Study Guide

Tomorrow, When the War Began Chapter 19

By John Marsden

Chapter 19

The next group of four spies—this time, Ellie, Homer, Fi, and Li—goes to check out the highway.
Approaching the road, Ellie waltzes right into an approaching troop of soldiers, who thankfully don't see her since she is a ways off.
The friends hide in the shadows and the soldiers get spooked by a rabbit; Ellie realizes that these must be professionals since they are so organized.
The highway is pretty empty tonight, so they check out the old bridge across the river. It is the weakest part of the highway and guarded by a handful of sentries checking trucks.
In the wee hours of the morning, the kids sleep in an abandoned guest house.
The next morning, Homer says they should blow up the bridge.
Ellie is skeptical. His idea, however, is to blow up the bridge using a gas tanker truck, which she realizes isn't a terrible idea. Who exactly is intended to drive this giant truck? Ellie knows the answer to that question.
They discuss the plan: They'll sneak a gas tanker to the bridge, scare cattle to stampede the soldiers, then blow up the truck and get away on motorbikes.
With that, off they go to collect the supplies.