“Whether you love The Hunger Games or just love survival, look at this book as an extension of the skills used by Katniss, her friends, and her enemies to stay alive in desperate situations.”

Summary: A great introduction to survival techniques for any fan of The Hunger Games. Creek Stewart teaches the survival techniques Katniss & company used in the arena and District 12, and he expands on other skills that would help you in any survival situation.

“Train like a tribute before you enter the Arena using this wilderness survival guide—you don’t have to live in Panem to put these survival skills to use. Experience adventure of life in District 12 by learning and practicing the survival skills used by Katniss, Peeta, Gale and their friends.”

Quick Review: Really great information; written for Hunger Games fans, but even non-Hunger Games fans (if they exist) will want this book if they’re ever stranded in the wilderness.

First Impression: This could be a great book for me. I know absolutely nothing when it comes to surviving outside my house, and who knows when I might need some survival skills.

My Review: You know that game ‘Desert Island,’ where you choose only 5 books/movies/items to be stranded with? Change that to ‘stranded in the wilderness’ and this book is one of my 5. I don’t normally read survival preparedness books, but this one was intriguing. I mean, you wonder if any of the stuff Katniss did to survive would really work or if Peeta would really last days in a ditch camouflaged as a rock (a much easier camouflage technique is given in the book for those of us with little to no artistic ability).

That’s what’s fascinating about books & movies about survival. It makes you think, would I be able to do it? Would I have that survivor’s mentality? Could I keep myself alive like Katniss? That’s the brilliance of this book. It gives you valuable information in a way that’s relatable. It uses The Hunger Games as a starting point while giving you a variety of survival techniques & tips.

For example, the author, Creek Stewart, shows us how to create Gale’s twitch-up snare:

“Gale’s famous twitch-up snares—Katniss thinks so highly of them that she gives Gale a bow and arrow in exchange for teaching her how to make and set these snares. And she’s right; these snares are a great way to catch small game, like rabbits, without expending a lot of time and energy.”

Seriously, the diagrams and instructions make it seem like even I could set up a snare.

Then, he goes past The Hunger Games to give information on how to use the hide of an animal in various ways, how to keep fish alive until you need to eat it, how to signal for rescue, and a myriad of other techniques.

I’m not too sure I could survive long without running water & electricity, but reading this book makes me believe I might actually be able to keep myself alive. I do have a sudden urge to practice starting a fire, or create a survival bag for my family (with this book inside), because as Creek Stewart says,

“If we take time now to learn survival skills that we might need later, the odds begin to shift in our favor.”

Favorite Part or Passage: Survival Mentality: Think Like a Victor – this is a great chapter to start the book. You could have all the skills you need, but if you don’t have the proper mindset, you might not last as long as you thought. It gets you thinking about why you would want to survive. Also in this chapter is a great quote about Katniss:

“I have a deep respect for Katniss. That girl is a fighter. She never gives up. Even after being burned, knocked out, blown down, trapped in a tree, cut, shot, broken, dehydrated, medicated, starved, deafened and mentally tortured, she still never gives up. Her will to survive often overcomes the seemingly unmanageable situations she finds herself in.”

For Fans of: The Hunger Games, Ashes (Ilsa Bick), survival books and apocalypse preparedness

You can buy this book on Amazon or at Creek Stewart’s website HERE. He also has a lot of tips and other books, such as his YA fiction novel, Rugosa, that’s coming out soon. Read more about Creek Stewart HERE.

And a huge thanks to the author, Creek Stewart, for sending us a copy of The Unofficial Hunger Games Wilderness Survival Guide to review!

Tributes, we are proud to bring you an exclusive excerpt from  the upcoming Panem Companion by V. Arrow and SmartPop Books . We are well into  look into the Victory tour and have landed in District 5 with an exclusive excerpt from the book! How awesome is this? Have you been following the other District excerpts posted on our fellow fansites? If not, keep an eye out! There are still 8 more stops on the Victory tour with sneak peaks into The Panem Companion!

District 5 – Excerpt from The Panem Companion by V. Arrow

 

“The role of Head Gamemaker is clearly an influential one. The Head Gamemaker has control of not just the events that occur within the arena (including, through scores, each tribute’s chance of obtaining sponsors) but the way those events are produced and seen by viewers. There is no bigger or better platform in all of Panem. As well, a person who ascends to Head Gamemaker status must necessarily be skilled in planning; he or she must coordinate and oversee the construction of the arena, as well as the “story” of the Games themselves. Could either of our Head Gamemakers, Seneca Crane or Plutarch Heavensbee, be the lead architect of the rebellion?

“The evidence for Seneca Crane planning the Second Rebellion lies mostly in the revolutionary outcome of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games. The level of clout he had in the Capitol and his role in the creation of the Games’ obstacles themselves would have allowed him access to the arenas and the ability to engineer the outcome of the Games to the rebels’ best advantage. The rule change at the end of the Seventy-fourth Games, rebellious enough on its own that it directly led to Crane’s assassination by Snow, suggests that it may not have been as innocent, as much for entertainment reasons, as it otherwise might seem. The film version of The Hunger Games suggests Crane was put to death solely for allowing the Capitol to be susceptible to manipulation— and by a teenage girl, no less—and therefore fallible. Although this does not necessarily imply rebellious intention, it does not refute the idea, either; the choice of nightlock berries, Katniss’ tool of rebellion, as the method of execution might even suggest such rebellious intent. And there is no clear indication either way in the books, where Crane’s death is unseen. We know he was killed for what happened during the Seventy-fourth Games, and nothing more.”

 

Panem Names glossary excerpt:

 

Foxface, District 5 Tribute in the Seventy-Fifth Hunger Games

 

“Proprietary figurative name.

“The most straightforward meaning of Foxface’s name is the one that inspires Katniss to name her Foxface in the first place: her face looks like a fox’s. As per traditional Western fable tropes, she is also ‘clever as a fox’ or ‘sly as a fox.’

“Foxberry is another name for the lingonberry, but this is not the only connection in our culture between foxes and berries. Aesop’s fable ‘The Fox and the Rowan Berries’ also pairs the two, and is a possible origin for Foxface’s name:

The fox who longed for berries, beholds with pain

The tempting clusters were too high to gain;

Grieved in his heart he forced a careless smile,

And cried, ‘They’re sharp and hardly worth my while.’

“Related proverbs: ‘Sour, said the fox about rowan berries’ (the origin of the phrase ‘sour grapes’) and ‘The fox says of the mulberries when he cannot get at them; they are not good at all.’ Foxface, too, found that berries were not good (given that, instead of feeding her, the nightlock berries she eats poison her).”

Thanks to SmartPop books, we  also got the opportunity to ask the author of the Panem Companion V. Arrow a few of our burning questions :

1.  What made you want to write a companion book for The Hunger Games trilogy?

I had always really enjoyed reading fan companions to the Harry Potter series, but I felt like most of them were very redundant or basic . . . especially since they were aimed at people who were already fans! I didn’t need someone to tell me that “Diagon Alley” was “diagonally,” but a chapter on how Quidditch culture and British football culture were alike really served me well as an American fan; a lexicon of name origins—“Diagon Alley” aside—also totally blew my mind when I was twelve and first reading the series (all three books that existed at the time, anyway). I felt like fandom itself did a lot more in-depth discussion and digging than the authors of most “fan companions” gave fans credit for, and I wanted to give back what I could

2.  What was your favorite chapter to write and why was it your favorite?

I liked writing all of them, but the aspects about reality television exploitation were the most interesting, and horrifying, for me to research and write about, especially since reality TV is so ubiquitous and so engaging in our world today.

3.  Are you planning to write any more Hunger Games companion books?

If Smart Pop asks me to, I would be willing to try! I think I put most of what I have in me into The Panem Companion, but writing a look at fan reactions to aspects of the THG franchise or a more formal literary analysis of the structure and writing of the book itself could be fun. For me, though. Probably not for readers! The Panem Companion is, I hope, a good balance of both!

4. What’s your favorite thing about the HG trilogy?

I actually like how unreliable a narrator Katniss is. A lot of critics cite that as their least favorite part of the series, but for me, Katniss’ naïveté and ignorance to other characters and other parts of Panem is what makes Panem an interesting place. I would rather be given crumbs of ingredients and have to bake the bread myself.  That was a panem et circenses pun. :)

5.  Do you have a favorite part or scene from the HG books?

I’m a sap, and I love Finnick’s reunion with Annie in Mockingjay. I also love any part with Cinna, and I love Peeta recognizing the sound of the whip in Catching Fire because it’s so small and so genuinely sinister that a lot of readers miss its implication entirely, and those are the kinds of tiny details that Suzanne Collins really shone at writing into the series to make it as fascinating as it is.

6.  Other than Katniss, who is your favorite HG character? What makes him/her your favorite?

I love Finnick, Annie, and Cinna equally, because I think they’re all very mysterious and very, very different from anyone that Katniss actually knows how to interpret. Annie especially gets underwritten by Katniss and therefore by the readers, but I think she’s a really plum character. And the way that Suzanne Collins handled Finnick—the reader, and Katniss, completely believe every lie that he’s spun about himself until his crushing moment of truth, and that’s when you realize that it isn’t only Katniss who’s had to fake her way through being loving and kind through the Games. It’s an astounding way to show the reader just how manipulative the Games are when Katniss never even considers that other Tributes could be playing the same way that she has. Cinna’s just great. I just love him.

7. What’s your next project?

I’m writing an essay about One Direction fanfiction for an anthology, and after that, we’re still working things out! Probably either a YA fiction manuscript or a nonfiction encyclopedia of boy bands, unless a book comes out that draws me in enough to want to make it a fictional map . . . :)

Smart Pop books and HG Girl on Fire is giving away a copy of the Panem Companion book, complete the form for your chance to win.  Open to U.S. and Canada only. Contest ends 11:59 pm on 12/2/12. Winner will be announced on 12/3/12

Suzanne Collins has succeeded, with Panem in creating a nation that is wholly its own, but by building this new, futuristic world around familiar heroes, morals, and tales from our own world, she has made Panem also unmistakably the product of its Western heritage and the millennia of tradition that came before it—and therefore more accessible and resonant for a contemporary audience.

Synopsis: From the publisher of The Girl Who Was on Fire comes the latest Hunger Games companion book, The Panem Companion.

Writing with an engaging blend of literary insight and true fan passion, Hunger Games fan academic and seasoned media writer V. Arrow explores Panem’s evolution from the America we know today. Unlike other Hunger Games titles, it focuses on the society and culture of the world itself, piecing together the textual clues to its socioeconomics, ethnicity, culture, sexuality, and more.

The Panem Companion is the perfect way for fans to go deeper into the Hunger Games while they wait for the release of the second film in November 2013.

Quick Review: If you think you know everything about The Hunger Games, you’re probably wrong. But that’s where The Panem Companion can help! An in-depth look into Panem & its districts, this book will help you understand why Panem is the way it is, and how it led to a rebellion.

First Impression: I like the cover and the synopsis on the back made it sound like there would be a lot of good stuff in this companion. Plus the quote from the The Girl Who Was on Fire editor, Leah Wilson confirmed that I would want to read it: If other companions are Hunger Games 101, this is the Grad School class.

Full Review: It seems like most Hunger Games companion books want to dissect the characters, the Games, the plot. But what about the environment that shapes all these things? That’s what The Panem Companion does. Written by V. Arrow, a specialist in pop culture & young adult literature, this book is an in-depth analysis of the world of Panem. From race & ethnicity, to gender roles & exploitation; from family life to the architects of the rebellion, this book takes you past the Games, past the love triangle, past the surface. I love how well V. Arrow develops the theories of how Panem came to be from the North America we know. Not just the physical shaping of Panem but the cultures of the districts, the socioeconomics, the gender roles, and even the family lives are analyzed.

Each chapter takes on a different aspect of Panem & The Hunger Games, and V. Arrow does a masterful job of putting Panem into a context with which we can identify. There’s also a great lexicon of characters. It explores the origins of their names, and the possible symbolic importance of that name choice. For example, President Coin’s last name: it’s also a military abbreviation for Counter Insurgency operations. Who knew, right?

My only issue with this book is that the images of the Panem map were in black & white. Luckily, that was only because it’s an Advance Review Copy. The wide release will have color maps. Also, these maps came out before the official Panem map began to take shape, so keep that in mind.

I do feel more knowledgeable after reading The Panem Companion, but I also want to read the trilogy again to see what else I may have missed the first few (or 10) times, and to see if what I read in this book changes my thoughts on The Hunger Games.

Overall, an exceptional companion book to The Hunger Games that every fan should read.

Favorite Part & Passage: If I had to pick a favorite chapter, it would be Chapter 10: Mythology, Folktales, and Music. I love mythology and the comparison of Katniss (and the Careers) to Theseus was something I hadn’t considered, but completely made sense.

By far my favorite quote about Katniss ever:

Katniss is tender-hearted. Katniss Everdeen is a marshmallow. (A marshmallow that will kill you six ways from Sunday, but…still.)

For Fans of: The Hunger Games, The Girl Who Was on Fire. For anyone wanting to know more about Panem

You can purchase your copy or of The Panem Companion on December 4, 2012 or pre-order it on Amazon HERE. It would also make a good holiday gift for your favorite Hunger Games fan!

Advance Review Copy provided by: Smart Pop Books

She stalked toward him, keeping her sword sheathed at her side. Verin’s grin widened as he lifted his blade.

He swung, but Celaena struck, ramming her fist into his arm, sending the blade soaring through the air. In the same breath, her palm hit his left arm, knocking it aside, too. As he staggered back, her leg came up, and Verin’s eyes bulged as her foot slammed into his chest. The kick sent him flying, and his body crunched as it hit the floor and slid out of the ring, instantly eliminating him. The hall was utterly silent.

“Mock me again,” she spat at Verin, “and I’ll do that with my sword the next time.”

Synopsis (From Bloomsbury):

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king’s council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she’ll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.

Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilarating  But she’s bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her… but it’s the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead… quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

My Quick Review:

The debut novel of Sarah J. Maas transports you to her world of competition, castles and conspiracies. The fast-paced action and compelling characters drive the plot, and the end will only leave you wanting more.

First Impression:

If I were to see this book in a store, I might glance at it, and if it weren’t for the background design, by Regina Roff, I might walk on by. I prefer the character image of the UK cover. The blurb on the inside of the cover is pretty compelling. It seems to have a little bit of everything; magic, competition, royalty, danger, action, and of course the requisite love triangle. My only question: How do I pronounce her name? Found out it’s pronounced Sell-lay-nah HERE.

Full Review, Minus Spoilers:

I started reading this book with a completely open mind. I didn’t know if it was a stand alone or part of a series. So initially, I thought Sarah Maas gave us too many snippets of back story that weren’t integral to the plot. However, after I learned that it would be at least a trilogy, it made sense. Most of the information given, that may seem trivial, ties into the plot of this book well. So I’m hoping all the other information we receive will be explained in future books.

This story is very well written. The voice of the main character, Celaena, is strong, and her character grows throughout the book. She may come across as arrogant and a bit sharp-tongued, even after being imprisoned for a year, but as the story develops, she develops along with it. All the characters are great and serve a purpose, even the nasty ones that you hope will get what they deserve. I love that it’s written from multiple points of view. It gives us the chance to get inside the other characters’ minds.

I’m also glad that the love triangle takes a backseat to Celaena’s desire for freedom. It reaffirms her strength and will, and makes me glad she cares about more than two equally interesting, yet different, in her life.

Maas does a great job making Celaena’s world come to life. The imagery that comes of the page is so vivid, I could visualize the glass castle, the masquerade ball, the challenges the competitors face. Usually, when an author takes that much care to create her world, the plot lags and I find myself trying to skip to the action. This story does not have that problem.

The plot of this book moves quickly. The action, combined with quick chapters and compelling characters, makes it hard to put down.  The ending of Throne of Glass was good. It gave us closure on the action of this book, but definitely let us know, it wasn’t over. And I’m glad for that. I’m anxious to know what will happen to Celaena and the men that want to protect her.

My Favorite Passage:

One by one the threads of his rope snapped beneath Grave’s dagger, and Nox, sensing the vibrations, looked up at the assassin in horror. If he fell, there was no chance of surviving. A few more slices of Grave’s blade and the rope would be severed entirely.

The rope groaned. Celaena moved.

She slid down the drainpipe, the flesh of her feet and hands tearing open as the metal cut into her skin, but she didn’t let herself think of the pain. The mercenary on the gargoyle below only had time to lean into the wall as she slammed onto the creature’s head, gripping its horns to steady herself. The mercenary had already tied one end of his climbing rope around the gargoyle’s neck; now she seized it and tied the other around her own waist. The rope was long enough—and strong enough, and the four gargoyles perched beside hers would provide enough space to run. “Touch this rope and I’ll gut you,” she warned the mercenary, and readied herself.

Nox shouted at Grave, and she dared a look to where the thief dangled. There was a sharp snap of rope breaking, and Nox’s cry of fear and rage, and Celaena took off, sprinting across the backs of the four gargoyles before she launched herself into the void.

For Fans of:

The Hunger Games, Graceling, Divergent, The Mortal Instruments, The Selection, fans of fantasy & dystopian genres. There’s something for just about everyone in this book

Learn More:

sarahjmaas.com, Throne of Glass Facebook page, Bloomsburyteens.com

Review copy provided by Bloomsbury Children’s Books and Walker Books for Young Readers

Do you live in Philly and your a Hunger Games fan?! Lucky you! A free symposium is to be held to discuss The Hunger Games trilogy in detail and it’s deeper meanings!! Readers, let us know if you and go and what was discussed! Go HERE to reserve your seat!

THE SYMPOSIUM AND PANEL DISCUSSION

The panelists will explore, reveal, and dissect some of the deeper and alternative meanings of The Hunger Games and what it says about our current society — including media and technology, domination and liberation, culture and celebrity, fashion and the future. Is The Hunger Games a parable for:

• A new feminist icon … or another faker celebrity?

• A new kind of warrior hero … or just another future TV sports star?

• Reality TV and the War on Terror … or the future hyperreality of war and TV?

• The 1% against the 99% of Occupy Wall Street … or the fate of the individual in the police-state of Panem-America?

• A future where American Idol meets Survivor and the Super Bowl … or a future cultural reversal where Disney meets Darwin in an electronic Dark Age?

• A future where 1984 meets Brave New World and Lord of the Flies … or where Soylent Green meets The Truman Show and Battle Royale.

• A future revolution of the 99% against the 1% … or a future “utopia” where revolution is simulated and few care to know the difference?

• The hunger for war, fashion, and entertainment … or the hunger for meaning in a meaningless universe?

SPEAKERS:

Leah Wilson, Editor-in-Chief, the “Smart Pop” imprint, Benbella Books. Leah is also the editor of the anthology: The Girl Who Was On Fire (Benbella 2012), which explores the many meanings of The Hunger Games.

• Presentation title: “Are We Katniss .. Or Are We the Capitol?”

Angela Cirucci, Adjunct Professor (Media Studies), Lincoln University, PhD student, Temple University

• Presentation title: “Katniss Kardashian: Fame and Simulation”

Sherri Hope Culver, Director of the Center for Media and information Literacy, and Assistant Professor, Temple University.

• Presentation title: “Searching for Reality in a Fictional World: How The Hunger Games Plays on Our Enjoyment and Knowledge of Reality TV”

Osei Alleyne, PhD Student (Anthropology), University of Pennsylvania.

• Presentation title: Throw Your Three Sign Up: Race and Resistance in The Hunger Games

Barry Vacker, Associate Professor (Media Studies), Temple University.

• Presentation title: “The Odds Are In Our Favor For What? Four Possible Destinies in The Hunger Games” [sure to bend the minds of the 1% and 99%]

Source: Down With The Capitol

To coincide with the release of The Hunger Games movie, Smart Pop Books released the Movie Edition of The Girl Who Was on Fire. We were lucky enough to get a copy of this book to review for our site. First, here’s the press release:

Smart Pop Books is releasing The Girl Who Was on Fire – Movie Edition, an updated edition of their popular Hunger Games anthology, with contributions from some of today’s best YA writers on Katniss, Peeta and Gale, the Games, Panem, and more. The new edition includes essays by Brent Hartinger, Jackson Pearce, and Diana Peterfreund, in addition to the original lineup from the first edition, and provides fans of the Hunger Games trilogy with smart, surprising, and satisfying writing to get even more out of the rich, complicated, and thought-provoking series.

The e-book version, on all platforms, also includes access to a special Movie Edition extra: the contributors’ thoughts on the Hunger Games film, available the week after the Hunger Games film premieres.

The full list of contributors:

Jennifer Lynn Barnes                                        Carrie Ryan

Mary Borsellino                                                   Ned Vizzini

Sarah Rees Brennan                                           Lili Wilkinson

Terri Clark                                                              Blythe Woolston

Bree Despain                                                         Brent Hartinger

Adrienne Kress                                                    Jackson Pearce

Sarah Darer Littman                                          Diana Peterfruend

Cara Lockwood                                                    Elizabeth M. Rees

The Girl Who Was on Fire – Movie Edition answers lingering questions, provides new points of view, and will remind every Hunger Games fan of why they loved the series in the first place.

When you read the Hunger Games trilogy, the message you take away might be different from what your friends get. You might see it as a tale of the dangers of reality television, someone else might get a story of finding love & happiness in the unlikeliest of places, and another friend might see what could happen when you don’t do what the government says. However you choose to interpret the Hunger Games trilogy, there’s always some other perspective that makes you think, “How did I not see that before?”

The Girl Who Was on Fire is a collection of essays written by sixteen YA authors about various themes and ideas found in the Hunger Games trilogy. And while it may be completely unauthorized, this book will provide any fan something new to think about the next time they enter the world of Panem.

I’ve read this trilogy so many times; I sometimes dream I’m in scenes from the Hunger Games. But after reading this book, I’m going to read them all over again. There were some ideas in The Girl Who Was on Fire that I never considered, but I look forward to finding them when I again join Katniss in the arena.

My favorite idea I never considered: Buttercup as a symbol for Katniss, found in Team Katniss by Jennifer Lynn Barnes.

“…if I had to pick a “team” (other than Team Katniss, of course), I would pick Team Buttercup. Not because I don’t love Peeta (I do) or Gale (also do), but because I can’t help looking at that beat-up old cat, who arrived at the Everdeen household as a scrawny little kitten, and thinking about how very much like Katniss he is. Standoffish. Protective. A creature who, against all odds, survives.

How did I not see it before? Is it just because Buttercup is described as kind of an ugly cat? Or simply the fact that he’s not another human? What ever it was before, I can’t help but see the similarities now.

My favorite essay: Did the Third Book Suck? by Brent Hartinger. I still can’t completely decide if I loved or hated Mockingjay, but after reading Hartinger’s essay, it doesn’t matter. He writes both sides of the argument so well that if you hated the book, you might just change your mind, and if you loved it, you might wonder if it was just because you loved the first two.

Whatever you may think, this book is to get you doing just that: thinking. The editor, Leah Wilson, sums it up quite nicely in her introduction:

I hope that you, too, will find something fresh to feel or think about in these pages–that The Girl Who Was on Fire encourages you to debate, question, and experience the Hunger Games in a whole new way.

With the growing buzz surrounding The Hunger Games, it’s no surprise that more and more people are looking toward dystopian novels for their reading pleasure. However, for the younger age groups, novels like the Hunger Games may contain themes and content that is a bit dark and mature.

The Tomorrow Girls : Behind the Games by Eva Gray is the perfect introduction of the dystopian novel to young readers.  Taking place in the  United States, in the year 2020, the story is told from the point of view of 13 year old Louisa Ballinger. The world she knows is one that has been destroyed by war, and a series of natural disasters. Louisa lives in a very restricted world where she must always carry her identification on a bracelet and never having the simple luxuries of life such as real meat to eat, and jeans costing less than $500.00. Most young people are sent off to work after their freshman year for the war effort, but for a select few whose families are prominent or wealthy, their children  are sent to an exclusive boarding school for their safety.

At age 13, Louisa finds herself being sent to Country Manor School along with her best friend Maddie , who is posing as her fraternal twin sister. While there, Louisa soon finds herself immersed in survival skills training and learning how to shoot guns and arrows. Louisa excels in these courses, but soon discovers there may be another reason they are being taught these skills.

Set against a back drop of a country in political turmoil and the mysterious activities at the school, Louisa discovers there may be more to Countryside Manor than just protecting their safety.

A great read, Tomorrow Girls : Behind the Gates is  a fast paced story full of mystery, and action,that will have young readers clamoring for more.

Book copy provided by Big Honcho Media.