“’Do you remember what happened out there?’ he asked. Pan considered the question. Sudden images flooded in and she closed her eyes against them. ‘I see you do,’ said the man. ‘You have been through a lot, Pandora Jones.”

Do you like mystery, an element of danger, dystopian adventure, action and romance? Well, Pandora Jones: Admission is the book for you.

The start of the story is set in a city where it all began. Further into the story the scene starts to become a school separated by a wall to keep the survivors safe from the plague epidemic that is affecting and wiping out the population.

The main characters in the story are Pandora Jones, Nate, Wei-Lin, Karl, Cara, Jen. These characters survived the plague and were taken to a school by doctors and some other people who also survived. Pandora Jones becomes good friends with Nate, Wei-Lin, Jen, Karl and Cara, but becomes very close to Nate, so much so that it becomes something more than friends.

Each one person in the group has a special talent, which becomes useful in the mission they have set themselves. Pandora Jones is one of the survivors who has been admitted into the school. They learn survival skills that help them regain their strength so they are prepared for what is come. But, will their skills pay off outside of the secure walls of the school? And what happens if it leads Pandora to where her truth lies on the outside…

I really enjoyed this book because it’s exciting and when you’re at the end of the book you want to know what happens next. Also, I like the mystery and also some of the romance that’s going on. I would recommend this book for a male or female, probably the age of 13-15 who are interested in mystery and enjoy some horrific scenes filled with danger. The book is a really good book to keep your mind active by creating scenes in your head. I’d rate this book ” Pandora Jones” 4 out of 5 stars.

Sierah, Year 8

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“It took slightly under eight hours for Melbourne to die.”

The story of Pandora Jones is set in a bleak, mundane setting. Pandora’s life soon gets turned on its head when she hears the news on the radio. When all she knows is wiped out by a mysterious virus, Pandora is stuck wandering the streets of Melbourne all alone, trying to find her family. After she blacks out, Pandora is brought to “The School,” where the survivors learn survival techniques to stay alive in the outside world.

When she wakes up, she is put in a group with other people a lot like herself: Nate, Jen, Samantha, Wei-Lin, Cara and Sanjit. All of her group members are good at something useful but Pandora has a gift of insight, precognition and she can find hidden things. When Cara has found something out, she vanishes leaving Pandora, who becomes the weak link. Everyone is waiting for her to mess up. Will her insights be enough? Can she find out about The School? Or is it just one big massive lie? Continue reading to find out more! I guarantee that you won’t stop flicking furiously through the pages trying to find out more.

This story is a great read which kept me reading into the wee hours of the morning. I really enjoyed the adventure themes and action scenes linked together with a gripping storyline. I would hands down recommend this book to a boy or girl audience of the ages 12 to 16 years of age, especially to anyone who has read “The Hunger Games,” “Percy Jackson,” “Maze Runner,” or “Divergent.” If you are the kind of person who easily attaches themselves to dystopian, fantasy or sci fi scenes, then this is the book for you!

Julia T, Year 8

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“What I can’t cope with is the other dreams, the nightmares that make more sense. I don’t even trust my memories . . .”

Pandora Jones is one of the lucky ones, a survivor of a deadly plague, a pandemic that nearly swept out the human race entirely. When she wakes up in a hospital, her body is weak and her memories are proving to be untrustworthy as they only provide horrific flashes of death. She is told that her family has succumbed to the plague and that she has been relocated to a quarantined survival skills facility called ‘The School’. But being told that her family is dead along with most of the human race and that she is a prisoner in this facility in the middle of nowhere isn’t easy to handle and suspicion quickly arises, especially for Pan. With Pandora’s remarkable skill of intuition, the suspicion that had made her constantly wary quickly grew into something much more, a need for answers, a need for escape. But finding answers between the weaving lies is hard, especially with the heavily-guarded and prowling School always getting in Pan’s way. But for Pan, finding the truth is the only thing on her mind and she’ll do anything to unravel the web of lies she and the other students of the school have been stuck in…

Pandora Jones Admission is a mystery/action/thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat every turn of the page. With suspense and cliffhangers always leaving you guessing, this book will keep you reading all night, and if you haven’t had enough of Pandora Jones and her comrades, you’re in luck! This is book one of the trilogy! Personally, I really did enjoy this book. It had enough mystery, detail and thrill to paint a clear picture of the situations in your head. In my opinion, the ending was the best part as it came as a complete and utter shock to me. I didn’t expect it at all! Although some parts of the book were slightly over-detailed for my liking, this book instantly drowned the boredom and grabbed my attention with more mysteries and suspenseful circumstances urging me to read on. The story instantly captivates the reader. I was enthralled by the first sentence: “It took slightly under eight hours for Melbourne to die.” I would strongly recommend this book to anyone but I believe this book is aimed at an audience that enjoys thrill rides, suspenseful mysteries and action as well. Personally, I would give this book four out of five stars. Barry Jonsberg certainly did his job well!

Paige, Year 8