While I Live

This has been one of the best books I've ever read. If your a person that likes guerilla warfare, like myself. I garentee you will fall in love with this series. Just like I did. John Marsden takes a girl living a normal life on a farm in Australia and makes her house in the front line. Along with her friends and nieghbors. Mardson describes her new world of fighting and danger so well it makes you feel like your sneaking through the Australien countryside with her fellow companions. I truly loved this book.

John Marsden's WHILE I LIVE creates 'The Ellie Chronicles', continuing the story of a girl who has spent years fighting invaders in her home country, and who is back on her family's farm trying to rebuild her life after years of war. The only problem is - the war isn't really over yet, and when tragedy hits she again finds herself struggling to survive. The same fierce independent spirit displayed in Marsden's 'Tomorrow' series revolving around Ellie and her courageous band of friends continues in this satisfying new series.

Readers who enjoyed the tomorrow series, will not be disapointed by the return of Ellie and Homer. Although I felt this book ran a little slower than the previous series, it is still a fantastic read, and a great beginning to the new series.

When I bought this book (From over seas - couldn't wait for it to be printed in the States) I was worried that it would be jsut hte same as the previous seven - where were.are great, but can get a little tiresome. However, the new series turns a new page in the life of Ellie and her friends. They are trying to begin again - pass high school, start a new life and forget their old one. However, this is harder than expected. The war detailed in the first seven books is over the effects are still evident. Ellie and the adopted Gavin find it impossible to forget the past, especially when thier farm is attacked because it is close to the border deviding the (still unnamed) enemy and the Aussies. It's a good book and really begins to show the struggles that Ellie faces in trying to return to not jsut her nromal lifestyle, but her old persoanlity. She is an inspiring charatcer, die hard and determined and reading the books is different enough from the others to feel new and adventurous but similar enough to be enjoyable.

"While I live" is a story of courage, love, despair, betrayal and faith. "While I live" is the first book of a new series, which follows the series "Tomorrow" In this book we see old characters shine and new characters introduced. We see Ellie struggling on, through school, running a farm, looking after Gavin and fighting the lawyers. In the "Tomorrow" series, narrated by Ellie, we see her fighting to survive in the bush while playing a major role in the war effort. At the end we see her reunited with her family as life starts again and normality slowly returns. In the Ellie chronicles, Marsden starts the new series with "While I live" and hardly notice the difference between the two series. There both narrated by Ellie and old characters are constantly mentioned. However, at the same time, you'd never fell your missing anything if you haven't read the other series first. Ellie's parents are killed by Rebels in a dramatic first chapter. The action continues throughout the book, with love scenes and border raids adding to the action. Throughout the book you watch Ellie and Gavin fight lawyers as well as there own physical limits to look after themselves, keep up in school, keep the farm and keep the farm running. Friends, Lee, Homer and Fi all help Ellie with there varying talents: Fi, as a great friend, Homer, as a great family and Lee, with his experience of bringing up four younger siblings, gives Ellie great advice as to how bring Gavin up probably. All in all, I thought it was an excellent book and book anyone over the age of 10 should read (even Adults!). If you haven't read the "Tomorrow" series first, read it afterwards as it's also very good.