November 2

‘Tomorrow, when the war began’ by John Marsden

I really enjoyed the realism and plot in this book.’ – Goodreads …  ‘the writing drove me nuts.’ – Goodreads.

One day they are a group of teenagers, out camping having fun and the next day they might just be Wirrawee’s last hope. If you really enjoy a great read and a storyline that is amazing, then you will love this book, ‘Tomorrow When The War Began’. It is set in the outback, just outside of a small town called Wirrawee. The book is set in a present time, meaning the world as we know it today.

Ellie, the main character, is about 18 years old and lives with her parents. She is very outgoing and adventurous but at the same time very wise. Robyn is fairly quiet and serious. She was very heavily into church because her father was a priest but she had something that interested me in the story. Fi is a very graceful person, not the smartest, but very quick witted. She is someone that Ellie described in the book as “the perfect person”. She also had a rich family so I would think that she would be someone who has never done any hard work in her life. Kevin is a very outspoken kind of guy. You would think he is tough and manly but as the book progresses you see him change. He is your typical Australian teenager. Lee is a person who never speaks to many people, but is very intelligent. He works with his parents in their restaurant. Lee has something about him that no one can understand, but he is a great guy in the book. Homer is a wild, outrageous and rebellious kind of person. He does not care what anyone thinks of him but as the story progresses Homer changes and becomes very mature and caring. Pretty much all the main characters change throughout the story, but that is for you to find out.

On the weekend of the town fair, (Commemoration Day), Ellie and six of her friends all decide to skip this year’s fair and go camping outside of town to a place called Tailor’s Stitch, and try and get down into a place where no one has every been before called Hell. They eventually succeed in hiking down to Hell and finding a path. There was a rumour that a hermit that murdered his family lived down here and the path they found was leading them to thinking it was true. On their last night of camping out in Hell, several of them see dozens of fighter jets flying overhead; they all assume that it was to celebrate Commemoration Day. When they return home the next day to Ellie’s house, because it was closest, they find everyone gone. The dogs are dead, the livestock was dying, the power was out and there was no signal to get on phones or radios. Nervously, they go to someone else’s house and find the same situation. Now scared, the teens devise a plan to sneak into town and see what has happened. They soon find out that those fighter jets that flew over them at night in Hell were not their own, and their town had been invaded while they were gone. All the people of the town were being held captive, including their families, at the Commemoration Day fairground. What do they do now?

I really enjoyed reading this book because it had a great storyline to it and I got hooked into reading it at the beginning because I wanted to know what happened in the end. I also enjoyed it because I could relate to the book a bit, seeing as the book is based on teenagers and I’m a teenager. If you have seen the movie you still have to read the book because it is just much more enjoyable to take some time out and enjoy a great book quietly.

I would recommend this book mainly for teenagers because I enjoyed the book for this reason and I think other teenagers could really relate to it as well as having a great read.

– Carlo, Year 9

———————————————————–

“Some people wake up drowsy. Some people wake up energized. I wake up dead.” Tomorrow when the war began.

The narrator of the story is Ellie; she is one of many main characters. The other main characters are Corrie, Kevin, Homer, Lee, Robyn and Fee. All of the friends have something to do with each other, for example Corrie’s boyfriend is Kevin, Homer is Ellie’s next door neighbor, Ellie has a crush on Lee, and Robyn and Fee are good friends with Ellie. The story is set in the bush and the group of teenager’s town.

After camping in the bush for a few days the group of friends go home and find out that everything is taken, dead or broken.

I personally loved this book because of its action scenes. It makes you wonder what you would do if you were in their position. The book also has twists to it and the book is very realistic.

I recommend the book Tomorrow when the war began to teenagers and young adults that are into survival/adventure/action.

Nick, Year 9

—————————————————-

 “I was drawn to the book because of the interesting characters and the type of story I wouldn’t usually read.” Anonymous.

If you enjoy an addictive book then this is a book for you, the storyline will keep you interested and it’s like watching your favourite show, when you can’t wait to watch the next episode.

Ellie lives with her parents. She is quite smart and has an adventurous personality. Robyn was involved in the church more than the others because of her father being a priest. Fi is a very subtle thinker and is described as a great person. Kevin seems to change very much throughout the book, almost like he is becoming himself. Lee is very intelligent. Homer is what you would describe as a rebel or a risk taker because of his whacky but enjoyable personality. I believe the author created the characters with much imagination.

The weekend of their local fair, Ellie and six friends decided to go camp in a place out in the forest called “Hell”. While they were gone they heard and saw fighter jets flying overhead. They didn’t think anything of this. They just believed they were celebrating Commemoration Day. When they returned to Ellie’s house everything was dead or dying and all of the people were gone. Ellie and her friends were nervous and scared and had no idea what to do.

This book was an enjoyable read for me. I was drawn to the book from the beginning. I think the author did a very good job of developing unique personalities for the different characters. It’s almost like he picked a random bunch of teenagers and questioned them on their personalities.

I would recommend this book for anyone who is interested in a short novel that is enjoyable and not too complicated to read.

Sam, Year 9

Tags: , , , ,

Posted November 2, 2012 by marjk in category Adventure stories, Realistic fiction, Student Reviews

About the Author

Teacher-librarian at Aquinas College, Southport, Gold Coast, Australia

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*