While I Live (The Ellie Chronicles #1)
Grade 8 Up–Fans of 16-year-old Ellie Linton, gutsy guerrilla fighter from Marsden's Tomorrow series (Scholastic), will be overjoyed that she's back in an exciting series of her own. The realistic and shocking war-related violence that characterized the earlier titles is just as prevalent here, as Ellie adjusts to postwar life on her family's farm. An uneasy truce exists, and, although enemy soldiers often cross the nearby border to loot residences, the teen is not very concerned. One afternoon while hiking with her adopted, profoundly deaf brother, Gavin, and old pal Homer, they hear gunfire coming from her property. What they find when they arrive home forever changes the young people's lives, forcing them back into a war zone. Ellie must assume adult responsibilities that she never imagined and her very survival depends on outwitting an unscrupulous lawyer bent on getting her land. Marsden realistically portrays life during an uneasy truce. Plot details from the Tomorrow series are frequently mentioned, but this title can easily be read alone. However, readers should also be steered to the previous books, since they provide an exceptional reading experience.–Sharon Rawlins, NJ Library for the Blind and Handicapped, TrentonCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.