goodreads | Tomorrow, When the War Began

Title: Tomorrow, When the War Began
Author: John Marsden
Genre: Dystopian
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 285
Date read: December 2011, December 2016

When Ellie and her friends go camping, they have no idea they're leaving their old lives behind forever. Despite a less-than-tragic food shortage and a secret crush or two, everything goes as planned. But a week later, they return home to find their houses empty and their pets starving. Something has gone wrong--horribly wrong. Before long, they realize the country has been invaded, and the entire town has been captured--including their families and all their friends. Ellie and the other survivors face an impossible decision: They can flee for the mountains or surrender. Or they can fight.

I'd actually seen this in the library 10'ish years ago and thought it sounded interesting, but decided against taking it out when I saw that it was part of a series since I didn't know if the books could stand alone or if the series had been finished. However, a friend recommended it to me back in 2005, so I thought I would give it a shot. I liked it well enough, but wasn't blown away by it, so I never picked up the sequels.

Recently another friend started talking about it again. She'd seen the movie and raved about both it and the books, so I figured it was time to give it a second chance. I don't know what changed, but this time I loved it, and will definitely be continuing with the rest of the series.

I think one difference may have been that I read it in Danish last time and English this time. Even the best translator cannot capture the Australian slang in Danish. I felt much more connected to the story and am eager to see what happens next.

We never think war could ever come to our country, and discovering it so suddenly, like the kids here did, must have been a terrible shock. I can't even imagine.