Things I Learned While I Was Dead: Discover the heart-wrenching YA sci-fi about sisterhood and the ethics of medical science

The most important thing in the world to 17-year-old Calico is saving the life of her younger sister Asha. After years of unsuccessful medical treatment, Asha is now dying. So, when Calico is offered the possibility of a miracle cure for her sister, she jumps at the chance. However, all is not straight forward; to save her sister, Calico must die first. Both girls will then be cryogenically frozen and re-awoken when medical advances have developed a cure for Asha.

Shortly after she is reawakened, Calico begins to realise that all is not what it seems at the treatment centre; trapped in a sinister facility with no sign of her sister, Calico joins forces with a group of other test subjects to unravel the truth about their dangerous new world.

Things I Learned While I Was Dead is told from Calico's perspective but interspersed with 'words from Asha', written in verse. This change in style is a brilliant way to make the reader repeatedly question: Is Asha, still frozen, alive or maybe something else?

This is a fantastic read that touches on some of the many issues that young people are concerned about: climate change, identity, belonging and family. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys this genre, it is full of resilience, love and hope.

Inclusion of potentially triggering topics, including mental illness and suicide.

400 pages / Reviewed by Sam, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 14+

Calico Brown will do anything to save her sister Asha. Even die for her. When a maverick doctor with dubious morals suggests that Calico take part in pioneering cryogenics research along with her dying sister, she is so desperate and wracked with guilt she agrees. Believing Asha's ultimately terminal stay in hospital to be her fault, she signs away her life, believing that she and Asha will both be reanimated following a period of cryogenic suspension; Asha healed, and the sisters reunited in an albeit uncertain future.

Waking up years later, Calico is desperate for news of her sister but the medical facility she is incarcerated in is miles from anywhere and no-one will give her a straight answer. Realising she has been suspended way beyond the initial timescale, Calico enlists the help of the few fellow inmates her age. But all have their reasons for being there and doubt and mistrust abound. Only unstable, angry Jem seems to share her urgency, and it seems only he can help her find the answers.

In Things I Learned While I Was Dead, Calico joins a long line of feisty fictional heroines battling against the odds. The relationships between the younger characters are primarily forged by circumstance and enforced seclusion but gradually genuine bonds emerge. Jem and Calico form an intriguing pair and their relationship feels a little more nuanced than the standard enemies-to-lovers trajectory.

Quite apart from the relationships and central storyline of Calico's search for Asha, there are a lot of ethical questions raised by the medics involved and their practices. The scientific scuffle between the two doctors at the facility provides an interesting sub plot, although some of the practices described may seem far-fetched or too vaguely outlined.

Overall this is a pacy, interesting and thought-provoking. A compelling and cleverly structured read.

400 pages / Reviewed by Clare Wilkins, school librarian

Suggested Reading Age 14+

Things I Learned While I Was Dead is a thought-provoking read; a fabulous combination of science fiction and medical ethics. It is written as a mixture of journal entries, memories and present-day moments and I really enjoyed this format.

Calico would do anything to help save her sister's life, even if it meant giving up her own. So, when she is offered the chance of being cryogenically frozen while they wait for biotechnology to find a cure for her sister Asha's illness, she agrees (without reading the small print!)

When she is eventually revived, she finds herself in a post climate catastrophe, low-tech future. Dr Fates has his own agenda and she is trapped in the research centre with a group of other test subjects. Calico needs to uncover the truth behind the lies told by the facility and find her sister.

Things I Learned While I Was Dead also briefly touches upon a romance between Calico and Jem, one of the other test subjects at the facility, but this is more of a subplot. Some of the topics covered are quite emotional and the writing is very raw and honest. Kathryn Clark, the author, deals with the mental health issues that arise in a positive way and demonstrates that healing is possible.

Things I Learned While I Was Dead is unputdownable. I absolutely loved the dilemma of the story, Calico's devotion to her sister and Jem's back story. There are plenty of twists and turns which kept me turning the pages. This is without a doubt, one of the best books that I have read this year!

Content of Note: Suicide/Cancer/Depression/drug use and bereavement.

400 pages / Reviewed by Clair Bossons, school librarian

Suggested Reading Age 14+