The Other Side of Dawn

A must for an teenager who is stuck for something to do during those long hot summer days where hard work seems an immpossiblity! Note you really must start with the first book in the series to get a grasp of the plot and a feel for the writers style etc for all obvious reasons (to see if you like it). Hope this helps with your desicion for the book ;)

War is something that effects and hurts many people. It causes young men and women to do and see things that they are not emotionally and physically prepared for. Ellie and her friends went off to camp for the weekend in this place called Hell. While they were out in the bush, having a good time, they had no idea that while they were sleeping their country was being invaded. They had no idea that their lives had changed forever. When Ellie and her friends returned home from their camping trip, they knew something was terribly wrong. They then had to learn to avoid enemy soldiers and scavenge for food to stay alive, so they went back into the bush where Hell became their new home. They have also planned dangerous attacks against the enemy to try to help get their country back. But Ellie or some of her friends have had to make the ultimate sacrifice... Their Life. There are 7 books in this series, by John Marsden. In these books you will learn how war changes the life's of everyone that is involved in it, or even the people that are just around it. You will also learn how the kids that are involved in war, will have to grow up fast, and how they will learn how to survive on their own, without adults. I strongly recommend this series of books for, both adults and young people. It will teach adults that young people can be independent, and that they can survive on their own. It will also teach young people, that being a kid is the best thing in the world, and that they need to enjoy their youth for as long as possible.

I first discovered this series at 23 when I was living in England, and when I returned to Canada I ended up getting the final two volumes delivered from Australia because I could not wait to read the conclusion. Several reviewers on this site are disappointed with the ending, but I think it would have been highly unrealistic to have a simplistic, upbeat ending to a war saga. Ellie and her friends do get damaged by their experiences and I was relieved to see that acknowledged. The series is one of the most compelling I've ever read. While the themes do get more mature and the final volume is far more focused on just one character, I found it a satisfying conclusion to a captivating epic. As a genre label, Young Adult does not have to mean simplistic!

This was a great book and the epilogue didn't really give enough. You felt like the characters were real and you wanted to know what happens to them after. It was a realistc ending though. War brings a lot of pain. This book will be a favorite for years to come. It should be one of the book that we read in school and talk about. This series showed that the bond of friendship is the strongest there is.

I have never been so captivated by a series of books as I have with the Tomorrow series. I ordered this book from Australia months ago so I could get to the end. It is not necessarily the way I wanted the series to end, but it makes more sense than everything turning out perfectly fine. I will miss the brave characters in these books and will most certainly have to read all 7 again at some point.