Preview

Reading Log - Tomorrow, When the War Began

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
947 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Reading Log - Tomorrow, When the War Began
Reading Log – Tomorrow, When the War Began

The award-winning book ‘Tomorrow, When the War Began’ by John Marsden is narrated by the main character, Ellie. She tells the story of how each teenager responds when war suddenly strikes in their country, Australia. It begins when Ellie and her best friend, Corrie, decide to go camping in a deep valley named Hell along with a five other friends. When they return home to their rural town of Wirrawee, they find their lives shattered. Their dogs are dead, the power is cut and their houses that have ‘no sign of life at all’. Australia has been invaded by foreigners and the group is given the choice to either fight, surrender, or hide. They chose to fight! From there, various dangerous situations arise and Ellie and her friends must find a way to survive. It also has a touch of romance on the action along with convincing teenage voices which help convey their emotions and thoughts.

I really liked how this book was written in first person narrated by Ellie because it was extremely effective. During the book, there were times that the group was split up so therefore Ellie could not retell what happened in another group’s team in detail since she wasn’t there. This meant that the details of what happened in the other group was left to my, the reader’s, imagination. An example of this is when Ellie finds “no sign of Lee and Robyn” and she wonders “what might have happened to Lee and Robyn”. Since Ellie did not go with them, she does not know what happened with them. This allowed me to feel the anxiousness that Ellie must have felt to not know what had happened to her friends. Also it allowed me to use my imagination and create scenarios in my mind of what could have happened to Lee and Robyn. Naturally, I imagined terrible scenes which I suspect were what Marsden wanted the reader to imagine, in order to create suspense. All of this made me more active with the book as I was thinking through what I read. Furthermore, as

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    It is a well known fact that experiencing war changes people; there is an innocence that is forever lost. In Tim O’Brian’s, “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong”, Mary Anne Bell is an unusual example of the innocence that is lost in war because unlike the rest of the soldiers, she is a woman. Mary Anne’s transformation from innocent “sweetheart” to fierce warrior left readers with mixed emotions because although Mary Anne felt at peace with her transformation, she was also disconnected from reality.…

    • 1321 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    “Tomorrow When The War Began” by John Marsden, is a novel of survival, friendship, love and war. He uses many language techniques (e.g. simile, metaphor, personification, oxymoron, irony, symbol, allusion etc.) to get across to the reader the importance of each of the themes discussed. He also uses these techniques to set the mood in each chapter and to help emphasise each major point in the novel. “We’ve learnt a lot and had to figure out what’s important- what matters, what really matters.”- Ellie…

    • 1277 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Tomorrow, When the War Began is a novel by John Marsden, the text is filled with danger, suspense and emotion and is aimed at late teenagers. The text is set in the Australian bush, during an attack from a foreign invasion. John Marsden shows us there is hope for teenagers. The main characters display moments of Courage, Self-Discovery, Loyalty and Maturity. These qualities are essential for the main characters now that their country is at war, this is why they emerge in the novel as essential themes.…

    • 512 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ellie Linton is just a normal teenage farm girl , that likes t have fun but is also responsible at the same time and she knows when its time to joke or be serious. Ellie is a very courageous and passionate and her and Homer are very good friends and have grown up together , this quote “ Homer and I spent all our free time together when we were little , and were still close”. Ellie is loving and loyal to all her friends and family , she loves her Australian farm life. Ellie is a good leader and knows how to deal and adapt with situations. Ellie is the go to person when there is a group task because she was clever and could handle everyones ideas and never let her emotions get in the way. Ellie likes to help out her friends and is kind to them. Being brought up on a farm has given her many different type of skills. Also at the start of the book Ellie was the…

    • 842 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    I Was Only 19 Essay

    • 1016 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The theme explores the horrifying and devastating effects that war has on the young soldiers involved. It shows the horrors and experiences; mental and physical problems that the young men had to deal with during and after the war. Some of these horrors included seeing their best mates killed in…

    • 1016 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Tomorrow When The War Begin is the novel by John Marsden is about 7 young adult who went to camping and they returned their country(Australia) had been invocated it was at war. Most people change when they experience conflict.The characters from hell experience conflict such as being shot at escaping from soldier, being bombed and being injured they also experience conflict because their parent are held hostage in the show grand.…

    • 409 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Young people often do not know what to expect of the future. They do not know how to act when something unexpected comes along, and their actions are based on what they do know; usually limited, biased information. This idea is central to the short story, ʺWar,ʺ by Timothy Findley. The young boy, Neil Cable, narrates the day he found out his father had joined the army. He speaks of his actions, feelings, and confusion surrounding that day. At first glance, his actions are all too often misinterpreted as violence and hatred, but after careful consideration, one can see that they are merely his way of dealing with the troubling news. He has not experienced enough in his lifetime to have a true understanding of war, and acts upon what he does know. In the short story, ʺWarʺ, by Timothy Findley, the young boy’s image of war and actions throughout are explained through the use of symbolism.…

    • 1367 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hey, I got Achieved for this essay in my mock exam and any advice would be useful. Thanks Describe a major change in a character in the text. Explain why this change was important. In the novel “Tomorrow, When The War Began” by John Marsden, many changes had occurred to all seven teenagers but Homer major change was the way he became more mature. The change was important because it revealed Homer’s leadership, imagination, and initiative skills. When the war broke out, all seven teenagers discovered it was a complicated world living without any mature adults following no advice. They had to force their mind to think about tactics and strategies in order to survive the invasion. Each and every one of them transformed somehow, whether it was…

    • 962 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Fly Away Peter Identity

    • 831 Words
    • 4 Pages

    War is something Australia has not yet experienced, and most of the Australians were "filled with excitement" and the streets were "filled with an odd electricity". They had "entered a different day," Australia was going to become a part of the bigger picture, and Jim felt that it "made him bold", ready to try and experience new…

    • 831 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In conclusion Tomorrow When the War Began by John Marsden showcases how war can change people. Homer starts of as a good for nothing troublemaker (Australians). During the novel Homer changes into a leader who everyone trusted to make the shots. This novel displayed that war doesn't usually change people for the better as Ellie and co were changed in a negative way. Finally this novel taught me that war can change people in many different…

    • 769 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Dear diary, my mom just told me that the war between the allies (America, Britain, USSR, and France) and Germany and Italy had ended finally but the war between the allies and Japan hasn't really ended. I wish we all can get along, and not fight. I just hope I can forget all about this when my birthday comes.…

    • 59 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Homer Yannos

    • 763 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Homer Yannos is best friends with Ellie, who is the protagonist in ‘Tomorrow when the war began.’ Written by John Marsden. The novel was published in 1993 and the genre is young adult action. Seven teenagers decide to go camping during the school holidays, determined to be more independent. Suddenly when their homeland is invaded, Homer is forced to grow up a little earlier that intended. Leaving the irresponsible joker as the reliable leader. As everything around them changes, Homer will guide his friends to safety in the depths of ‘Hell’.…

    • 763 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Secrets in the Fire

    • 428 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Young readers will be drawn to this story because of the vivid picture it creates of a violent, war-torn world which they know exists but which they struggle to even imagine. This book presents the stark reality of what life can be like for young people growing up in a country where extreme poverty and bloody wars make their lives into a constant struggle for survival.…

    • 428 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Diary Entry To Ww1

    • 417 Words
    • 2 Pages

    So it’s my first day on the battlefield it’s September 16 1916. Yesterday was the first day that the British and French used their tanks they are slow but can take somewhat of a beating and do some major damage to the germans. Well i could not finish yesterday's entry we had to take cover because the germans started to bombard us with artillery fire and we lost about 30 people in about two minutes and we found their body covered in rats this morning. So today we are going to use the tanks and artillery and fire at the same time we might win this battle because they seem to be sleeping because they are not shooting at all I don’t know if they are waiting for supplies or waiting for an attack.…

    • 417 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    My second point is the Hermit. The Hermit is one of the side stories in the book they don't get that deep into the story but they give up just enough details to make a point out of it. The hermit in the book is considered to be evil by everyone in Wirrawee. But when Ellie discovers the Hermits den she finds old documents and photo's of his family. If he was so evil why would he keep them. Personally I think that he was putting his family out of their misery by shooting them, and he stayed away from everyone because he could not stand being judged.…

    • 442 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays

Related Topics