As I Wake by Elizabeth Scott

As I Wake by Elizabeth Scott.  Published by Penguin Group, 2011.

Ava wakes up in a room where nothing is familiar. She panics, runs out into the street and faints. The next time she wakes up, she is in a hospital, surrounded by people she doesn’t know. One woman says she is Ava’s mother, but Ava remembers her mother- she was thinner and looked sad and died when Ava was young. The mysterious Clementine says she is there to help, but Ava’s mother seems to be afraid of her.

Ava is released by the hospital to go home with her mother. She has strange dreams of a different life. She grew up in a crèche. Survival was a struggle and she definitely didn’t have fancy clothes or live in a big house. When Ava wakes up, she is confused. Which world is true? Is the one she dreams about somehow real?

School is equally confusing. Ava’s recognizes her friends, but they are different. She senses that Sophy has a hard, power-hungry edge, but no one else seems to notice it. Ava remembers seeing Olivia die, but in this world, she is alive and well.

And who is Morgan? He seems to know Ava well (maybe even love her), but behaves furtively, as if he has something to hide. Ava’s mother calls the police on him and he disappears. Yet, Ava has memories of Morgan from another time or life. She remembers talking to him but he doesn’t belong in this world.

It seems that everyone has secrets. Clementine, Ava’s friends from schoool, Morgan, and even her mother. Every time Ava tries to remember things, she suffers crippling headaches. Through it all, she can’t deny the strong attraction she feels for Morgan. What does he want from her?

Some readers may initially be confused by the changes of scenes/characters, but for those who finish, this is an unusual and interesting book.  Recommended for grades 8 and up. 

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A Long Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan

A Long Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan. Published by Candlewick Press, 2011.

Rose goes to sleep in a stasis tube, expecting her parents to wake her a short time later. Instead, she wakes to a kiss from a boy she’s never seen before. She feels weak and nauseous and disoriented. She is shocked to find out that she’s been asleep more than 60 years! She realizes that her parents and best friend/boyfriend Xavier have been dead for many years.

It’s difficult for Rose to know whom she can trust. People think she is strange. Reporters follow her everywhere. She begins a new school connected to a very wealthy and powerful company- one she now owns. She doesn’t like school. She is behind on the academics and the other students stare at her and make fun of her. Her only friend is Bren, whose family is connected to the corporation. Her parents have been telling Rose that she is not very smart and she now knows it is true.

As difficult as things are at school, life outside of school is even worse. She tries to hang out with Bren and his friends, but most of them aren’t very receptive . She begins communicating with Otto through messages on the computer (he can’t talk because alien DNA was incorporated into him). She and Otto are both outsiders in this society. Otto can communicate with his mind, but he doesn’t like doing this with Rose as he says he can see an abyss inside her and it scares him.

The situation is pretty bad for Rose and it gets even worse when an assassin comes after her. She even considers going back into her hibernation chamber because she can’t cope with everything. She desperately needs friends and help.

This dystopian novel is recommended for ages 14 and up.

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