Noggin

Starred review from January 20, 2014
Like baseball great Ted Williams, Travis Coates has his head surgically removed and cryogenically frozen after he dies (of leukemia at age 16). Unlike Williams, Travis is a fictional character, and five years after his death, technological advances allow doctors to attach his head to a donor body that’s taller and more muscular than the original. Whaley’s second novel (following his Printz-winning Where Things Come Back) is far more concerned with matters of the heart than with how head reattachment surgery would work. Travis awakens to restart where he left off—sophomore year—but everyone he knew has moved on. Best friend Kyle is struggling through college; former girlfriend Cate is engaged to someone else. As only the second cryogenics patient successfully revived, Travis is in uncharted territory; he’s “over” high school, but not ready to be anywhere else. Travis’s comic determination to turn back the hands of time and win Cate’s love is poignant and heartbreaking. His status in limbo will resonate with teens who feel the same frustration at being treated like kids and told to act like adults. Ages 14–up. Agent: Stephen Barr, Writers House.

September 1, 2014
In Whaley’s novel , Travis Coates has his head surgically removed and cryogenically frozen after he dies of leukemia at age 16. Five years after his death, technological advances allow doctors to attach his head to a donor body that is taller and more muscular than the original. Travis awakens to restart life where he left off—sophomore year—,but it has only been five years, just long enough for everyone in he knows to have moved on. His best friend Kyle is struggling through college; his former girlfriend Cate is engaged to someone else. Heybourne masterfully captures the emotional roller coaster of Travis’s journey into a new life—and body. His ability to capture the inflection of this first-person narrative while conveying Travis’s emotions—and often disorientation—is truly commendable. Less praiseworthy is his portrayal of Travis’s two male friends, who are often difficult to distinguish from one another. Otherwise, Heybourne keeps listeners thoroughly engaged in this audio rendition of a truly original story. Ages 14–up. A S&S/Atheneum hardcover.

When 16-year-old Travis Coates dies from leukemia, he leaves his head behind to be cryogenically preserved for future re-animation. Upon waking five years later with a healthy donor body, Travis tells his miraculous story. Kirby Heyborne embodies every aspect of Travis: his bewilderment at his best friend's return to the closet, his denial of his girlfriend's upcoming nuptials, his disgust at finding his own ashes secretly stored at home in an urn, and his horror and sadness at discovering his parents' divorce. Set against all these obstacles is the unwaveringly lovable voice of Travis's new best friend, Hatton, who dubs him "Noggin." Heyborne grounds each of Travis's head and body jokes with a touch of sarcasm, making the unbelievable seem plausible. M.F.T. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine