Lifespan of Starlight by Thalia Kalkipsakis

Hardie Grant Egmont, 2015. ISBN: 9781742978710
(Age: 15+) Scout, Mason and Bloc live in the future, 2084. It is a world where most humans are microchipped. With a microchip the human has access to food, water, accommodation and travel. All travel, food and water is monitored and rationed.
The novel begins well, with Scout providing a firsthand description and analysis of the society she lives within. Scout is illegal. For reasons unexplained in the novel, her mother has kept her presence a secret for fourteen years. Also unexplained is the presence of the character Alistair and his motivation for educating Scout in using technology with such skill she can hack into the computer systems of other individuals and the government.
After Scout steals a microchip from a homeless woman, she discovers that time travel is possible. Together with Mason and Bloc she trains to extend her capabilities. This ends in tragedy and leads to Scout choosing to leap ten years into the future.
This is the first novel in a trilogy, however there are too many loose ends in the second half of the novel for the reader to feel entirely satisfied with the ending.
The author's website includes a link to Teacher Notes.
Linda Guthrie