Have you ever wondered what it would be like to return from a weekend camping trip and all of houses in your neighborhood were empty and you had no idea what was going on? Author John Marsden shows his interpretation of that in the world famous book Tomorrow, when the war began.

      Tomorrow, when the war began is a story of a country girl named Ellie Linton who tells the book in a first-person perspective making the book quite a different experience for me as a non-reader. She goes camping at a place named “Hell” with a group of her teenage friends. She takes Corrie, her best friend since they were young, Kevin, who is Corrie’s boyfriend, Homer, Ellie’s neighbor and friend, Lee, who plays a crucial part in the development of the story, Fiona and Robyn.

      Set in the fictional town of Wirrawee, Ellie and Corrie decided to go camping on the weekend of the town fair. They convinced a few people to go and leave before the fair starts. They successfully arrived and set up camp there. On one of the nights, a mysteriously large number of military planes flew over and they thought it was just a military exercise and quickly fell asleep again. When they returned to town, they found no one was at their homes. They soon discovered that they are being held captive in the town fair ground. What were they going to do?

      I enjoyed reading this book even though I’m not a huge fan of reading. The setting of the story is great and the storyline is even better. If you enjoy reading the book, you can watch the 2010 Australian made movie with the same name as the novel, which was huge success around the world.

      I would recommend this book to teenagers from the age of 14-18 or readers who like to read books that keep you on the edge of your seat because it has enough action and surprises in it to keep you reading.

      Fraser, Year 9

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War. The conflict between different countries or groups… or not?

“Mankind must put an end to war before war puts an end to mankind.” ~ John F. Kennedy.

      Tomorrow When The War Began is a book of action and drama, written by John Marsden. It has a very interesting storyline with several mysteries and daunting moments. The main place where the story is set is the characters’ local town of Werriwee, Australia.

      There are seven main characters and new people found during their travels. Ellie, the main character, is a great leader in the group and can keep the group calm but she really doesn’t believe in herself. Then there’s Homer, a warrior in the team, and Kevin, who reveals his usefulness by being a coward. Robyn is too soft to fight in a war and a young man Lee thinks of himself as an outsider, isolated and scared.

      The plot of the book is about a group using teamwork and sacrifices to survive. They are out on a camping trip having the time of their lives until the absolute worst thing happens. They are all willing to find out the cause, but someone will have to step up. Their families are gone. Their family pets were abandoned. The friends and neighbors are missing. They wish for them to come back.

      This book is one of the greatest action book I’ve ever read. The exquisite parts of this novel make it a favorite in my top list. I recommend this book to all ages above twelve years who love action and mysteries. This novel would be great as a birthday gift or a little present to those who love books. This book would get a rating of 4 to 5 stars.

~Leo Year 9  

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      Tomorrow when the War Began is an interesting story. The reader will be following and listening to the thoughts and interesting encounters Ellie the main character has to go though. Along with Ellie and her friends she finds herself in catastrophic events that no teenage should go though. A battle of mixed emotions and arduous tasks put together to create an epic adventurous story. As you learn more about each character you will find more about yourself and learn about human nature. Would you be the one to step up in a time of fear and survival or would you merely be a follower? Questions such as this are what you will be asking yourself while reading.

      The story starts out as just a few friends going out camping together but little do they know they have evaded a serious threat. They come back to find their town is under siege, been taken hostage. They are quick on their feet to find out what is going on and how they can survive.

       I would recommend is book to someone who is at least the age of 14 or above, either a male or a female as long as you can enjoy an adventurous book with plot twists and interesting characters then this book will most likely be a book suited for you.

       I personally enjoyed this book because of all the twists. It’s interesting to see how they survive using different survival techniques. Finding themselves in an impossible situation it is truly interesting to see how they react and respond.
Overall I found that the book had a good amount of exhilarating adventures, depressing times and happy times making up this book. There will be no time when you are reading and feeling bored. I would give this book a 4/5.

Nic, Year 9