Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “Tomorrow, When the War Began (Tomorrow, #1)” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

Tomorrow, When the War Began

(Tomorrow #1)

John Marsden

4.05 · Rating details · 48,878 ratings · 3,056 reviews

When Ellie and her friends return from a camping trip in the Australian bush, they find things hideously wrong — their families are gone. Gradually they begin to comprehend that their country has been invaded and everyone in their town has been taken prisoner. As the reality of the situation hits them, they must make a decision — run and hide, give themselves up and be wit ...more

Get A Copy

Paperback, 276 pages

Published May 1st 2006 by Scholastic (first published 1993)

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Tomorrow, When the War Began, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Best Young Adult Books

11,913 books — 80,968 voters

Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden

On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta

Best Australian YA Books

338 books — 511 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 4.05 ·

Rating details

· 48,878 ratings · 3,056 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of Tomorrow, When the War Began (Tomorrow, #1)

May 03, 2010 karen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: why-yes-i-ya, distant-lands, teen-faves

aussie teens are no joke. if they ever decide to band up and take over new york, we should be very afraid. these kids know how to mobilize and all that outback tends to athleticize a body. our chubby doritos-eating teens do not stand a chance. but i would totally read that book.

i truly love teen survival tales, and this one scratched my itch, and there are SIX MORE BOOKS!! i mean, hells yeah! that is a lot of surviving! american survival stories tend to only go trilogy. oh, you hardy aussies, yo ...more

flag 201 likes · Like · see review

Jun 14, 2019 Kylie D rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: action-adventure, annual-challenges, aussie-author, seasonal-challenges, goodreads-summer-challenge-2019

Wow, what a marvellous book. I've heard so many good things about it I had to read it for myself. I'm so glad I did. It starts with a group of teenagers from a small country town going on a camping trip. All well and good, it's when they return a few days later that they find that life is not as it was.

Look, I'm not going to go into any major plot essays here. Let's just say this book is about personal triumph over adversity, the courage of the human spirit, and teenagers being teenagers. I high ...more

flag 100 likes · Like · see review

May 31, 2017 L A i N E Y rated it liked it

Shelves: much-heard-of, dystopia, ya, reviewed, that-title, aussie-cheers

It was unthinkable - but it was very possible

This was a kind of dystopian with plenty of actions and, surprisingly, ample supply of food(!)

Story: their town was invaded overnight. These kids were left free because they were camping in remote mountain area, appropriately or inappropriately (up to you really), called Hell.

That sounds promising enough although I kept wondering if it would have been a better book if the group picked someone else other than Ellie to write their story down. That's ...more

flag 83 likes · Like · see review

Dec 01, 2010 Jessica rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: war, reviewed-books, fierce-ladies, ya, favorites, guts-you, pretty-prose, aussies

**I find myself giving weird, abstract, and emotionally-based reviews for books that have billions of reviews saying pretty similar things to each other. So forgive me for this weird, abstract, and emotional review. I do agree with the others—this book is an incredible social commentary on war, and you’ll be on the edge of your seat, etc. blah blah

After reading this book for the first time, I watched the recent movie adaptation. In doing so I realized, with shocking clarity, what the story isn’t
**I find myself giving weird, abstract, and emotionally-based reviews for books that have billions of reviews saying pretty similar things to each other. So forgive me for this weird, abstract, and emotional review. I do agree with the others—this book is an incredible social commentary on war, and you’ll be on the edge of your seat, etc. blah blah

After reading this book for the first time, I watched the recent movie adaptation. In doing so I realized, with shocking clarity, what the story isn’t about. It’s not about teens defying the enemy and fighting the good fight—music swelling as they gather like a small glorious army in front of the camera, guns cocked and ready. The movie, by trimming the story down to a short 90 min, really tried to push that image, I think. I felt like they had gone down a list and ticked off the “important” events and lines from the book. Tweaked a few things here and there, cut things occasionally, but in the end tried to remain “faithful”. But the most powerful moments in this book aren’t the explosions or the planning or the little romances. It’s someone crying out “like a wounded bird” after her house is demolished. It’s the helplessness that feeds on the characters (“If we do this, if we succeed, I'll be able to feel pride again”). It’s the looks that are shared quickly and quietly. It’s these brief moments in between the action, the reactions that come from these broken people that feel so startlingly real I have to catch my breath.

I’ll admit, the first book of the series seems to be the most “action movie”-esque of the series. The full weight of the events has yet to truly devastate and eat away at the characters. You could still describe them as whole—shocked, yes, and battered, but whole. These teens aren’t dumbed down, thankfully, but none of them are typical flawless action heroes either, despite their cleverness and defiance. They feel real and complicated and brave and scared and falling apart all at the same time. John Marsden writes Ellie so convincingly, I never once doubted her voice, never doubted that Ellie once existed somewhere, still exists, will exist. Her faults are painted red and raw and it’s sad that some readers dislike her because of that.

I seriously think Mockingjay helped prepared me for this series. It’s such a heartbreaking relief to discover more YA that doesn’t tie things up nicely or have people act and feel in artificial ways. Because actions and feelings are messy, and John Marsden knows that. He wants you to know it, too, even if you don’t like it.

If you’re looking for an action-packed story about heroes with good guys and bad guys and an ending you can see coming from a mile away, don’t bother with the Tomorrow series. But if you want a story about human beings in full display of their brokenness, please read this series. It’ll rip your heart out and shake you up. And we need that once and awhile, don’t we?

p.s. I put this book on my "favorites" shelf as a symbolic gesture to represent the whole series. I feel like all of the books are too short anyway, so I think of them as one giant story.
...more

flag 65 likes · Like · see review

Jul 12, 2011 Rachel Neumeier rated it it was amazing

Finished it a few days ago! Definitely one of my favorite stories of 2011!

This is the first of a seven-book YA series by John Marsden, and I'm going to let this one review cover them all. Spoilers for Book 4 of the series areincluded.

I discovered this series via The Book Smugglers' post on hype. Then it was like, where has this been all my life?

I see the first book is supposed to be a "major motion picture." Says so right on the cover. I have my doubts. Can the movie version possibly begin to ap ...more

flag 32 likes · Like · see review

Apr 01, 2017 Ammara Abid rated it liked it

It's like I'm reading a Movie into novel. I didn't no while reading it's picturise as a movie or not. But that's a movie stuff for sure.

After reading I have searched and found that it has been picturised and that's great. This thing has been written for a film. After reading the very 1st chapter I'm sure of it.
Not so extraordinary but an enjoyable read.

"In this life of froth and bubble,
Two things stand like stone,
Kindness in another’s trouble,
Courage in your own." ...more

flag 31 likes · Like · see review

Sep 27, 2007 Shannon (Giraffe Days) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Everyone - it's a must read!

Shelves: apocalyptic-or-post-apocalyptic, favourite, re-read, ya

Ellie and her friends Corrie, Robyn, Lee, Kevin, Homer and Fi live in and around a small rural town in an undisclosed part of Australia. They decide to go camping, to “go feral” and spend a weekend over the Christmas holidays up the bush instead of at the showgrounds with the townsfolk. Some of them, like Ellie and Corrie, are close, but not all, so over the weekend they get to know each other a lot better. Ellie and Homer are both from farms and Ellie’s family’s property is the closest to the t Ellie and her friends Corrie, Robyn, Lee, Kevin, Homer and Fi live in and around a small rural town in an undisclosed part of Australia. They decide to go camping, to “go feral” and spend a weekend over the Christmas holidays up the bush instead of at the showgrounds with the townsfolk. Some of them, like Ellie and Corrie, are close, but not all, so over the weekend they get to know each other a lot better. Ellie and Homer are both from farms and Ellie’s family’s property is the closest to the trail; on coming home hers is the first place they reach, only to find that the dogs are dead. Not only that, but her parents aren’t home, the place is eerily quiet and the power’s off. There’s nothing but static on the radio.

Homer’s farm is the same. With the regular rural life so frighteningly disrupted, they’re quick to realise something is very wrong and they could be in danger. They learn that everyone in the town and from the farms have been locked up at the showgrounds, or rounded up and sent there. The big houses in town have been taken over by the invading enemy – an enemy that is faceless and nameless throughout this series, thus adding to the tension and avoiding fear-mongering at the same time. Ellie and their friends hide wherever they can, eating whatever’s left over in people’s kitchens that’s safe to eat, and trying to locate their families. They find another friend, Chris, in hiding and he joins them, filling them in on what happened.

This is the first book in the Tomorrow series and follows Ellie, who narrates, and the others as they try to survive, stay one step ahead of the enemy, and inflict what damage they can. Together they pool their resources – their knowledge, and create deadly bombs out of lawnmowers, sabotage the enemies ships by putting sugar in the fuel and other such things. Deaths occur, and the death of one of Ellie’s friends at the end of a later book is a scene I’ve never been able to forget. The first enemy soldier Ellie kills face-to-face nearly undoes her. It’s not surprising that when, after seven books, the war finally ends and they all try to pick up their lives again, nothing is the same, they aren’t the same, and a spin-off trilogy called the Ellie Chronicles adds a whole new level of tragedy to her life.

I didn’t read this series until year 11 but it’s popular with all ages. It’s exciting, it’s empowering, and it brings to light the knowledge and resources teenagers possess that they’re not even aware of, that are put into a whole new perspective in the face of an invasion (for example). It shows that you know more and you’re capable of more than you thought you did. There's a real theme in YA lit of teenagers surviving on their own, using their own resources and growing up too fast in the face of threat, violence and adversity - I love these kinds of books! It shows the strength of friendships, honesty, perseverance and fortitude, and while the premise may be fictional, the reality of what some children and teens must live through in some parts of the world, and the qualities they have that go unrecognised, unappreciated and unrewarded, make this book and the entire Tomorrow series relevant and familiar.

...more

flag 27 likes · Like · see review

Mar 27, 2012 Regina rated it really liked it

Recommended to Regina by: Damali

Shelves: post-apocalyptic, favorites, audio-also-listened-to, have-in-audio, ya, only-listeneed-to, listened-to-audio-only, favorite-series, will-continue-series

3.5 stars but I am marking it 4 because, well I do love this book.

This is such a fun start to a series. I feel weird writing "fun" when the story deals with a foreign invasion of one's country and home grown gorilla groups responding to the invasion. But .... it is fun. Tomorrow is told from the point of view of a high school girl Ellie, she is one of 8 kids hiding out in the wild and unpopulated area outside of their hometown. The theme is somewhat similar to Red Dawn if Red Dawn had been done ...more

flag 24 likes · Like · see review

Aug 16, 2019 Trish rated it liked it

As I said in my first status update for this book, I've seen the original movie many years ago and kinda liked the concept despite it not making much sense. I mean, think about it: who would be stupid enough to want to invade AUSTRALIA?! Who wants to govern salt water crocs, boxing kangaroos, every kind of venomous spider and snake imaginale, koalas that scratch our eyes out or any of the other deadly animals on that continent?
It's true, there are a lot of resources in the ground (I should know, As I said in my first status update for this book, I've seen the original movie many years ago and kinda liked the concept despite it not making much sense. I mean, think about it: who would be stupid enough to want to invade AUSTRALIA?! Who wants to govern salt water crocs, boxing kangaroos, every kind of venomous spider and snake imaginale, koalas that scratch our eyes out or any of the other deadly animals on that continent?
It's true, there are a lot of resources in the ground (I should know, most mining companies are my company's clients), but is it worth the trouble?! Not to mention that it's vast and you'd need a way to not only invade but also keep what you've taken.

Since some of you might be scratching their heads, let me recap what the book is about:

We start off with a camping trip of a few teenage friends. They wanna go bush (camping in the wild) and when they return, their families are gone, some pets have been killed and left, and the radio talks about an invasion. It's not really clear who invaded or why, but apparently they were well enough prepared to kick the ass of most of Australia's military (or maybe the military isn't any better at keeping their own territory as it is so vast?).
The kids decide to loot what they can, including weapons and ammunition, have a few dangerous run-ins with invading soldiers, and start a guerilla war. They don't appear to be the only ones, but the reader can never really be sure about that.

The book is written as if one of the girls, Ellie, had written down a memoir of what's happened - in case anything happens to the group. Thus, the reader only knows as much as these kids do, which is not too bad a way to not having to think up certain explanations. ;)

I like survival stories and I kinda like stories about people fighting back during an invasion so the combination of those two with Australia as the setting was what drew me in.

Moreover, the story isn't too YA, which was a relief. Yes, there is some hormonal stuff, but it was relatively light. In fact, I was surprised to discover that the Bible played as big a part as who-went-with-whom.

There are a few elements I don't know why they were added (like the hermit's story) other than for tragic effect but it was a quick read overall and I was reasonably entertained. No idea if I'll continue since I didn't even know there were other volumes until two days ago and was shocked to discover the series consisted of a whopping 7 books.

All in all, nothing exceptional but the idea is what carries this on, I think (much like those creature b-movies?). ...more

flag 22 likes · Like · see review

Nov 06, 2010 Benna rated it did not like it

It is a fun read but a bit too unrealistic, I mean a country such as Australia doesn't get invaded in five days. No matter how much planning is done! ...more

flag 21 likes · Like · see review

Jun 09, 2013 Brianna rated it liked it

Shelves: young-adult, adventure, dystopian, war

Like many, many others I was captivated by Suzanne Collins's THE HUNGER GAMES. It hooked me with its pulse pounding action, nightmarish vision of the future, and most of all its strong, capable female lead and wouldn't let me go. I finished it in one sitting. Unlike many others I was less impressed with the sequels. Thankfully the books I wanted to read exist. After a very average first instalment John Marsden's TOMORROW SERIES is the series that THE HUNGER GAMES promised to be.

The school holida Like many, many others I was captivated by Suzanne Collins's THE HUNGER GAMES. It hooked me with its pulse pounding action, nightmarish vision of the future, and most of all its strong, capable female lead and wouldn't let me go. I finished it in one sitting. Unlike many others I was less impressed with the sequels. Thankfully the books I wanted to read exist. After a very average first instalment John Marsden's TOMORROW SERIES is the series that THE HUNGER GAMES promised to be.

The school holidays are nearly over. Sixteen year old Ellie and her friends decided to have one final adventure before the new term begins. After a week camping in a secluded valley they return home to find their animals dead and their families missing. While they were away their country, Australia, has been invaded. Almost everyone they know has been taken prisoner. Some have been killed. Ellie and her friends decide to fight back.

The first book in the series, TOMORROW, WHEN THE WAR BEGAN, does a serviceable but not spectacular job at introducing the characters and setting up the premise. There's not a lot of action or suspense. The characters spend a lot time working out how to set up their base camp and generally planning things. Several of the kids fall in love and this leads to a couple of groan-worthy moments.

The second book in the series THE DEAD OF THE NIGHT is a much stronger entry. A short section involving a character that can only be described as Dolores Umbridge's male counterpart doesn't work but everything else is excellent. Like TOMORROW, WHEN THE WAR BEGAN there is less action than you might expect but what there it is several magnitudes more violent. It's a darker, more dramatic and more compelling book. By book three, THE THIRD DAY, THE FROST, John Marsden has mastered the art of pacing. The action scenes are longer and more intense. The series hits its stride.

Unlike Suzanne Collins, Marsden never forgets that the thoughts and reactions of the characters caught up in the action can be more exciting than any explosion. This is why the scenes of Katniss hiding in trees and dealing with thirst, starvation and exhaustion in THE HUNGER GAMES are more thrilling than the outlandish weapons, booby traps and genetically engineered monstrosities offered up in CATCHING FIRE and MOCKINGJAY. And like the Suzanne Collins who wrote THE HUNGER GAMES Marsden knows how to construct an emotional roller-coaster. Terror becomes elation which turns to revulsion. Hot anger becomes cold acceptance which gives way to panic. Every feeling is vividly conveyed in the lively and introspective voice of the series' narrator Ellie.

And what a character Ellie is! Fiercely independent, resourceful, stubborn and proud, unsure of herself, her place in the world and her future. A young woman who lives life on her own terms and who will take a stand against anyone who tries to stop her. Unlike Collins's Girl on Fire Marsden's Ellie only burns brighter as her series progresses.

Ellie's indecision over which boy to choose soon ceases. Her group of friends witness enemy atrocities first hand. They start losing members. Those that remain start taking lives close up with knives to the heart and shotgun blasts to the head. The reality of their situation hits home. The relationship that Ellie does end up having is a believably on an off affair. The Katniss Everdeen who survives 74th the Hunger Games can't think of anything better to do than angst over which love interest to pick while her friends and allies plan revolution.

First person narratives usually work when they're about their narrators, not the events that surround them. John Marsden remembers this, Suzanne Collins does not. THE HUNGER GAMES (the book, not the series) is primarily about Katniss. At its core it's a fish out of water story. In CATCHING FIRE and MOCKINGJAY Katniss becomes part of a much larger tale, the story of a revolution, and her narration of it leaves a lot to be desired. Despite spending most of her time interacting with key players in the revolution Katniss is never able paint a clear picture of what is transpiring. Characters regularly withhold information from her. Significant sections of the plot are carried out by other characters off-page. Katniss develops into a character that is often too depressed or self-absorbed to notice and/or engage with what is going on around her.

The TOMORROW SERIES is Ellie's story from start to finish. The books are a coming of age narrative where adolescence is rendered as a literal battlefield. The invasion exists to create rites of passage for Ellie to undergo. Her narration describes her changing outlook on life, the universe and everything. This is the main reason why the series resonated so much with me. For all its apparent scale, for all its gunfights, car chases, explosions and epic treks across war torn landscapes, the TOMORROW SERIES is an intimate story about growing up.

I was captivated by John Marsden's TOMORROW SERIES. It hooked me with its pulse pounding action, fantastically realised settings (I could go on about how rich and atmospheric Marsden's descriptions of country towns and the Australian landscape are but this review is long enough already) and most of all the compelling inner life of its strong, capable female lead and wouldn't let me go. The series takes a bit of time to find its feet but give it a chance. Action/Adventure stories - YA or otherwise - don't come much better. ...more

flag 20 likes · Like · see review

Jul 30, 2011 Hira rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: People who like action packed books

Shelves: ya, favorites-2011, dystopia, ongoing-series, aussie-nz, action

*Updated since watching the movie Red Dawn

4.5 stars

Tomorrow, When the War Began starts off with a group of teenagers going to camp out at a place they call Hell. By the time they get back, their country has been invaded and they're the only people left in their town, as their families and friends have been taken prisoner. Now they're faced with a decision - they can flee or surrender. Or they fight.

I was pleasantly surprised with this book, i picked it up because i wanted to watch the movie, si *Updated since watching the movie Red Dawn

4.5 stars

Tomorrow, When the War Began starts off with a group of teenagers going to camp out at a place they call Hell. By the time they get back, their country has been invaded and they're the only people left in their town, as their families and friends have been taken prisoner. Now they're faced with a decision - they can flee or surrender. Or they fight.

I was pleasantly surprised with this book, i picked it up because i wanted to watch the movie, since books are almost always better than the movie. I also had little idea of what the story was about. Reasons this book was awesome:

1. All the action in this. If you love action packed books like i do, this is a must read. Car chasing, dousing with petroleum and setting on fire...the works.

2. Hell. I might just go to hell for saying that but if it's the Hell in this book, i so don't mind. Satan's steps (if that's the right name, it's been a while since i read this) and Hell sounded so interesting and beautiful (in a way), that i just wanted to teleport there while i was reading about their stay there.

“Why did people call it Hell?" I wondered. [...] No place was Hell, no place could be Hell. It's the people calling it Hell, that's the only thing that made it so. People just sticking names n places, so that no one could see those places properly anymore. [...] No, Hell wasn't anything to do with place, Hell was all to do with people. Maybe Hell was people.”

3. The protagonist, Ellie, was neither whiny nor lovesick. That's how I'd like strong heroines to be. There's not that much focus on the romance, as they keep it on the war aspect, and I really liked that.

4. The characters stories were all interesting enough, I was especially interested in Homer, he seemed intriguing.

I'll leave it till here for now, need to read the next books in the series to refresh my mind! I hope they're as good!

*So, I recently watched Red Dawn, and while I have to admit that the premise is pretty similar, the way the story is told and what happens are fairly different. You have much more details in this, and you can like both Red Dawn and Tomorrow when the war began for each their own special qualities. Red Dawn felt much more sad, and there was a whole lot of action in it, and as it's a movie you can get through it much more quickly than these books. I like these books better though, because I like detail and you get insight to each of the characters individually. ...more

flag 20 likes · Like · see review

Dec 11, 2010 Yune rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, science-fiction

I can't help comparing this to Hunger Games, which I read first -- then I came across this one and thought, "Oh! This is what a really good YA survival story is!"

Because although Katniss goes about with the doomed air of a tragic hero, Tomorrow deals refreshingly with a band of realistic Aussie teenagers, with a believable level of independence. They're trusted to go camping without adult supervision in the bush for several days, and emerge to discover that their homes are empty of people and th ...more

flag 19 likes · Like · see review

Mar 16, 2012 Karina Halle rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommended for: ANYONE. Especially those disappointed in today’s dystopia/Sci-fi/adventure novels and readers wanting a fast-paced, action-packed realistic thrill ride with fantastic characters.

Bonus points: interracial couplings, realistic teen speak, your worst fears realized

Back in 2003, I was a communications student living and studying in Auckland, New Zealand. My newfound best friend Kelly was obscenely obsessed with Lord of the Rings. Like, she needed help (still does). But while I had o ...more

flag 18 likes · Like · see review

Jul 11, 2014 PattyMacDotComma rated it it was amazing

Shelves: australian-author, ya-new-adult, chcc-library, award-win-listed, fiction-adult

5★ Highly recommended for readers young and old.

I’ve been late to the party in reading John Marsden. I’ve enjoyed his interviews and seen coverage of his school, Candlebark, north of Melbourne. http://www.candlebark.info/

In this 1993 novel, the kids are in their early to mid-teens and show the kind of resourcefulness that I imagine Candlebark is hoping to instil in their primary school students, without the homemade bomb capabilities, though!

In my girls’ rural high school, one of the boys was fu ...more

flag 19 likes · Like · see review

Jun 20, 2018 Alice (Married To Books) rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2018

I am so late to this book series but honestly, I am so glad that I managed to track down a copy since my overall reaction to this novel was quite positive. It did scream a little bit of The Hunger Games vibes for me but since that is my favourite trilogy ever, I'm not complaining too much :P

Tomorrow, When The War Began is the first book in a seven book YA series which is set in Australia. It follows a young girl called Ellie and her friends who go camping out in the bush as a sort of last hurrah ...more

flag 18 likes · Like · see review

Jun 27, 2010 Buggy rated it really liked it

Shelves: shelf-12, fiction, end-of-days, ya, war, australia, virtual-vacation, survival

Opening Line: “It’s only half an hour since someone-Robyn I think- said we should write everything down, and it’s only twenty-nine minutes since I was chosen, and for those twenty-nine minutes I’ve had everyone crowded around me gazing at the blank pages and yelling ideas and advice.”

This was very good and had I read it when I was a teenager I know I would have loved it. Back in the day this would have been comparable to The Outsiders or the movie Red Dawn *sigh* young Patrick Swayze. I’ve actua Opening Line: “It’s only half an hour since someone-Robyn I think- said we should write everything down, and it’s only twenty-nine minutes since I was chosen, and for those twenty-nine minutes I’ve had everyone crowded around me gazing at the blank pages and yelling ideas and advice.”

This was very good and had I read it when I was a teenager I know I would have loved it. Back in the day this would have been comparable to The Outsiders or the movie Red Dawn *sigh* young Patrick Swayze. I’ve actually heard this compared to Red Dawn quite a bit but other than a couple of major plot points it’s a very different story.

I loved that this takes place in rural Australia (including all the Aussie slang) and the Australian bush almost becomes a character of its own here. I loved the magic of the teens ascending “Satan’s steps” and finding “Hell” Their own private world in all its secluded beauty, far away from civilization, parents and rules. The excitement of their camping trip and the discovery of this hidden place along with the mystery of the hermit were my favourite parts. These are the things I would have loved as a teen reader- well that and all the sneaking around evading the bad guys, driving heavy equipment and blowing shit up -the action scenes are really quite awesome. There’s a bit of awkward romance here but for the most part this is just one great action adventure, I just wish I’d read it 20 (yeah, okay 25) years ago.

When The War Began is the first book from the “Tomorrow” series and the author obviously knew from the onset that this was going to be a series because the ending is left wide open without any real conclusion, in fact the reader is left hanging. I just mention this because you might want to have book 2 (The Dead of Night) handy when you start.

This is written from Ellie’s POV and in the first chapter she explains why she and her friends felt it important to start writing everything down. For them it means that one day they might be remembered because their world has already changed forever. Then she takes us back to the beginning of their story.

It’s the Christmas holidays in an undisclosed rural area of Australia. Ellie and her six friends have decided to go camping for a week instead of attending the annual fair at the showgrounds in Wirrawee. Most of the group was raised on farms, which is important here because they are a tougher breed; able to use a rifle, drive trucks and motorcycles, move stock, deal with a snake bite etc. Anyways, after a lazy week in the bush our group return to Ellie’s family property, which is the closest and soon realize that something is terribly wrong. The first things they notice are the dead animals and that the power is out, the radio is only picking up static. Where are her parents?

Heading to the other teens homes they find more of the same, everyone is just gone. Could it have anything to do with the V-shaped lines of jets that flew overhead for what seemed like hours the other night? Gradually they come to learn that their country has been invaded and soldiers are holding everyone from the district POW style at the fairgrounds in town. Our group then faces a startling decision, they can flee to their oasis in the mountains or they can fight back.

The author cleverly never gives a nationality to the enemy. They are just nondescript soldiers, wearing unremarkable uniforms, speaking a foreign language. This I liked very much. Cheers.

307jb4 ...more

flag 17 likes · Like · see review

Jan 08, 2012 Kat rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, udate, apocalypse

Personally, one of the scariest reading experiences is going back as an adult to read a book I loved as a teenager. What if my 'growing up' has changed my opinion of the book - will I ruin a good memory, or reinforce just why I loved that book so much that the paperback I had eventually fell apart from so many re-reads?

These were exactly the worries I had when I started listening to the audio of Tomorrow, When the War Began. I read the first book a few years after it was first published, when I Personally, one of the scariest reading experiences is going back as an adult to read a book I loved as a teenager. What if my 'growing up' has changed my opinion of the book - will I ruin a good memory, or reinforce just why I loved that book so much that the paperback I had eventually fell apart from so many re-reads?

These were exactly the worries I had when I started listening to the audio of Tomorrow, When the War Began. I read the first book a few years after it was first published, when I was 8 or so (ok ok! So when I was about 14.....whatever) and I read all the available books one after the other. Each time a new one was released, I re-read the whole series again and then the new one - so I've read Tomorrow at least 5 or 6 times over the years. I've also own the movie adaptation on DVD, and although it does cut out some parts of the story, it's actually very well done.

Now I'm done with reminiscing, down to the serious business of reviewing a beloved teen favourite. The setting of Tomorrow, When the War Began is infinitely familiar to me - it literally smacks of Australia in a way that few other books I've read does. It evokes feelings of being a teenager, trying to be independent, first loves, the whole nine yards. It has always amazed me, and has done so again, how John Marsden can write books that resonate with both the teenage and adult audiences.

The plot is pretty straightforward - a bunch of teenagers go camping in an isolated part of the outback/forest and emerge to find that their country has been invaded, their parents and friends taken captive and suddenly they are thrust into a very adult situation, with very real, and scary consequences. Despite the fact they could quite easily hole up and hope for the best, they decide to take matters into their own hands and fight back.

All the characters are so well known to me, it's a little difficult for me to take a step back and see how they would come across to a new reader, but I'm certain they could definitely stand up. Ellie will always be one of my favourite teen characters - outwardly tough and brave, inwardly kind, caring and fiercely loyal. Homer, Fi, Robyn, Lee, Chris, Corrie and Kevin are all unique and lovable in their own ways, and together they make a strong, almost unified team. (I didn't even have to look all those names up, I remember them so well!).

Everything about Tomorrow, When the War Began is plausible, imaginable and well-considered. There's no sudden appearance of weapons and unexplained natural ability to kick arse, it's just simple, believable situations and reactions, both positive and negative.

I loved this book on audio - the narrator is a fantastic voice for Ellie, and the whole story holds up just as I remembered it. This is YA as it should be - it has the appeal for any reader of any age and despite the fact that next year it is 20 years old, it's not at all dated.

Read more of my reviews at The Aussie Zombie ...more

flag 17 likes · Like · see review

Apr 13, 2018 Ace rated it really liked it

Shelves: australian-writers

4 stars

Young adult fiction at its best, plus it's apparently book 1 of 7! Lots of reading fun to come.

Some teenagers go bush for a camping getaway and return to find their homes empty, the phone lines are dead, there's no electricity and only static on the radio. Among the fear and survival tactics is scattered that dry Australian sense of humour which I love. Highly recommended for young and young at heart! ...more

flag 17 likes · Like · see review

Sep 08, 2014 Kaora rated it it was ok

Looks like I'm in the minority here.

Tomorrow, When the War Began is a written account of Ellie and her friends, who after going off on a camping trip for a few days, return to discover that their family and everyone else in their town is missing, and soldiers are patrolling and looting.

I'm starting to think survivalist stories aren't for me.

First reading (and hating) Gone Home, and then this one. This time my dislike rested with the dreaded 'r' word. Romance. Even worse - Teenage Romance.

In the ...more

flag 15 likes · Like · see review

Feb 17, 2011 Steve Lowe rated it it was ok

I'm really torn about this one. It's a fairly interesting examination of teens trying to decide what to do when their country has been invaded by a foreign nation. Do our Australian heros go to war? Do they run and hide? Do they just hook up with each other and get their freak on out in the Outback?

Eventually, they do all three in one form or another, but I never really got attached to the story. It's written as a journal entry by one of the girls, 17-year old Ellie, so it reads as though it's been... written by a 17-year old girl. Not a bad thing in and of itself, mind you, but I grew up in the 1980s. I was weened on Red Dawn, the ultimate What If tale of evil Soviets invading America and plucky rural kids (much like those here in Tomorrow) decide to fight back and become guerilla warriors.

Perhaps there are cultural differences that I'm not aware of, but there just seemed to be a detachment here. These kids seem more interested in which partner they're going to shack up with, and Ellie even mentions it in her narrative, saying she can't believe she's even thinking about love at a time like this. Yeah, me too. You've seen your familes forced into a concentration camp (the local town fairgrounds), one of their homes was blown up by an enemy missile, they've been shot at (and one of them shot), and so on. But a (too) large portion of the story is devoted to Ellie trying to figure out which boy in the group she likes better. I guess I just prefer my teen guerilla fighters to be more Wolverines! and less Sweet Valley High. Maybe the teen girls in our household will appreciate this one more than me, if I can convince them to read it.

The possiblity for carnage and sweet revenge picked up toward the end, but it wasn't enough to save this one for me and want to move on to the next book in the series (of which there, I don't know, 8 or 14 books. There's a bunch.) Unless someone out there can tell me that C. Thomas Howell shows up with an AK-47 and an RPG, and whips these pantywaists into a crack fighting unit with a cool catchphrase, then, maybe. Anyone? ... ...more

flag 15 likes · Like · see review

Sep 16, 2011 Jessi rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: australia, hey-ya

More like 3.5 stars
I love survival tales and this is an exciting and different spin then I have been reading of late. No apocalypse, no zombies and no little children dying horrible deaths.

Ellie and her friends are in their last year of high school and decide over the break to go on a week camping/hiking trip deep into the outback. This was a great start, I love to read about camping but to be clear I do not camp. Gah! Its the worst, I am miserable the second the word tent is mentioned. Anyway ...more

flag 14 likes · Like · see review

Jun 21, 2014 Ryan Buckby rated it it was amazing

First read: January 11th 2010
Re-read: February 27th 2018, September 15th 2020

I picked this book up 8 years ago and i recently re-visited this series and to this day it will remain one of my favourite young adult series of all time!

i had some idea of what this story was about, it wasn't until i began reading it and it was actually about a teenage girl and her friends in Australia in the outback.

I really do love a teen/ young adult survival story and this book was no exception i had jus ...more

flag 14 likes · Like · see review

Sep 04, 2010 Noelle rated it really liked it

Recommended to Noelle by: Maggie

3.5 stars
Whenever I hear a random, not easily explainable boom, there is a small part of me that wonders if that noise I am brushing off as a transformer going out or random firework is actually something much more sinister. What if it is in fact not a benign blast but the first act of war? There I’ll be, wandering around in my safe oblivious bubble with electricity, plumbing, shelter and easily obtainable food and that boom was the moment my normal world changed forever.

That is what happens to 3.5 stars
Whenever I hear a random, not easily explainable boom, there is a small part of me that wonders if that noise I am brushing off as a transformer going out or random firework is actually something much more sinister. What if it is in fact not a benign blast but the first act of war? There I’ll be, wandering around in my safe oblivious bubble with electricity, plumbing, shelter and easily obtainable food and that boom was the moment my normal world changed forever.

That is what happens to Ellie and her friends after a run of the mill camping trip. They return to discover their country has been invaded, their families held prisoner by the invading forces and that they are now the de facto resistance.

I really appreciated how Marsden described the difficulty the teens had fully fathoming their dangerous new situation.

“I still couldn’t comprehend that this might be a matter of life and death, that this was the most serious thing I’d ever been involved in. Of course I knew it; I just couldn’t keep remembering it every single second. My mind wasn’t that well disciplined.”

It’d really be hard to wrap your head around it, going from teenage worries and cares to guerilla warfare--especially with no authority figures around to take charge. Figuring out what is even going on would be hard enough, let alone survival tactics such as food and protection and eventually fighting back. A course of action, no matter how small would become a risky, life-threatening venture. Ellie and the different members of the group come to terms with the consequences of their war time actions and decisions in different manners which were all very interesting to see.

The book is written as a group history taken down by Ellie to preserve a record of what happened. At times I thought Marsden had backed himself into a corner by choosing such a specific format. It worked really well at times, like when Ellie offered up a cut and dry relation of strategy and events or when Ellie was offering her insight into the situation but there were other times I yearned for more personal information about the other characters. Although the group had 8 members, I ended the book knowing only a few well enough to care what happened to them. (And by care I mean freak out about them. Something big would happen and it'd be more like “Oh, crap” vs. “OMG NOOO WHYYY??” you know what I mean?) Overall I was intrigued by all of the characters but ended the novel feeling held at a distance from most of them. I have a feeling that will be remedied in the six following books.

The format also made me skeptical when Ellie would share certain personal feelings (such as debate the merits of competing crushes) in the history. I wanted to read that stuff of course, but I couldn’t help but be semi-mortified that she was sharing it in such a public forum. (However, I have just started book 2 and this is addressed so bravo!) The format also made the love stuff (there’s love stuff) leap-frog all of the fun crush-building moments straight to “Oh, by the way, I’m in love with so and so now.” I know they are all life and death and there’s no time for semantics but I was left feeling a little disappointed. I wanted to be more invested in those kinds of developments.

But back to the good stuff. Primarily this is a book about survival and I loved the ins and outs of the group’s every day life as the resistance. Ellie and Homer's excellent strategizing, along with their ability to think on their feet kept me glued to the book to see what would happen next. It also made me realize how fast I'd be captured or killed if I were in their place. I don't keep matches handy or even know how to drive a stick shift for crying out loud! I might have to start carrying a can opener in my purse. Maybe I should learn a survival skill for each book in this series. Does anyone know where one can sign up for bulldozer driving lessons?

I rated this 3.5 stars because I thought this book was good with moments of great. Overall this was a fast, engaging read with a dynamic interesting heroine. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series. On to the next one!
...more

flag 13 likes · Like · see review

Aug 14, 2008 C. rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to C. by: Sweet Vally High and Goosebumps

Shelves: own-or-access, to-be-re-read, children-s-young-adults, war

Eight teenagers who go camping in the bush for a few days, only to return and find that Australia had been invaded by an unknown enemy. They then spend the next five books fighting a guerrilla war against the invaders. The story is narrated by Ellie, who is elected to keep a written record of what happens to them. However, her record quickly turns into something closer to being a diary.

I read this at a much earlier age than I was supposed to - at about eight or nine rather than fourteen or fifte Eight teenagers who go camping in the bush for a few days, only to return and find that Australia had been invaded by an unknown enemy. They then spend the next five books fighting a guerrilla war against the invaders. The story is narrated by Ellie, who is elected to keep a written record of what happens to them. However, her record quickly turns into something closer to being a diary.

I read this at a much earlier age than I was supposed to - at about eight or nine rather than fourteen or fifteen. As such, it is particularly notable to me because it was the first thing I ever read which contained an overt description of characters having sex. In a later volume (I no longer remember which), Lee and Ellie, between whom sexual tension has been simmering since the very beginning, finally get it on while squatting in an abandoned house in some heavily war-damaged rural Victorian town. In a move that is incredibly cliched, though I didn't realise it at the time, Lee pulls an ancient condom from his wallet that dates from a long-forgotten sex ed lesson several years previously. Sex proceeds awkwardly but magically, for it is their first time. The next morning they are embarrassed and forbear to tell the others, though naturally it all comes out eventually. It's very typical and quite unoriginal, but I remember being positively glued to the page, saucer-eyed, infinite vistas of previously-unimagined possibilities opening up within my mind. I was as naive and prudish as any child, and though I understood the mechanics of sex (or at least I think I did), the idea that anyone could write about it was mind-blowing.

Later on, it was also the birth of a long friendship resulting from a giggly moment with a fellow bookworm ("did you read the bit where... where they have sex?") and for that reason alone I have much to thank it for.

The author's bio claims that John Marsden is "the world's most successful author of teenage fiction." Personally I think that's probably not true, but as YA lit goes, this is pretty damn good. The concept is singularly brilliant: there is something about the thought of one's country being invaded that does something to one. Maybe people from any country feel like this, but there has never been a war on this soil (the bombing of Darwin in WWII doesn't count because that was from the air), and in general Australia is so peripheral to international affairs that the thought just never crosses our minds. It's odd: the thought of being invaded, of being raped and pillaged and bombed to bits and ground under the cruel yoke of occupation seems to have a sort of vicarious appeal - the shudder of dread is mixed with a shiver of excitement. The themes are just the right complexity for the age group; the ending is satisfyingly unhappy and confrontingly realistic, and although the moral and ethical discussions are naive, they are, I think, fairly accurate and convincing portrayals of how someone that age would think.

Unfortunately, it is kind of disgustingly YA. When I first read it, I loved it so much I saved my pocket money obsessively for a year or so until I could buy the boxed set, but then whenever I tried to read them again I hated them and cursed my innocent stupidity and the wasted $70 (it was a massive amount of money back then). The prose is irritating as hell at times, and reading about teenagers and their stupid emotions and stupid acne and stupid immaturity has never really appealed to me. Nonetheless, and rather surprisingly, I'm enjoying reading them again - it's a lot of fun. ...more

flag 13 likes · Like · see review

Apr 12, 2018 Chyina rated it really liked it

Shelves: reviewed, young-adult, australian

This was a really enjoyable book. Though sometimes a bit slow and on occasion the MC would get on my nerves, but overall I liked it. I had seen the movie first, but honestly don't remember much about it, which is probably a good thing when reading the book.

I like how well the characters seem to be defined and believable in their personalities.

This book leaves you feeling uneasy when you put yourself into these people's situation. I mean, really, if this did happen in Australia, like that. It ju ...more

flag 13 likes · Like · see review

Feb 07, 2008 Sisi rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: everyone

Shelves: own

I've lost track of how many times I've read this book. But I never get tired of reading it. Coming to the Tomorrow series rather late in the game (I'd hazard I was 16 when I first picked it up), I suspect if I had read it earlier it would have had more of an impact on myself. Even so, the book's impact is great. The writing is perfect, the premise of the book - that Australia has been invaded - is breathtaking, and the characters and their actions are unforgettable. I've been on a real teenage/Y ...more

flag 13 likes · Like · see review

Sep 08, 2019 NAT.orious reads ☾ rated it liked it

3.25 surviving ★★★✩✩

This book is for you if…more traditional young adult stories catch your eye and hold your interest. You will encounter a very realistic story and a gang of smart and badass survivors.

⇝Preface.
When I was younger I used to spend a significant amount of my school holidays at my friend's house in the countryside. We often watched TV in the evening and the movie adaptation of this book was part of that for a long while - and we never even planned it! It was always a coinc ...more

flag 12 likes · Like · see review

Jan 09, 2016 Rebecca rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2016, loveozya, young-adult, genre-action-adventure

i love this series so much <3

flag 12 likes · Like · see review

Jun 06, 2017 Mel rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 4-stars, owned, read-in-2017

I really ended up liking this.

It took me about 50 pages to get into it but I think it was really good! It follows 7 teenagers who go on a camping trip in the Australian bush and when they come home they find out that their town has been invaded by an unknown foreign country and everyone is gone so they start fighting a Guerilla war of sorts.

It's told in the style of someone after the events writing down what happens and I really liked it. I found her tone really well done and I think that the ...more

flag 16 likes · Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
invading army?	25	549	Apr 16, 2020 05:06PM
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. YA Dystopian Novel - Australian kids camp in woods come back to find stuff bad. [s]	4	25	Feb 15, 2019 09:12AM
Aussie Readers: April 2018-Final Thoughts-Spoilers Allowed-Tomorrow When the War Began	14	36	May 23, 2018 06:03PM
Aussie Readers: April 2018-First Thoughts-No Spoilers-Tomorrow When the War Began	10	30	Apr 14, 2018 06:50PM
10B - Must Read B...: Tomorrow When the War Began - John Marsden	2	10	Mar 26, 2018 02:20AM

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Genres

Young Adult

744 users

Fiction

515 users

Science Fiction > Dystopia

386 users

Science Fiction

178 users

Adventure

174 users

War

116 users

Adventure > Survival

98 users

Cultural > Australia

92 users

Apocalyptic > Post Apocalyptic

91 users

Young Adult > Teen

85 users

See top shelves…

About John Marsden

John Marsden

1,784 followers

There is more than one author with this name in the database, see f.e. John Marsden

His first book, So Much To Tell You, was published in 1987. This was followed by Take My Word For It, a half-sequel written from the point of view of another character. His landmark Tomorrow series is recognized as the most popular book series for young adults ever written in Australia. The first book of this series ...more