It’s a normal day of the school holidays, and Ellie and her friends decide to go on a camping trip together before they finish school. Bags packed, they get into the car and disappear into the bush together for a week. Isolated from the outside world, they have no idea what is happening around them. One cold, silent night, Ellie wakes up to the sound of hundreds of jet planes above her. When they return to their homes, their families are gone and animals are staving to death. What has happened while they were gone? Should they expect the worst? All they are sure of is that its time to go to war. I am only half way through this book but I have really enjoyed it.  It shows the true courage they have to save the ones they love, and even though I don’t know what happens in the end, the bravery they have already shown pretty much describes that they will fight with all they have and won’t give up.  Stevie Year 9

‘Tomorrow When The War Began’ is an exciting and intriguing story about seven teenagers who go camping in Hell, and come back… to Hell. At the beginning of the book, they venture into an unvisited area known as Hell. It is a beautiful jungle with creeks, wild animals and a mysterious footbridge. Their holiday is so incredibly relaxing that they completely forget about the outside world and their families. Before long, they run low on supplies and decide to return home, only to find that nobody is around. Their homes are deserted, and panic starts to strike. They soon realise that their country has been invaded, and everyone’s lives are at stake. Their quest to rescues their families takes them on an exciting and frightening adventure. The writer does his job very well in that he makes the camping trip seem like a relaxed daze, and the realisation of a war brings them back down to Earth. Aiden Year 9

What really enticed me to read this book was none other than the fact that it had been turned into a movie… even if I hadn’t seen it. But, like many people, I seem to think along the lines of, “If it has been turned into a movie, it must be good,”  and my first reactions to the book seemed to confirm my thoughts. The book starts out with a teenage girl called Ellie who decides to take some of her best mates for a camping trip in a mountainous range know as “Hell”. They stay there for 3 days and do completely nothing except sleep, eat and talk, like all camping trips. But there is something different about this trip. During the night, everyone is woken to the sound of hundreds of jets flying overhead, without lights, without reason. But none the less, the planes are completely forgotten about. Or so you think, until they pack up and go home. It is only then, after they find their houses abandoned and pets dead on the ground, that the pieces fall together and they discover that from tomorrow onwards, the war will begin. By Mathew, Year 9

Seven friends decide to go travel to Tailor’s Stitch in search of a campsite for the week. They set off down Hell’s Steps and find a secret campsite, untouched by the outside world. One night hundreds of planes flying at a low altitude pass overhead. The group is suspicious but then agree that the planes must have been the Air Force on Commemoration Day. The group makes their way back up the steps of Hell to the Landrover. They return home and pull into Ellie’s driveway, where they find that the dogs are dead, and the family has disappeared. After much discussion they agree that they have been invaded. They split into small groups and try to find enemies.  Ellie, Steven and Corrie are spotted by soldiers and fired at. They hide until the soldiers move on. I can’t wait to continue reading this book as it enthralls and captivates me. Dylan, Year 9

John Marsden’s, ‘Tomorrow When the War Began’ is a tale about seven unlikely teenagers living in the outskirts of Australia,who go camping on the annual celebration day. They pack all that they need and leave for an isolated place that few people know about, a beautiful place called ‘Hell’. They camp in Hell for a week and everything goes smoothly until they come home to find that the town is deserted. They soon begin to realize that their country has been invaded by mysterious foreigners and their families have all been taken captive. The teenagers then go on a mission to save their families, run the invaders out of Australia and save their country. Joanne, Year 9

This touching story of seven teenagers is filledwith action packed war scenes, cute moments shared between loving couples,amazing mental scenery, tears, laughs and thoughts that made me smile andcringe at the same time. There were bits that made me gasp and scenes that hadmy hairs stand on end. I couldn’t put the book down and I would definitely havea go at reading the sequels.