to right the wrongs she finds will hit home with readers. Ages 12–up. Agent: Barry Goldblatt, Barry Goldblatt Literary.

Starred review from February 15, 2013
In a fast-moving and carefully built science-fiction story, Tegan Oglietti attends a climate change rally in 2027 and wakes up in a hospital just over 100 years later. Soon after waking, Tegan learns that a sniper shot her at the rally, and her body was frozen using an experimental technique. Tegan is the first person to be awoken from a frozen state and is, as she discovers when she tries to flee the hospital, the subject of much journalistic curiosity. Although her government handlers try to keep her out of the public eye, she is allowed to live with one of her doctors as well as to attend school. There, she meets a cast of well-drawn characters, including Bethari, a savvy aspiring journalist; Joph, a chemistry genius who creates legal drugs; and Abdi, a singer from Djibouti in Australia on a rare visa. As Tegan's handlers become increasingly sinister, the teens begin investigating the project that brought Tegan back. The worldbuilding is thorough and expressed easily without ever lapsing into tiresome exposition. Tegan's friends are a fully realized multiracial and substantially LGBT cast, and even Tegan's whiteness is reflected upon thoughtfully. The ending is complete enough to provide some closure, but readers may hope to learn more about this world and its characters in a second volume. Accessible, thoughtful and compelling--science fiction done right. (Science fiction. 12 & up)

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April 1, 2013

Gr 8 Up-Tegan was just 16 when she died-well, sort of. After being shot at a protest in Sydney in 2027, she awakes in the future in a government facility where she's been preserved and frozen for 100 years. Being the first successfully revived human in Australia means that Tegan is an instant celebrity in a world that is much different from the one that she knows. As she struggles to build a life for herself with some sense of normalcy, she learns that not all citizens are excited about the scientific advancement that brought her back to life, and that the government that saved her might not have the best intentions. When We Wake kicks off with a great premise that's an easy sell to teens in this age of dystopian fiction. Tegan is a relatable character placed in a future that, while advanced, is creepily easy to envision. The story drags a bit in the middle, leaving time for readers to figure out some "secrets" before the main character does. Overall, this is a solid addition to the books that engross teens and have them wondering what's to stop this future from becoming our own.-Emily Chornomaz, Camden County Library System, NJ

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2013
Grades 8-11 Just when 16-year-old Tegan finally has a hot date with Dalmar in her futuristic world of 2027, a sniper accidentally shoots and kills her. A century later, Tegan, the first successful cryogenic revival, awakens to discover a changed society: more tolerance toward same-sex relationships, a government that strongly enforces migrant policy, and an overpopulated planet on the brink of environmental collapse. In Tegan's conversational, first-person narration, it quickly becomes clear that she's on the run, divulging government secrets blog-style along the way. Healey doesn't enter much new territory here, but Tegan's nonstop adventuresevading paparazzi as the Living Dead Girl, learning the government's real motivation for unfreezing her, and determining the reason behind a religious fundamentalist sect's mission against herwill keep both sci-fi and dystopian readers entertained. A host of multicultural characters, including a Somali love interest, add depth, while chapter headings taken from Beatles lyrics underscore Tegan's musical interest. Pair with Beth Revis' Across the Universe (2011) for another look at cryogenics in action.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)