Goodreads synopsis: What if you woke up tomorrow and everything had changed? Money is worthless. Your friends are gone. Armed robbers roam the streets. No one is safe. For Matt and his little brother, Taco, that nightmare is a reality. Their only hope of survival is to escape through the Channel Tunnel. But danger waits on the other side…Stay or go. What would you do?

My review: After Tomorrow was a pretty enjoyable read. I loved the setting so much: a scary future version of an England infested with Riots and food shortages. I got sucked in right away, totally intrigued about this dystopian word that seemed so real. Unfortunately, not that much was revealed as to how the UK came to be the rioting mess that the author has created.

I think the plot was quite great, and I especially loved the beginning. It was full of thrills and suspense as Matt’s family were forced to travel over to France as refugees after their home was raided of food twice and their pictures leaked to other scavengers. I think that some parts, after the action of getting into France, lagged a bit, because the rest of the story was just set in the one place and once I got used to that, it just wasn’t as exciting as the running away in the first part of the book.

I have to say, though, that I did really like how After Tomorrow ended. It finished, not fully completing the story of Matt and his family- but left me thinking what the future held for them long after I put the book down. It was all quite thought-provoking.

Matt was a likeable protagonist, with quite a special personality. I adored the fact that he was willing to sacrifice so much to help his family as refugees, his brother especially. I really enjoyed reading about him, though I just didn’t connect with him that well. I think that if his opinion about everything, from the looters to the refugee situation, was included, I would have understood his feelings and would definitely have been able to sympathize with him better. He just seemed a bit… emotionless at points. That seems the only way to put it.

Overall, After Tomorrow was quite an enjoyable read. I really loved the setting and the plot… though it has gotten me quite nervous about possible futures for Britain! The main character was a realistic, down-to-Earth and caring character, whom it was fun to read about. I think that After Tomorrow is good for kids around ten, who are looking for an action packed yet believable read. Any fans of dystopia, really, will gobble this up. I”ll probably read more Gillian Cross titles in the future.

My rating:

I borrowed a copy of After Tomorrow from my local library.