Tomorrow, When the War Began (The Tomorrow, #1)

by John Marsden

Seven Australian teenagers return from a camping trip in the bush to discover that their country has been invaded and they must hide to stay alive.

• ISBN10: 1417770058
• ISBN13: 9781417770052
• Publish Date: 1 June 2006 (first published 1 January 1995)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 7 April 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Turtleback Books
• Edition: Turtleback School & Library ed.
• Format: Hardcover (Library Binding)
• Pages: 277
• Language: English

Reviews

[Nessa Luna]

I don't know why but I always just keep going back to this book series. I first read this book when I was in high school and I got it assigned to read for my Dutch classes (which was hilarious, cuz we weren't allowed to read translated work, and I found out later that this was originally an English book). It stayed with me long after I left school and I reread it almost once a year. It's just such a great series and I love it so much more every time I reread it.

[nannah]

Uffda, apparently I'm choosing books to read lately that surprise me. This book went from mediocre to fantastic within a matter of chapters.

Book content warnings:
slut shaming (one part, mostly)
ableist language

Tomorrow, When the War Began is a book about seven high school teenagers in Wirrawee, Australia, and told from Ellie's PoV. It's supposed to be told in diary style, but it doesn't always seem that way (only a couple times do I remember she's actually writing this down from their camp several weeks later; otherwise it seems like what she knows/feels in the moment is impossible writing it from a later time, if that makes sense).

Basically, these teens decide to go on a camping trip ("going bush") to Hell, a deep hollow in the Australian Mountains, where they spend nearly a week lazing around and enjoying each other's company. But during this time, their country is invaded (and it isn't clear by whom), and when they return, they return to empty homes, dead pets, and armed patrols. Instead of just hiding out till whatever's happening blows over, they decide to fight back.

In the beginning, I was so unimpressed with the dialogue that I almost screamed and put the book down. I'm glad I didn't, though, because the dialogue did improve, even if sometimes I did roll my eyes at the exchanges. "OK, yeah." "Yeah, OK." etc.

Once the characters came back from their little camping trip, the book improved, and the book became tense and hard to put down. I've read actual books labeled "horror" that weren't as frightening as this. (Those dogs . . . I swear, I hate dog deaths in fiction but here . . . so much worse. So much worse.)

Though I really enjoyed the middle & latter part of the book, I really . . . really could've done without that awful love triangle. It just was so unnecessary and ridiculous. And took up so much time that could've been spent on other things? But this series is seven books long; there's gotta be something to fill scene space.

I'm being mean. I did enjoy this book a ton (re: 4 stars), but there were things I didn't enjoy that much, and things that could've been improved. And I'm just not one for first books that don't really have an actual ending.

[Kelly]

LOVED IT! I was hesitant to read Tomorrow, When the War Began due to the movie, but so thankful I convinced myself to take a chance. It was brilliant and the film didn't do the book justice at all. I love reading Australian novels, the language and phrasing make you feel as though you are right there with the characters. A tad frightening to even contemplate an invasion in our own backyard. It was brilliantly scary!

[Michael @ Knowledge Lost]

Australian author John Marsden is probably best known for his Tomorrow, When the War Began series. Though I had never read it when I was younger, I decided I needed to read it. The books were defiantly written for teens and if I had read it then I probably would have enjoyed it much more. It still was enjoyable and I want to read the rest of the books to see how it ends.