Week 4 - If you enjoyed Tomorrow, When the War Began

Personally, I really enjoyed reading Tomorrow, When the War Began. For those of you who did to, here is my own list of other books or series that you may enjoy:

I Am Number Four series by Pittacus Lore. A group of teenagers from a different race called Lorian, are fighting their enemy, the Mogadorians on planet Earth. Full of action and friendship, this is an exciting book!

The Gone series by Michael Grant. This is book is similar in that one day, everyone over the age of fifteen disappears, leaving the kids to fend for themself. With a mysterious plot, this series is an interesting read.

Recon Team Angel: Assault by Brian Falkner. The world is at war with an alien race called the Bzadians. It's up to a group of teenagers from around the world to go undercover and find their way into a secret Bzadian facility in Uluru....

Alpha Force series by Chris Ryan. This series is about five teenagers who form an elite young SAS team. Each book is about a different mission, but all are full of action and danger. This group is a force to be reckoned with!

Bodyguard: Hostage by Chris Bradford. Connor Reeves is fourteen and trained in unarmed combat, surveillance, hostage survival, protection techniques. He's the perfect material for a  bodyguard. When asked to protect the President's daughter, all his skills are put to an ultimate test...

http://www.iamnumberfour.co.uk

http://www.michaelgrantbooks.co.uk

http://www.walkerbooks.com.au/Books/Recon-Team-Angel-Book-1-Assault-9781921720543

http://www.chrisryanadventures.co.uk/adventures/alpha-force/

http://www.bodyguard-books.co.uk/the-books/

Week 4 - The Sequel

   This is a pretend first chapter for the sequel to Tomorrow, When the War Began:

We spent another week camping in Hell, staying out of sight. Homer eventually decided that he wanted to get more supplies for our camp. Because we were all bored, we all wanted to come. But Homer wanted two of us to stay back to guard the camp. After much arguing, Fi and Kevin decided to stay. Of course that made Homer happy, because he knew Fi would be safer in Hell.
       We didn't know what the town would look like after our last visit, but we didn't expect what we saw. The place was crawling with soldiers, so many houses had been destroyed and the roads were covered in debris and wood. It was a real mess.
  Homer split us up. I went with Lee and he went with Robyn. It was impossible to walk in the open. We had to keep stopping behind every building. That was a task in itself because there were almost none left standing. Soon we came to the supermarket and quickly we ran in. Thankfully, the soldiers didn't see us. We found tins of vegetables and fruit, packets of rice and cereal, tea bags and other dried food.
   It was as we came out that the gunfire started. My heart raced. It was coming from where Homer and Robyn had gone. Homer said we would rendezvous at Lee's restaurant. I crossed my fingers in hope that he and Robyn would make it...

Week 3 - Themes and issues

Tomorrow, When the War Began has many themes and issues. Here are three of the main ones:

Conflict: This is a quite an obvious issue in this book. A country is at war with Australia and has started invading. War is a major conflict. However, conflict doesn't have to be as major as war. It could be two groups disagreeing, a physical attack or just an argument with friends. Often with war in a story, comes survival.

Survival: Because the group went camping while their town was taken, they weren't captured. When they came back, they were attacked by the enemy soldiers. To survive, they hide away in Hell. Survival is about keeping yourself alive. In this instance they are trying to survive a conflict, but it could be surviving a natural disaster or surviving in a harsh environment.

Friendship: Before the camping trip, the group didn't know each other really well. Some of them were friends, but the war really brought them together. The friendships even went as far as love. Homer falls for Fi, Ellie likes Lee and Corrie and Kevin love each other. I often find that in books, major conflicts like war can strengthen friendships.

Here are a few links to pictures of films or books that explore similar topics:

 http://ifanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/the-adventures-of-tintin-the-secret-of-the-unicorn-movie.jpg

http://www.rrr.org.au/assets/phelan-james-alone-chasers.jpg

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXvFDt4w9OTdhCTXFgShnNzsYfJIjBrcLYsVsjiup3vull_kwnOfudngZM148pJMZgKoRQUknD04vNMxlDEX_n-fIHTnKJTw-MJMy3166GzFvrAkdtO8iPGo5JIeqdv7WVb_ZaGmO58BtQ/s1600/968909_545637225477828_962164191_n.jpg

http://www.impawards.com/2007/bridge_to_terabithia_xlg.html

http://www.booksie.com/media/85181/GoneSeries-MichaelGrant.PNG

http://www.awkwardgeeks.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/the-hunger-games-books-1-3.jpg

Week 3 - Journal Entry

This is a pretend journal written by Robyn from Tomorrow, When the War Began.

Going on our trip

When Ellie asked me if I could come with her and the others to Tailor's Stitch and Hell, I never thought I would be allowed to go. But Ellie is great at persuading and after talking with my parents, they said yes. 

    The trip up was long and tiring, but I love the outdoors and it was quite fun. I took the front as we walked along Tailor's. It was great fun when we got to Satan's Steps, climbing through holes and narrow gaps. We arrived at a stream and Lee and I went exploring. I went into the bushes and to my surprise, there was bridge. I came back and told the others. I think if it wasn't for that, we would've turned back and never found our camp in Hell.

My trip into town with Lee

When we split up to search the town, I felt scared. If it wasn't for Lee, I don't think I would have been as brave. There were patrols and soldiers everywhere. 

  We were delighted when we Mr Clement, our town dentist. He told us about the soldiers, but he asked us to go pretty quickly. I don't know why. When we were heading into newsagents, the soldiers started shooting at us. Thankfully we had lots of momentum and got through the door. I kept going, but suddenly Lee wasn't there. I looked behind and he was limping after me. He was grimacing in pain. He had been shot. The adrenaline kept me going and I carried Lee over to his family's restaurant. It was such a relief to finally find the others after that. 

Week 3 - Characters

I was required to choose characters for a movie of this book, but because it already has been made one, it's a bit hard to find anything. I have found the actors for each character and I think they are close to what the characters would look like. Here are pictures for each teenager in the movie. 

Homer Yannos who is played by Denis Akdenis. Homer was a naughty boy at school, but turns out to be key in leading the group. Also falls in love with Fi (Fiona).

Lee Takkam played by Chris Pang. Lee's family owned an Asian restaurant in town. During the story he gets shot in the leg.

Kevin Holmes played by Lincoln Lewis. Kevin is a gentle giant, who is in love with Corrie.

Corrie Mackenzie played by Rachel Hurd-Wood. Corrie loves Kevin. She gets shot in the back right at the end, but doesn't die.

Robyn Mathers played by Ashleigh Cummings. Robyn was an A+ student and sport enthuast at school. She is a Chrisitan and loves the outdoors.

Ellie Linton who is played by Caitlin Stasey. Ellie is the one who writes the book. She falls in love with Lee.

Fiona Maxwell played by Phoebe Tonkin. Fi hadn't spent much time outdoors. She is small, graceful and she likes Homer.

Chris Lang played by Andrew Ryan. Chris wasn't with the group from the start. They found him hiding in town. Chris is known for drinking beer and perhaps using some drugs he shouldn't.

Thanks to:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1456941/

Week 2 - Locations and key events

Tomorrow, When the War Began is set in Australia. Some of the locations based on actual places, but some are made up. Here is a brief summary of the main locations:

Tailor's Stitch:
This was the long mountainous trail that the group climbed up. It ran all the way up to Mt Martin.

Hell: This was the camping area that the teenagers found after climbing down Satan's Steps, which were "huge granite blocks." They made a makeshift home here so they could stay out of danger.

Wirrawee: This was the main town that all the teenagers came from. It was quite a rural area and most of the people lived on farms.

Showground: This was where the Wirrawee show was meant to take place. However, the invading country used this spot as a prison. Everyone from the town was held hostage here.

Hermit's hut: This was the hut of man who once lived here. During their time in Hell, Ellie discovered the hut. She found papers telling of how he shot his family under controversial circumstances.

Attached here are my own map for where these locations are situated. This area is a random place near the coast of NSW.

The blue writing says 'Ellie finds Hermit's Hut.'

This is a map for where key events take place.

Red dot: Ellie, Kevin and Corrie are shot at near Showground

Orange dot: Soldiers blown up by lawnmower bomb

Yellow dot: The bridge is blown up by the group

Green Dot: Where Lee is rescued 

Blue Dot: Where Corrie is shot

Week 2 - The biggest character change

The character which I think experiences the most change during this book is Homer. Before the war, Homer was "wild, outrageous," and "didn't care what he did or what anyone thought." For example, at school he would watch the workmen climb onto the roof to fix pipes or retrieve balls. Once they were up, he would steal the ladder and they would come back to find it gone. He was basically a pest who always got into trouble.
   However, once the group comes back to find war in Australia, Homer becomes much more mature. He is actually the one who helps keep everyone together through his ideas and plans of what they should do. The others start to look to him for guidance. Another change in Homer is how he falls for Fi. Before, he was a tough boy who never really showed much emotion and was certainly not known for talking to girls. He tells Ellie how he likes Fi. She writes "I'd seen people struck by the lightning of love before, but I'd never thought it would happen to Homer." Homer's lifestyle changes from a lazy boy who didn't care about anyone to a smart-thinking leader.