Australian Novel Day the War began

[uk 75]

Someone mentioned this in another thread and it reminded me that I had read a library copy some years ago.
The Day the War began takes a group of Australian kids and has them cope with an invasion by an unnamed Asian power. Perhaps because Australian TV shows like Skippy and another one with a bush detective instead were fun viewing when I was a kid (and Jenny Agutter in Walkabout!) I enjoyed the story.
Does anyone know more about how it went down in Australia?

 

[GTX]

There was a movie of this done about a decade ago:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KaX0F8GojI


Had this memorable scene in it:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjCxqftHSc4

 

[martinbayer]

Sounds like an Aussie copy of Red Dawn.

 

[GTX]

Kind of, though even less plausible.

 

[uk 75]

Re-read this book again (Charity shop purchase) and took a look at its history.

Tomorrow, When the War Began - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Written in 1993 the author aimed the story at teenagers in Australia and wanted to show a group coping with unexpected trials.
There are now seven books in the series and a sequel round of stories about its heroine.
Marsden explores the idea that some of Australia's Asian neighbours decide to invade to secure a share of land and resources. Implausably (before Trump at least) only New Zealand comes to Australia's aid. The war ends with the Asian Alliance settling territory in Australia.
Seen against the rise of China and the possible emergence of other dictators in the region Australia does seem vulnerable and the novel's premise less remote than in 1993.

 

[pathology_doc]

The author didn't understand the concept of a Government in Exile, and the characters were so unsympathetic and the writing so terrible that after just a few chapters of the first book I wanted them all to burn to death in a napalm attack.