Eva Gray

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I wasn't expecting much from this book other than a quick read and hopefully some smart-not-silly female protagonists. I was pleasantly surprised. I fell easily into the narrative, travelling along with Louisa and Maddie. Hints of tension lace the story from the beginning preparing the reader for the big reveal. Louisa feels safe at her new school and even enjoys the unusual but exciting classes. Still, she and her roommates can't help but notice that show more there's something odd about their classes and surroundings.


I liked this book not only for the characters and plot, but because it is clearly written for brand new teens. The popularity of dystopian novels has captured the interest of many of my younger students whose comprehension and reading maturity are not yet matching the most popular titles. Eva Gray managed to bring to life a dystopian world without the violence and bloodshed and moral ambiguity of much of the genre.
She also manages to leave the reader hanging on the last page, prompting a mad rush to get the next in the series. show less

Behind the Gates, by Eva Gray, is the first in a new series for children, called Tomorrow Girls. It looked interesting as it's a dystopian novel for kids, which as far as I know is fairly unique. The young adult shelves are full of them but for ages eight - twelve, I don't see as many.

The story starts with Louisa and Maddie heading toward a special boarding school. They anticipate freedom and activities, but they find that the school is very different than expected. They are taught survival show more skills and have all of their electronics taken away. Louisa loves it but Maddie wants to go home.

The girls, along with some new friends, discover that things aren't quite what they seem and they begin to wonder about the school's intentions. With the world at war, are they being taught survival for a reason?

The story ends just as the story gets going. It will be interesting to continue the series eventually. I enjoyed the book but was not blown away by it. It will probably appeal more to its intended age group but I can see where kids might not be patient enough to wait for the second book. It might be an idea to get the entire series! show less

If you read fiction at all, you probably know that dystopian novels are all the rage right now. It covers the YA bookshelves and has infiltrated adult fiction to a degree as well. While I am not claiming that "Tomorrow Girls: Behind the Gates" is the first dystopian novel for middle school readers, its the first one I have heard of and had an opportunity to read. And I thought it was a pretty good book book with a couple of exceptions.

The story is about Louisa and her friend Maddie who are show more headed to the Country Manor School. Its a very secretive, but elite school that weathy parents send their kids to so that they will be 'safe' during the war between the US and the Alliance. Maddie doesn't have the money to go to such a school but has been living with Louisa's family. The family decides to tell the world a secret: Maddie is going to be Louisa's fraternal twin so she can attend CMS with Louisa. In this world, everyone wears ID bracelets that are never to be removed. Louisa's family is doing a very dangerous thing by having Maddie's bracelet altered illegally.

Once they reach Country Manor school, Louisa falls in love with the school despite some crazy rules such as no electronics, ever. She figures that she is being adventurous since the school is teaching them to fend for themselves in the wilderness and how to shoot. Warning flags are up for Maddie and their roommate Evie, who absolutely don't believe this school is what it appears. This first volume basically tells the day in and day out activities at this school. Readers of any age will probably quickly be in the same mind as Maddie and Evie. Things aren't right at this school. From the get go we learn that the kids will have absolutely no contact with their parents 'for their safety'. Why any parents, even during war time, would agree to such a thing baffled my mind.
We don't really know what is going on until the very last few pages of the book, and then the big reveal isn't very surprising. Then just as things pick up, the book is over.

This is to get the reader eager to buy book number two. I am not sure it worked for me. I did enjoy the story but because things moved so slowly in the first book, and we didn't learn any background, there was never a feeling of urgency within the story or me as a reader. Louisa wasn't a bad narrator but I never felt close to her either. This could be a problem with my age of course. I think middle school students might think this is the greatest book ever. It is well written but I am not impressed by the characterization or world building. If I ever stumble onto a good deal for the other books I may read them but I won't seek them out. show less

The US is at war and children are sent to boarding schools "for their protection". Four girls come together and figure out that "all is not as it seems". Each book in the series (4 in all) is written from the viewpoint of a different girl.

Yes, the story line is a little predictable, but it is written for younger children. There's just enough tension to be exciting without being scary. I'm interested enough in seeing what happens to these girls to track down the other books as they are show more published. There won't be long to wait between stories. All four books are scheduled to be published this year. show less