Tomorrow When the War Began

Tomorrow When the War Began

John Marsden

Ellie and her group of friends (including the intriguing Lee) are planning on going camping in the bush. When they return from 'Hell' they find things have gone terribly wrong. Their families have disappeared and all signs point to foul play. When they venture into town, they come across something that they only joked about. Invasion and war.

Ellie is a great role model for young girls (and older ones too) as she isn't afraid to speak her mind, is smart and logical and can drive recklessly and light petrol filled tanks on fire when needed. The action in this book is never ending and it has a great balance with full conversations between the eight friends. There's a character that everyone can relate to, the right amount of romance and even a dirty joke thrown here and there (recommended for 15+ readers). Even though it's told from a girl's perspective, the male characters are just as important and young boys will definitely be entertained. Lawn mowers blowing up, people getting shot and houses getting destroyed by missiles -every event is described with such detail that you just want crawl into the book physically and live it. 

The reader learns about the necessities in life and what's important to one may not be as important to another. This one moment in the book is thought provoking and a great conversation starter. If your country was invaded, what possessions would you save? Would you surrender? Would you fight?  Everyone has to make a decision. You have to make a decision. What would you do to survive?