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30th out of 200 books
—
489 voters
Letters From the Inside
by
John Marsden
When Tracey and Mandy first became pen pals, they never guessed that they would soon discover the darkest secrets of each other's troubled lives.
Paperback, 160 pages
Published
September 26th 1994
by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
(first published January 1st 1992)
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Stunning. Although I agree with many of the reviews that it was hard to tell the voices of the girls at times (wait, was that Mandy...oh no, Tracey) I didn't identify with either girl. I haven't committed any crimes (and don't have that rage) but I wouldn't have continued the pen pal friend ship after the secret was revealed.
And yet, the book just sucked me in. And then, it was done.
An ending that leaves you wondering what could have been. I think, like many reviews, you can guess what happened....more
And yet, the book just sucked me in. And then, it was done.
An ending that leaves you wondering what could have been. I think, like many reviews, you can guess what happened....more
I'm a bit disappointed. I mean, I thought this book was going to be interesting and revealing. It is revealing but... woah, you can tell a guy wrote this book. The language is really immature at times. I cannot believe that some adults look at kids in this way. I would want to be seen as something more. I have more to offer the world than my body. I have a mind, I have goals, I have opinions.
6 likes · like · see review
1. I decided to read this book because it look good and interesting. I read the blurb and thought that this book would good for school and it is small. Also i like reading old letters or books that has a really person telling the story.
2. Letters From The Inside came into my bingo on A dairy, autobiography or biography. Even thought it is a book of letters it is had that feel of a dairy.
3. My favourite quote from this book is: "What do you mean, does anybody read my letters? You must be joking....more
2. Letters From The Inside came into my bingo on A dairy, autobiography or biography. Even thought it is a book of letters it is had that feel of a dairy.
3. My favourite quote from this book is: "What do you mean, does anybody read my letters? You must be joking....more
Sep 14, 2012
Akhila
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Human beans
Recommended to Akhila by:
John Marsden (indirectly)
The first of John Marsden's books (I read) was Tomorrow When The War Began and recently he gave a talk and my best friend and I went to the talk. Towards the end he asked for questions and a girl, my age, near the front, asked him what happened to Mandy. I didn't know who she was or what book she was talking about but this was the first I'd heard of Letters From The Inside . From there I wrote it down to read later, and I did so. Perhaps I'm lazy but I'm glad it was short because if a book is to...more
It was a very creepy story and I don't recommend reading the entire thing Halloween night (or any night). The book was only 146 pages and it left a lot of questions unanswered, which I sometimes like, but there was too much confusion at the end of this book. John Marsden is an Australian author and the story took place in Australia (which wasn't officially established so, we had to do some googling).
Description from inside the book~ "Two teenage girls. An innocent beginning to friendship. Two co...more
Description from inside the book~ "Two teenage girls. An innocent beginning to friendship. Two co...more
Here are the issues I had with this book:
-The two main characters have virtually indistinct voices, and similar enough situations that it's confusing trying to remember who's talking. One is supposed to be quiet and shy but since they're pen pals, the author chose to make her write...shyly...It comes off as weird and phony.
-The book is very eighties--not that that's a bad thing. But the piece isn't period enough to be historical fiction, and if you're not reading closely, or if you're a teen lea...more
-The two main characters have virtually indistinct voices, and similar enough situations that it's confusing trying to remember who's talking. One is supposed to be quiet and shy but since they're pen pals, the author chose to make her write...shyly...It comes off as weird and phony.
-The book is very eighties--not that that's a bad thing. But the piece isn't period enough to be historical fiction, and if you're not reading closely, or if you're a teen lea...more
1 like · like · see review
I picked up this book to read on the weekend thinking "140ish pages... nice and short... maybe I can recommend it to my Year 7s". Maybe not. I had several issues with this book. Firstly, I didn't like the ending (I hate not knowing what happened to so-and-so, but maybe that's just me). Secondly, I don't know how well this book translates across to the world of 2012 teendom. For example, some of the dialogue was quite old school/amusing. Did teenagers (or anyone, for that matter) really use the w...more
No se que decir sobre este libro. Realmente no lo se. Tenia planeado enfocar esta reseña en las muchas fases por las que paso la amistad por correspondencia entre Mandy y Tracey, pero el final hizo que todas las ideas que tenia sobre este libro se esfumaran, o se confundieran, o se mezclaran. Solo quería aclarar eso a las personas que van a leer esto por si acaso les parece que estoy confundida en algunos aspectos.
Este libro esta narrado en cartas entre dos chicas, ambas muy diferentes. Mandy l...more
Este libro esta narrado en cartas entre dos chicas, ambas muy diferentes. Mandy l...more
Apr 13, 2013
Jess Middelberg
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Girls/Women
The reason I decided to read this book was because it looked interesting in the bookstore and I had never read a book written completely in letter form before.
This completes the ' A book written by a male author' category. Though the book being written by a male didn't affect me as it was from the view of two girls, the way it was written in completely letter form (one letter written from someone then the reply in letter form) was a first me reading this form of a book and I quite enjoyed it alt...more
This completes the ' A book written by a male author' category. Though the book being written by a male didn't affect me as it was from the view of two girls, the way it was written in completely letter form (one letter written from someone then the reply in letter form) was a first me reading this form of a book and I quite enjoyed it alt...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
No sabía qué esperar de este libro porque básicamente me lancé a leerlo sin pensarlo mucho. Nunca antes había leído algo de este autor.
Me gustó mucho cómo se fue desarrollando la historia, con fluidez. Estos dos personajes que eran como polos opuestos, en todo sentido, en personalidad y en la vida que llevaban.
No le puedo poner cinco estrellas porque me dejó con varias preguntas sin responder. Por eso no me simpatizan los finales abiertos (irónico, ya que sí puedo escribirlos con facilidad yo......more
Me gustó mucho cómo se fue desarrollando la historia, con fluidez. Estos dos personajes que eran como polos opuestos, en todo sentido, en personalidad y en la vida que llevaban.
No le puedo poner cinco estrellas porque me dejó con varias preguntas sin responder. Por eso no me simpatizan los finales abiertos (irónico, ya que sí puedo escribirlos con facilidad yo......more
Para empezar, no se ni como he llegado hasta el final. Me ha resultado bastante aburrido hasta la segunda mitad o algo más. Estuve a punto de dejarlo pero como es una lectura fácil y rápida decidí seguir ya que no me apetecía nada fuerte en ese momento. Como iba diciendo, sobre la segunda mitad del libro todo da un giro impresionante. En la sinopsis te advierten de algo pero no te lo llegas a imaginar, al menos no así. Se va haciendo más y más interesante pero de repente llega el final y te dan...more
The original Cliffhanger. I loved this story completely though I think a lot of it is because when I read this book I was blown away by the unexpected ending and not just that it was unexpected but just that it left you wishing like anything Marsden would have written just one more letter.....
The combination of letter writers/ charaacters in this book was also interesting, both from vastly different backgrounds you somehow get the feeling their lives marry up fairly closely despite the extremet...more
The combination of letter writers/ charaacters in this book was also interesting, both from vastly different backgrounds you somehow get the feeling their lives marry up fairly closely despite the extremet...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I remember reading this book about four years ago for class, and i absolutely loved it. Although there are those "flaws" people mention of both the girls being troubled, "no teenager [sounding] like that", not many kids caring about letters, I find that mentality to be at a fault. Yes, some teens they view adults like that. Some teens really do have issues at home. And most of all, receiving letters is one of the most exciting things now, BECAUSE we're all used to email. I was around these girls...more
Tiene algo este libro que me encantó. Me llamó la atención el libro por la sinopsis y el tema, me imaginaba algo como "Una niña inocente que envía la carta a un maníaco desconocido", pero de eso no se trata el libro.
Lo que me gustó más de este libro fue como a veces las protagonistas se confiaban cosas pero en verdad no se conocían del todo y la verdad no sé porque. Me encariñé con Tracey, al principio no, pero ya casi al final cuando cuenta unas historias de su pasado me sentí muy triste por t...more
Lo que me gustó más de este libro fue como a veces las protagonistas se confiaban cosas pero en verdad no se conocían del todo y la verdad no sé porque. Me encariñé con Tracey, al principio no, pero ya casi al final cuando cuenta unas historias de su pasado me sentí muy triste por t...more
Two girls started writing to each other: one who seemed to have the perfect family and the other, a regular one. But as the letters progressed, they find out more and more about each other - dark, little secrets about one another. The one with the perfect family... Has no family. She's in a maximum security prison with no one to talk to. Why she was in there, it was never revealed and Marsden drops little hints but he basically leaves it up to us, the audience. The ending was incomplete but in i...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
May 07, 2013
Courtney Mortemore
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
favourites,
books-i-could-not-put-down
I read this story with my class in 2010, and I loved it, I even ended up finishing ahead of my class and read it again.
I love how you've got two somewhat similar girls that come from completely different worlds but both know the struggles an complications of life.
I adored their friendship and I could relate so much to the two characters. Not to mention the dedication Tracey had to Mandy (how she continually wrote to her; swore to find her -- you'll see what I mean) and vice visa.
I loved this st...more
I love how you've got two somewhat similar girls that come from completely different worlds but both know the struggles an complications of life.
I adored their friendship and I could relate so much to the two characters. Not to mention the dedication Tracey had to Mandy (how she continually wrote to her; swore to find her -- you'll see what I mean) and vice visa.
I loved this st...more
Feb 25, 2012
Anne
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
not-exactly-the-most-happy
This started out as a book about some standard teenage girls who send each others letters as pen friends. They have happy, normal lives.
But then it got darker and you realize that there's something up with Mandy's brother and that he is not as nice as the rest of her family. This is when it started to get dark and it really got interesting.
Through the letters secrets come out and the girls continue speaking to each other. Then you find out that Tracy isn't who she pretended to be and the book be...more
But then it got darker and you realize that there's something up with Mandy's brother and that he is not as nice as the rest of her family. This is when it started to get dark and it really got interesting.
Through the letters secrets come out and the girls continue speaking to each other. Then you find out that Tracy isn't who she pretended to be and the book be...more
Oct 17, 2011
Little Me
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-that-change-your-views,
non-fiction-type
Another book recommended from my best friend, which she picked out and said was spectacular. We have different tastes generally but I liked this book. It was refreshing, not in my usual genre, but interesting.
The letter format was intriguing although it killed me (excuse the pun) in the end because we didn't know what happened, though I guess that Mandy stopped writing because she got killed.
It would have liked to know why Tracey was in jail and he story was amazing and really interesting and s...more
The letter format was intriguing although it killed me (excuse the pun) in the end because we didn't know what happened, though I guess that Mandy stopped writing because she got killed.
It would have liked to know why Tracey was in jail and he story was amazing and really interesting and s...more
This is a book that takes place in Australia and is about two girls, Tracey and Mandy, who meet through an ad Tracey placed for a pen pal. After trading several letters Mandy starts thinking something isn't quite right. After some relentless prodding, she finally learns that Tracey hasn't been completely honest with her and is not who she seems. The letters continue and the girls continue to get closer to each other. The book ends rather abruptly, but the reader can figure out what happened.
I l...more
I l...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I read this a few years ago and I remember thinking... "What!!!???" At the end. It was my first John Marsden book, but it wasnt my last. It was a suspensful, surprising and unputdownable quick read which stayed with me long after I put the book down and left me asking sooo many questions (but I think that was the authors evil plan all along). Hopefully I get a chance to read his 'Tomorrow When the War Began' series very soon. Ive soon the movie and thought it was awesome (especially for an Aussi...more
I loved this book. Although I did not like the ending I just thought it was a bit sudden when I first picked up the book I was like yes a quick read and essentially that's what it was but sometimes when I look at the book I think that I might of preferred if it was a normal sized novel or even a sequel I don't know why I liked this book so much I guess I just thought the idea of two people writing to each other and one of them having a big secret (trying not to use any spoilers) was so interesti...more
Mandy decides to answer an ad in a magazine that asks for a pen pal. She is surprised when she gets a letter from Tracey. As their friendship grows Mandy begins to suspect that Tracey isn't being completely honest with her. Their story is told from the letters they write to one another. As the tale progresses we discover the truth of Tracey and learn about the power of friendship. The ending is a complete surprise and leaves the reader with a host of unanswered questions. A powerful and stunning...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This is a quick read, that will stick with you. Two girls (complete strangers) become penpals. Their letters are filled with basic teenage girl life, and then they are NOT. What makes a friendship?? These two have to actually "work" at being friends. They each learn to trust a virtual stranger with their inner truths. Even though this takes place in Australia, it showed the universal themes in all teenage girls (or grown girls). The ending kicked me in the gut...and I am still thinking about it.
This is a book to break the heart of a thriller writer who has to work himself into a logistical froth trying to have enough "happening" in his novel to generate enough suspense to connect with readers. Nothing happens in this book - two girls writing letters. Just one letter after another. No spies, no assassins, no terrorists. And the suspense... is excruciating.
This is also a book to break the heart of a reader who reads it with their imagination and empathy fully engaged. Watch out.
This is also a book to break the heart of a reader who reads it with their imagination and empathy fully engaged. Watch out.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What do you think About The Ending & What Do you think happened? | 1 | 7 | 10 de Oct 19:43 |
His first book, So Much To Tell You, was published in 1987. This was followed by Take My Word For It, a half-sequel written from the point of view of another character. His landmark Tomorrow series is recognized as the most popular book series for young adults ever written in Australia. The first book of this series, Tomorrow When The War Began, has been reprinted 26 times in Australia. The first...more
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15 de May 16:40