From School Library Journal
Grade 7 Up-The first book in The Ellie Chronicles by popular Australian author John Marsden follows the story of Ellie Linton in the aftermath of a fictional war in Australia. In the opening scenes, she returns from a picnic to find that her parents were murdered as part of a guerrilla operation, probably in retaliation for her own activity in the war. Even though she is still in high school, Ellie is challenged to maintain the family farm despite financial problems, requirements to attend school, attempts to take over her farm, and the day-to-day frustrations of being a farmer. She is caring for Gavin, a deaf student, who presumably was orphaned by the war. Most of the Australian terms can be understood in context. Narrator Suzi Dougherty, with her appropriate native accent, becomes Ellie, telling her story realistically and with the right amount of emotion. Changing speed and tone frequently to reflect the different speech patterns of the characters makes the story more realistic and entertaining. Of necessity, Dougherty's reproduction of Gavin's speech is probably more clear than most deaf speech. This coming of age story will entertain today's teens.-
Claudia Moore, W. T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
WHILE I LIVE introduces the new Ellie Chronicles trilogy. The book opens with Ellie Linton discovering the gruesome massacre of her parents, and from there is a roller- coaster ride of brutality and bloodshed. Suzi Dougherty's narration, in the voice of 17-year-old Ellie, is a straightforward, almost emotionless, reading. Her dispassionate retelling of border raids, innocent victims, and senseless violence delivers a powerful antiwar message. Credibility is stretched by clichéd adults who are all either evil or lacking the moral fiber to stand up for the weak and defenseless. In spite of that weakness, older teens will admire the strong youth who have the courage to stand firm in the face of adversity. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine--
Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
