Tomorrow Girls: Behind the Gates by Eva Gray
Reviewed by AimeeRatings
Content Ratings based on a 0-5 scale where
0 = no objectionable content and
5 = an excessive or disturbing level of content
LANGUAGE
VIOLENCE
SEXUAL CONTENT
ADULT THEMES
Ratings Explanation
Violence: Rating given for mild peril in a couple places, but no violence.
Adult Themes: Set in the future when the government has taken complete control. It is a “new society” where the government takes away freedoms to “keep people safe”. There is talk of a war going on.
Synopsis
Louisa and her best friend, Maddie, are off on a new adventure. At least, that’s how Louisa views it. Her parents’ wealth has bought her a place at the new boarding school called Country Manor. With Maddie posing as her twin sister instead of her best friend, the two girls are allowed to stay together. Nobody knows where Country Manor is and there is no communication allowed, even with family, but nobody questions the governments stand that these rules will “keep you safe”.
Country Manor isn’t perfect or easy. The girls have strict rules and classes that test their endurance and survival skills. Louisa loves the challenge though. She is doing things she has never had the opportunity to do before and finding that there are many things she can do very well. Louisa loves the fresh air and the new friends while Maddie seems to struggle with everything. Maddie seems to think that everything is not as it seems and something is really wrong with Country Manor but Louisa doesn’t want to listen. Will Louisa catch on before it’s too late?
This dystopian adventure really surprised me. I honestly wasn’t expecting too much from it, but I really enjoyed reading it! It is one of the better JF books I’ve read this year. I loved Louisa’s enthusiasm as she was given new experiences and opportunities that her government had repressed her whole life. The girls in this book are young- about 13 or so, and the attitudes and ideas of this age are very accurately represented. The book I read is an uncorrected proof and it is labeled for a juvenile fiction audience. The actual book, just released this month (May 2011) is labeled YA, but I find the content and reading level appropriate for about 5th grade and up. The book has a younger feel to it. I really think my younger girls are really going to enjoy reading this series.