Burning for Revenge

by John Marsden

Overview

From Hell to Stratton isn’t an easy trip, especially when the enemy’s headquarters lies somewhere in between. And that’s exactly where Ellie and her friends unwillingly find themselves—smack in the middle of the Wirrawee airfield. With only five of them against hundreds of armed soldiers, escape seems like a suicide mission. The odds aren’t good, and Kevin’s nervous breakdown isn’t helping matters.

Ellie and her compatriots are back, battling to stay alive and struggling to stay together in John Marsden’s latest book in the TOMORROW, WHEN THE WAR BEGAN series. High-speed truck chases, unexpected river journeys, and treachery by one of their own are just a few of the problems these Australian teens face in this gritty tale of war and survival.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780395960547
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	09/25/2000
Series:	The Tomorrow Series , #5
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)
Lexile:	750L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

John Marsden’s highly praised series concludes in this thrilling installment that will bring readers to the edge of their seats and keep them there until the last page is turned. John Marsden is one of Australia’s best-known writers for young adults. His work has received critical acclaim and has earned a cultlike following worldwide. The popular Tomorrow series has been translated into seven languages and has sold over one million copies in Australia alone.

Editorial Reviews

"Ellie and her friends are back in this fifth volume of Marsden’s adventure series . . . If your library owns volumes one through four, this is a must buy. If you haven’t yet discovered Marsden’s writing, it is well worth investigating." —School Library Journal (10/00) School Library Journal

"The adventure, the sense of isolation, and the touch of sophisticated romance will draw readers of both genders to this well-crafted novel and others in the series." —Booklist (10/1/00) Booklist, ALA

"Poignant. Something for everyone." —Kirkus Review 10/01/00 Kirkus Reviews

"Teens who are inured to the visceral thrills delivered by a big screen and Dolby surround sound just may be convinced by Marsden’s latest that humble print on paper can conjure the same edge-of the-seat delights." —The Bulletin (11/00) The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"The story is gripping, the action is riveting, and the characters are intelligent. . . . . Readers of the previous novels will grab this installment eagerly." —VOYA (10/00) VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates) —

From the Publisher

The fifth and latest in Marsden's series about a group of Australian teenagers who find themselves in the middle of a war follows the adolescent guerrilla fighters as they try to survive in an Australia occupied by enemy forces, while inflicting some damage on the enemy along the way. The five kids (who in the first book, Tomorrow, When the War Began, had returned home from a camping trip to find their country occupied and their families gone) have now become fairly experienced soldiers. Although the five are in theory backed up by adult soldiers, the grownups have been out of touch for so long that the teenagers are virtually on their own. Deciding that they have to try and do something, even if there is not much chance of success and even if it means being discovered by the enemy soldiers, the group plans to infiltrate an enemy airfield and blow it up. Miraculously, the group succeeds, and, even more miraculously, they all come out of the experience alive. Between the day-to-day struggle for survival and the desire for revenge that they feel, the personality of each character emerges, displaying moments of bravery, as well as fear, despair, jealousy, and even pettiness. A fascinating portrayal of the dynamics that occur within a group whose members are dependent on each other, this is part survival, part adventure, and part war tale, with plenty of undercurrents of romance and hints of sexual tension thrown into the mix. It is exciting, dramatic, and laced with violence, while also capturing the drudgery and boredom that is part of the group's daily life. The contrast between the difficult lives they now lead and their former comfortable and peaceful lives as normal Australianteenagersis especially poignant. Something for everyone. (Fiction. 12-16) McCully, Emily Arnold MIRETTE & BELLINI CROSS NIAGARA FALLS Illus. by the author Putnam (32 pp.) Oct. 2000

Kirkus Reviews