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Fantasy. Juvenile Fiction. Juvenile Literature. HTML: A National Book Award Longlist title! "A wondrous book, wise and wild and deeply true." �??Kelly Barnhill, Newbery Medal-winning author of The Girl Who Drank the Moon "This is one of those books that haunts you long after you read it. Thought-provoking and magical." �??Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson series In the tradition of modern-day classics like Sara Pennypacker's Pax and Lois Lowry's The Giver comes a deep, compelling, heartbreaking, and completely one-of-a-kind novel about nine children who live on a mysterious island. On the island, everything is perfect. The sun rises in a sky filled with dancing shapes; the wind, water, and trees shelter and protect those who live there; when the nine children go to sleep in their cabins, it is with full stomachs and joy in their hearts. And only one thing ever changes: on that day, each year, when a boat appears from the mist upon the ocean carrying one young child to join them�??and taking the eldest one away, never to be seen again. Today's Changing is no different. The boat arrives, taking away Jinny's best friend, Deen, replacing him with a new little girl named Ess, and leaving Jinny as the new Elder. Jinny knows her responsibility now�??to teach Ess everything she needs to know about the island, to keep things as they've always been. But will she be ready for the inevitable day when the boat will come back�??and take her away forever from the only home she's known? "A unique and compelling story about nine children who live with no adults on a mysterious island. Anyone who has ever been scared of leaving their family will love this book" (from the Brightly.com review, which named Orphan Island a best book of 2017)… (more)
User reviews
The setting is mysterious, and never explained. Nine children live on an island, with no adults. The ages are never stated, but clues suggest they
The new oldest child on the island becomes the "Elder" when the previous elder leaves in the boat. He or she is then takes on two responsibilities: teaching the next year's Elder what they need to do, and teaching their Care (the new 4 year old) everything that child needs to know. The island has been like this for many years.
But when it is Jinny's turn to leave, she refuses. She loves the island, and she won't leave it. She pulls the boat up onto the shore, and takes over the training of the new child, as well as the one she was already responsible for.
And then things start to go wrong. The safe animals become menacing. Food becomes more scarce. The weather becomes unpredictable. The world is falling apart, and Jinny knows it is her fault, because she refused to do what she had to do.
The novel is about childhood. The island is like good parents are. Always protecting, teaching, and caring for the children on it. But around the age of 13, it is time to stop being a child all the time, and begin to take on more responsibilities. It is time to do things you don't want to do, but which you know you have to do. The bliss and wonder of childhood ends. When Jinny refuses to start growing up and doing what she has to do, everyone suffers. Few children really want to leave the safety and joy of childhood. Yet, it is one thing that we all must do.
If you love mystery, suspense, science fiction, and fantasy, you will love ORPHAN ISLAND. I recommend this book for grades four and up.
I loved the premise of the book...nine orphans on a deserted island. Each year, a new young orphan would arrive in a boat (from somewhere) and the eldest
Without giving away the ending, let's just say that it's a big let down. All of the questions that Jinny has and the realizations that she uncovers about their lives on this island are never answered and the ending is just anticlimactic.
I enjoyed this book, but I’m left with a lot of questions. Questions about what happens after the events of the book, and what happened before the events of the book. Questions about the island, its magic, and its connection to our world. I feel like there could be another book about the island and these characters, but I also suspect that there won’t be another book.
If you like children’s books with some magic, ones that make you think, I recommend this one. Just don’t expect it to answer all of your questions!