Australian author John Marsden's first book in the best-selling Tomorrow series. It was first published in the early nineties, and the series ended in 1999 with the publication of the seventh and final book.
The basic premise of the series is that a group of teenagers goes camping in a remote area of the Australian bush, and when they come home a week later, the country has been invaded and their families imprisoned.
The story is written by Ellie, whose experiences are told honestly and realistically, but with the sensitivity one expects from Marsden. The action scenes are fantastic, and in all seven books Marsden never points the finger at any specific country as "the bad guys", although we know New Zealand are on our side.
This is one of the best books I have ever read, and I recommend it to anyone over the age of twelve.
The series consists of:
Tomorrow, When the War Began
The Dead of the Night
The Third Day, the Frost
Darkness, Be My Friend
In the Dead of the Night
The Night is for Hunting
The Other Side of Dawn