Review: Tomorrow When the War Began by John Marsden
When their country invaded and their families are taken, the eight high school teenagers went together to fight the enemy. Seventeen-year-old Ellie Linton wants one final adventure with her friends before the school holidays are over. Packed in Ellie's parents' land rover they drive to the famously isolated rock pool Eden dubbed 'Hell' by the seriously wrong. Returning to their home in town of Wirrawee, the eight teenagers realize no one was in the houses. When the hostile armed discover that the teenagers are lying low in the vicinity, Ellie and her friends must band together to escape and strike back against the mysterious enemy that has seized control of their town and imprisoned their loved ones...
It started very slowly, with the main character, Ellie, randomly organising a camping trip and seemed to invite everyone she knew - even if she didn't know them that well. This part of the story didn't really capture me - nothing exciting happened, it was just a group of teens going camping for a few days, although we are introduced to other main characters and find out more about them.
The story picked up when the characters arrived back from their trip and found out that there was something odd happening in the town. There isn't much of an explanation as to why Australia was invaded? Why everyone else was kidnapped and put in prison?
There wasn't as much action as I expected to be - most of the book was about the group avoiding the war, planning on how to survive and not get ‘’caught’’.
I didn't have a favourite character. I found there were quite a few characters that were in Ellie's group, we didn't really find out a lot about them. I wasn't a huge fan on Ellie, especially when she was talking about boyfriends - She mentioned that she hardly knew Lee, but within a few chapters she decided that she was in love with him.... I’m not hugely into romance so maybe these part didn’t seem to fit with the storyline.
Even though it wasn't action packed or capturing, I would overall say it was alright, but I wouldn’t recommend continuing with the book series.
Review by Tony .Y.
When their country invaded and their families are taken, the eight high school teenagers went together to fight the enemy. Seventeen-year-old Ellie Linton wants one final adventure with her friends before the school holidays are over. Packed in Ellie's parents' land rover they drive to the famously isolated rock pool Eden dubbed 'Hell' by the seriously wrong. Returning to their home in town of Wirrawee, the eight teenagers realize no one was in the houses. When the hostile armed discover that the teenagers are lying low in the vicinity, Ellie and her friends must band together to escape and strike back against the mysterious enemy that has seized control of their town and imprisoned their loved ones...
It started very slowly, with the main character, Ellie, randomly organising a camping trip and seemed to invite everyone she knew - even if she didn't know them that well. This part of the story didn't really capture me - nothing exciting happened, it was just a group of teens going camping for a few days, although we are introduced to other main characters and find out more about them.
The story picked up when the characters arrived back from their trip and found out that there was something odd happening in the town. There isn't much of an explanation as to why Australia was invaded? Why everyone else was kidnapped and put in prison?
There wasn't as much action as I expected to be - most of the book was about the group avoiding the war, planning on how to survive and not get ‘’caught’’.
I didn't have a favourite character. I found there were quite a few characters that were in Ellie's group, we didn't really find out a lot about them. I wasn't a huge fan on Ellie, especially when she was talking about boyfriends - She mentioned that she hardly knew Lee, but within a few chapters she decided that she was in love with him.... I’m not hugely into romance so maybe these part didn’t seem to fit with the storyline.
Even though it wasn't action packed or capturing, I would overall say it was alright, but I wouldn’t recommend continuing with the book series.
Review by Tony .Y.