So, this is essentially a YA book about Cancer. But it is also so much more than that.

Noggin is an odd concept. It tells of Travis Coates, a 16 year old boy whose body is riddled with Cancer. In a last attempt to survive he undergoes treatment to have his head decapitated and cryogenically frozen to later be attached to a new body. Five years later it is and he does survive.
Wow, to wake up in your life five years later thinking you’d just had a nap. But everything else has changed. Travis has a mother, father, best-friend and girlfriend and wants everything to go back to the way it was, of course it hasn’t.

I was and still am so emotionally involved in this book, it’s impossible to not get caught up in Travis’ world. I mean seriously, how does someone even begin to deal with this!

It is not all dramatic though, John Carey Whaley has a great writing style that breaks up the story with quick, smart and funny moments that make ‘Noggin’ an awesome read!

Noggin: A unique YA tale involving Jeremy Pratt’s body and, more importantly, Travis Coates’ head, and the aftermath of the fusion of the two.

Travis is a sixteen year old who is enjoying life. Sure, school isn’t his favourite thing in the world, but he has his best friend, Kyle and his wonderful girlfriend, Cate to make it bearable.. His parents are happy together, Travis has nothing to complain about. That is, until Travis becomes sick.

I didn’t love Travis’ character, but he was very realistic, and very well-written. I think he took his load in life very well, and although his decisions aren’t always the best, they are understandable and relatable given his situation. Waking up 5 years into the future would be a very hard thing to deal with.

I thought Kyle and Cate were some of the best friends that I’ve read. Once coming to terms with the whole situation, they are very supportive of Travis, and I think that all of their actions and decisions, whether positive or negative were very realistic once again. Compared to other friend characters in YA, I get the feeling that John Corey Whaley knows Kyle and Cate’s whole story, not just a quarter of it. I especially loved Kyle, and the fact that he was a somewhat more diverse character was pleasing. Especially because it wasn’t pushed into your face as though the author is saying “LOOK! DIVERSITY! I AM A FANTABULOUS AUTHOR!” This is important because although readers do appreciate diversity in a novel, I find that if a novel has too much diversity, it often puts readers off of the book as it feels like the author is just shoving it in their faces.

Hatton was also a well-written character, but I don’t feel as though I know him how I know Kyle and Cate. Maybe this is because we see the relationships between Kyle and Travis and Travis and Cate before Travis got sick, as opposed to just seeing Hatton during the aftermath.

When it comes to Cate, I feel rather sorry for Travis. Its been 5 years, she’s mourned and now has moved on and is engaged. However, for Travis, it’s only been a short time since he saw Cate last, and it’s very hard for him to come to terms to the fact that she is no longer his girlfriend. Sure, it’s hard for him to come to terms with a lot of things, but I think this fact is the hardest for Travis as it was clear that before Travis got sick, he and Cate truly loved each other. It wasn’t just puppy love.

Travis’ parents were great too, and although they were not as well-rounded as Kyle and Cate, I liked how prevalent and real they felt.

The entire plot was something I as very intrigued by. Cryogenics is something I find very intriguing in both an educational aspect and in a moral aspect. For the sake of knowledge, it would be amazing to have the technology to be able to use cryogenics to freeze people and effectively bring them back to life, but is is morally correct? Isn’t that just the people left behind being selfish? Whether it’s right or wrong is definitely a big question with lots of answers, and it’s evident in the novel (though rather briefly), just how varied people feel about the whole situation.

The writing was very enjoyable. It was agreeable and engaging, and reading Noggin definitely encourages me to pick up Where Things Come Back sooner rather than later. The pacing was also satisfactory. Happening in an appropriate amount of time, not leaving anything to feel rushed.

Overall, Noggin is a tale of personal growth and coming-of-age. It explores themes and topics unique to my exploration of the YA contemporary genre.

I never thought I'd be one to say I enjoyed reading about a boy who had his head cryogenically frozen then reattached to someone else's body five years later; and yet, here I am. I enjoyed it, loved it, even– Noggin is incredibly unique and even a little absurd at times (given the storyline, though, I suppose absurdity is a given), and tells a surprisingly realistic and believable story of how death and rebirth could effect those involved.

Travis– the protagonist who had his head transplanted– has trouble coping with life once he returns from a death which, to him, was only a brief sleep, but to his family and friends, a long-suffering period of grief and mourning and loss. He is likeable and relatable, with a distinctly John Green-reminiscent quirk that exudes affably dorky charm. I found myself wanting, whilst reading, to be friends with Travis; his sarcasm and quick wit made up for his somewhat irritating blind determination to make his former girlfriend (now engaged to another man) fall back in love with him.

Noggin is an entertaining read, and is both light-hearted and deeply sentimental at the same time. As mentioned before, fans of John Green (and pretty much anyone who enjoys contemporary YA) will love this book for its explorations of being lost and trying to find your feet in a fast-paced world where life is confusing and crazy and insane and wonderful all at once.