miller821
03-01-2006, 08:35 PM
If anyone could proof read this and give me any suggestions that would be great. Its for a book report and i don't want to get a bad grade. I'm open to all comments and suggestions. I know its boring so you don't have to if you don't want to.
Zachary Miller
Mr. Ewell
3/2
English 1 Book Report
Tomorrow When the War Began
Tomorrow When the War Began, written by author John Marsden, is a story all about friendship, family, trust, and survival. The main character (Ellie) and six of her friends go out on a camping trip to a place called Hell. The camping trip goes good and they start making there way back when they see a whole bunch of fires out in the horizon, which they find very strange at this time of the year. When they get back to Ellie’s house, they find that the dogs are dead, all but Millie, and that their parents aren’t home. Finally they figure out that the world, as they once knew it, has been invaded by another country, and that their parents have been taken hostage and held up at the Commemoration day show. So now it’s only the eight of them: Ellie, Corrie, Fi, Robyn, Lee, Kevin, Homer, and Chris.
First, is the setting which takes place in Australia, and is actually based on real life places there. The setting of this story played a crucial part in the survival for the characters, because they had to remain unknown. Ellie’s house is located out in the country, far from any other houses, which helps the characters to not get caught, because they did not have to get close to the fighting unless they wanted to, and it was not far from Hell. Hell is a place known as Terrible Hollow, which is located in the Australian Alps, near Mount Howitt in Victoria. Hell is a very hard place to get into, because you must climb down small cliffs, known as the Devil’s Staircase, which descends down into Hell. The only downfall of Hell, was the Devil’s Staircases, because it was very hard to get supplies back and forth when they needed, but it was very hidden and hard to find.
Next, is conflict which was inevitable between them and the soldiers. They all had to overcome each conflict that came there way, because they could not allow themselves to be overtaken. This included: the fear of the soldiers, the fear for their families, and the internal and external conflicts between themselves. One example of the conflict with the soldiers is when Corrie, Kevin, and Ellie went to the show grounds to find out for sure if that’s where their parents really were. They got there and saw the soldiers, which confirmed their suspicions, but as they were hiding they were seen. They were seen and pursued by three soldiers who were shooting and trying to kill them, but luckily they got away by blowing the soldiers up. After that incident they knew that the soldiers were real and that they had to be more cautious if they wanted to stay alive. Besides conflicts with soldiers, they had to be careful not to start conflicts among themselves. They knew that a fight among themselves would only make them weaker and break them apart. Ellie did not want to get in a relationship with Lee, because she knew that if they didn’t want to date anymore, that that would only make them want to hate each other and never see each other again.
Finally, there were many climaxes in this story, that made me just want to flip to the next page to see what happened. One climax, for example, was when Robyn and Lee were in the city, and Lee gets shot in the back of the leg from pursuing soldiers. Robyn sees that he is shot and picks him up and carries him to safety. That changed all of them, because after they went back and got him out of the city, they realized how important it was to have as many of them left as they could. The final climax point was when Lee, Homer, Fi, and Ellie just got back to Ellie’s house after they blew up the bridge. They go into her garage and see Chris sitting next to Kevin, with Robyn on the other side of him, and Corrie with her head in Kevin’s lap. Kevin says to them, “ Corrie’s been shot.” Ellie replied, “ Where was she shot at,” and Chris told them in the back. After they heard that, they all knew that they had to take her to the hospital, which was being run by the terrorist, for her to be treated. So they all know what they must do, and Kevin volunteers himself to take her there, and to stay by her side. Shortly after that the story ends, and leaves you wondering if they made it there or not.
All in all, the setting, conflict, and climax all played a major role in the suspense in this story. All throughout this story the characters learned more and more about each other and about themselves. They learned that if they all worked together that they could accomplish so much more than working on their own. Also, they found friendship, trust, and respect in one another. In the end of the story, they call Hell their home knowing that it has become a part of them, and that they have no place else left to call home.
Zachary Miller
Mr. Ewell
3/2
English 1 Book Report
Tomorrow When the War Began
Tomorrow When the War Began, written by author John Marsden, is a story all about friendship, family, trust, and survival. The main character (Ellie) and six of her friends go out on a camping trip to a place called Hell. The camping trip goes good and they start making there way back when they see a whole bunch of fires out in the horizon, which they find very strange at this time of the year. When they get back to Ellie’s house, they find that the dogs are dead, all but Millie, and that their parents aren’t home. Finally they figure out that the world, as they once knew it, has been invaded by another country, and that their parents have been taken hostage and held up at the Commemoration day show. So now it’s only the eight of them: Ellie, Corrie, Fi, Robyn, Lee, Kevin, Homer, and Chris.
First, is the setting which takes place in Australia, and is actually based on real life places there. The setting of this story played a crucial part in the survival for the characters, because they had to remain unknown. Ellie’s house is located out in the country, far from any other houses, which helps the characters to not get caught, because they did not have to get close to the fighting unless they wanted to, and it was not far from Hell. Hell is a place known as Terrible Hollow, which is located in the Australian Alps, near Mount Howitt in Victoria. Hell is a very hard place to get into, because you must climb down small cliffs, known as the Devil’s Staircase, which descends down into Hell. The only downfall of Hell, was the Devil’s Staircases, because it was very hard to get supplies back and forth when they needed, but it was very hidden and hard to find.
Next, is conflict which was inevitable between them and the soldiers. They all had to overcome each conflict that came there way, because they could not allow themselves to be overtaken. This included: the fear of the soldiers, the fear for their families, and the internal and external conflicts between themselves. One example of the conflict with the soldiers is when Corrie, Kevin, and Ellie went to the show grounds to find out for sure if that’s where their parents really were. They got there and saw the soldiers, which confirmed their suspicions, but as they were hiding they were seen. They were seen and pursued by three soldiers who were shooting and trying to kill them, but luckily they got away by blowing the soldiers up. After that incident they knew that the soldiers were real and that they had to be more cautious if they wanted to stay alive. Besides conflicts with soldiers, they had to be careful not to start conflicts among themselves. They knew that a fight among themselves would only make them weaker and break them apart. Ellie did not want to get in a relationship with Lee, because she knew that if they didn’t want to date anymore, that that would only make them want to hate each other and never see each other again.
Finally, there were many climaxes in this story, that made me just want to flip to the next page to see what happened. One climax, for example, was when Robyn and Lee were in the city, and Lee gets shot in the back of the leg from pursuing soldiers. Robyn sees that he is shot and picks him up and carries him to safety. That changed all of them, because after they went back and got him out of the city, they realized how important it was to have as many of them left as they could. The final climax point was when Lee, Homer, Fi, and Ellie just got back to Ellie’s house after they blew up the bridge. They go into her garage and see Chris sitting next to Kevin, with Robyn on the other side of him, and Corrie with her head in Kevin’s lap. Kevin says to them, “ Corrie’s been shot.” Ellie replied, “ Where was she shot at,” and Chris told them in the back. After they heard that, they all knew that they had to take her to the hospital, which was being run by the terrorist, for her to be treated. So they all know what they must do, and Kevin volunteers himself to take her there, and to stay by her side. Shortly after that the story ends, and leaves you wondering if they made it there or not.
All in all, the setting, conflict, and climax all played a major role in the suspense in this story. All throughout this story the characters learned more and more about each other and about themselves. They learned that if they all worked together that they could accomplish so much more than working on their own. Also, they found friendship, trust, and respect in one another. In the end of the story, they call Hell their home knowing that it has become a part of them, and that they have no place else left to call home.