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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tomorrow Code rocks!, January 29, 2009
This review is from: The Tomorrow Code (Hardcover)
I just finished reading The Tomorrow Code, and was very impressed. I found the story hard to put down (stayed up far too late to finish it), and with a great storyline, engaging characters and a `satisfyingly hanging' conclusion, I would highly recommend it to any older teen (or adult like me!).
I read and recommend teen and Young Adult books as part of my job as a librarian, and also make my own teens read lots of the books I bring home. My 16 year old son has taken to requesting "no more of those teenage-boy-saves-the-world" books, but he really enjoyed this book, as did my 14 year old daughter, who's currently in a "mutant science" phase.
I think it's a shame that the book has been labelled and marketed for older children and younger teens, as some of the science or cultural stuff may make some details a little difficult for younger kids; on the other hand it's a nice change to find a book aimed at this age group that isn't full of sex, drugs, high school cliques, teen pregnancy and domestic violence. And as for believable storylines (see Catrini's review), kids don't seem to want these as much as adults think they should! Look at the popularity of books like Twilight, or the Alex Rider or Cherub series ...
And yes, some of the details may be a bit hard to accept, but how many adults have fantasised about finding a magical way to win the lottery? And how cool would it be to actually have a yellow submarine! Cultural and setting details may make the book a little more challenging for readers who have perhaps only read books set in their own culture, but it's a great way to broaden their exposure to other places, and maybe inspire them to learn more about other countries and cultures (and science?) at the same time.
I will definitely be waving this book in front of many of my teen and young adult readers, in the hope that they will get as much pleasure from it as I did, even if they don't understand some of the science or the cultural references!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Science Fiction with actual science, December 26, 2009
WOW! This book got into my head and stayed there for weeks. I even used it as a book club with my students. They felt the same way. Wonderfully written, although the first 10-15 pages were not as gripping as the rest of the story. Even though it focuses on time travel, it is really more of a social commentary of our attempts to destroy/ control nature.
For ages 13 and up, I can't recommend it enough. A good non fiction companion is "Time Traveler" by Physicist Ronald Mallet, a good fiction companion is "The Last Universe."
Could easily be used in a science class as a study of Physics or biology. Here are some of the topics covered: time travel, quantum foam, mobius strip, chimeras, pathogens, antibodies, and destruction of natural environments.
I read this book in paperback, my students read it on Kindles. The Kindle was really helpful as there is some tough vocabulary, and the instant definition option helped the students a lot.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Highly Recommended, January 13, 2009
This review is from: The Tomorrow Code (Hardcover)
The Tomorrow Code by Brian Falkner
Crack the code or tomorrow is history! That's what it says on the cover of my copy of The Tomorrow Code and this tagline does a good job of summing up the excitement and urgency of this adventure story.
A argument about the feasibility of time travel sets Tane and Rebecca on a series of events that will prove one of their theories and possibly save the world from imminent disaster. Events move forward rapidly in this novel and the worlds of science, special forces, technology, computers and submersible technology all flash before the reader.
I read a lot of children's books and normally things from the adventure genre are not my thing. Paper thin character descriptions and relationships, pointless thrill-ride diversions, ridiculously unrealistic technology, kids who act like they are 32 instead of 12...all things I hate, BUT The Tomorrow Code makes none of these missteps. One of the highlights of the book for me was the realistic depiction of the relationships between the three main characters, and their interactions with their parents. One of these relationships in particular was extremely dysfunctional but it still rang true for me. The plot wasn't bogged down in excuses to blow things up, but the action scenes were a logical progression from the story arc. The technology used is all real-world standard, or close to it and you can read the real story behind the things in the book on the Tomorrow Code website [...].
There is almost always a slight requirement for suspension of disbelief when reading science fiction. In this title, this suspension is minimal and it is hugely assisted by the realistic actions and motivations of the characters. We can't know how we would react when faced with unimaginable circumstances, but Tane and Rebecca in this book serve as convincing proxy characters. The reader likes them and understands them, the best basis for an ongoing book series that I can think of (alongside an enthralling plot, which this book has, including ominous, dangerous).
To sum up, this book is the best children's book I have read since Coraline. I have been recommending it to adults and kids alike - Realistic kids, dealing with exciting, high-stakes situations and including man eating mist - you can't go wrong with this one.
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