Burning for Revenge

October 1, 2000
Gr 8 Up-"If only our country hadn't been invaded." Ellie and her friends are back in this fifth volume of Marsden's adventure series that started with Tomorrow, When the War Began (Houghton, 1995). Having orchestrated several harrowing guerrilla attacks on the enemy, the five teens find themselves inside the enemy-held Wirrawee Airfield, outnumbered by hundreds of trained and heavily armed soldiers. Their decision to inflict as much damage as possible sounds like a suicide mission, but these gutsy teens pull off a brutal attack and escape worthy of a Hollywood movie. The action is fast paced and heart stopping, and the characters are so believable that readers forget that the story is fiction. Although Marsden's description of warfare and death is explicit, it is necessary to make his story real. Ellie, the narrator, is thoughtful, resilient, brave, and yet totally human. The other characters are equally intriguing; teenagers will readily identify with their fears and emotions. Fans of this incredibly suspenseful and riveting series will not be disappointed. 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 investigat-ing.-Susie Paige, Rogers Memorial Library, Southampton, NY

Copyright 2000 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2000
Gr. 8-12. John Marsden does not disappoint in the fifth book in his series of thrillers about the small band of Australian teens who fight the enemy nation that has conquered their country. In this installment, Ellie, Fi, Kevin, Homer, and Lee move out of Hell once again, this time to launch an attack on Wirrawee airfield (the heart of the enemy takeover) and return to semi-civilization, the town of Stratton where Ellie's grandmother lives. Marsden is a master at creating tension and excitement. Descriptions of the teens' foray into Wirrawee and their subsequent escape are riveting. Even their visit to Stratton is exciting, fueled by the constant tension of deserted streets; a wild gang of starving, undisciplined children; and Lee's surreptitious, dangerous affair. Ellie is obviously the main character of this series, which is aimed at older teens, but young men won't find that a problem. 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.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2000, American Library Association.)