Tomorrow, When the War Began - Third Media Log (Novel)

SUMMARY:

                The story started off with a video log that showed Ellie telling the story of how they ended up in their current situation. Ellie and her friends namely, Corrie, Kevin, Homer, Lee, Robyn and Fi, live in small country town called Wirrawee in Australia. Before their school starts, they decided to go on a vacation in a remote place they call “Hell”. During one night of their week stay at Hell, Ellie saw a number of fighter jets flying through the Australian sky in which they thought were Australian Air Force having a military exercise. Upon returning to their town, they witnessed their homes empty and their parents, along with the other people in town, were missing. All the electricity and water supply were cut. That was when they realized that something has gone absolutely wrong. Showground was the only place where they saw a power supply. They sneaked around the showground and found out that the people of the town are being held by an unknown foreign military. They had close encounters with the soldiers where one of them, Lee, was shot. Lee had to be treated by a local dentist who was also hiding in the shadows. The dentist then gave them an idea that the unknown military’s supply was being delivered by using the Heron Bridge. They all agreed to return to Hell where they can decide whether to hide until help comes or fight the soldiers. They chose to fight these soldiers at their town where they know the inside and outs of this place.  They were successful with their small fights around the town including one particular fight where they destroyed the Heron Bridge by blowing up a tanker placed below the bridge to cut the military’s supply. Despite being victorious with these fights, Ellie’s friend, Corrie, was shot and was in the danger of dying. Corrie’s boyfriend, Kevin, chose to surrender themselves to the military in order to treat Corrie’s wounds while the rest of the team returned back to Hell to regroup. Ellie explained that their battle is not finished yet and they are still willing to fight for their town. That ended Ellie’s video log. 

EVALUATION:

                John Marsden is a great writer in my opinion. I fully understood the story and was entertained throughout the story. I did have some difficulties understanding some of the parts of the story as most of them are based from the Australian culture. Moreover, some of the words he used in the story can only be understood by a reader if he/she also knows the Australian culture. The story has depth and a reader can truly feel the story. This is the first book of his Tomorrow Series and I am willing to buy the next books in order to continue reading the rest of the story.

REFLECTION:

                Through John Marsden’s first book, I was able to learn how to appreciate my time with my family and friends. I also learned the value of friendship, trust and unity. Like Ellie and her friends at this story, they were able to act accordingly as a group where no one gets left behind. Trust with one another, they used this in order to defeat some of the soldiers. The writer could also be telling us the value our life as a whole. We so often take it for granted that when disasters like the one in the story happened, most of us would panic and just give up. And lastly, I thought the writer was telling us to be optimistic with our lives. In times like this, sometimes giving up is not an option. Sometimes fighting what hurts us would solve the problem.  Though some readers might say that Ellie and her friends should not have been so aggressive in attacking the soldiers, I believe they have done the right thing at that situation. They are brave enough to take the risks and rescue their town. A mindset which every one of us should have, being brave through rough times.