Nim's Island
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Is it age appropriate?
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Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Lighthearted, satisfying survival story.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 7 and Up
The good stuff
What to watch out for
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Violence:
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Sex:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of Nim's Island was written by Matt Berman
Parents need to know that that there is little to be concerned about here, other than the premise of the story, which is that a father leaves his young daughter alone on a deserted island for several days.
Families Can Talk About
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- Families can talk about what's real and what's not in the story. Could animals behave this way? Could people live this way? Could they still have phone and email on a deserted island in the middle of the ocean? Could a child survive alone? Would you have done anything different in Nim's situation?
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More on Nim's Island
Book Summary
Since the presumed death of her mother many years ago, Nim and her scientist father live alone on an island in the middle of the ocean, connected to the world only by satellite phone and email. But when her father goes off on his sailboat to research plankton and doesn't return on schedule, Nim, alone on the island, turns to her favorite author for help.
Is It Any Good?
Take a spunky heroine competently surviving on her own on a deserted island (the ultimate kid fantasy). Add in animal friends who seem to understand, the vaguest of villains hovering in the background and easily overcome, a smattering of scientific information effortlessly absorbed, and a very satisfying conclusion. Then write it in breezy style, making the various pieces of the story fit together in a nicely coincidental, jigsaw-puzzle way. All together it makes for one delightful story.
As with other island survival tales, kids will want to be Nim, and her story will stimulate readers' fantasy lives. Unlike most of those other stories, it adds in touches of fantasy and humor to keep the gritty and sometimes scary reality of survival at a distance. In that way it's more similar to the non-island survival story, My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George. Most of the fantasy comes from the animals which, while still real animals, are usually intelligent and helpful, and are anthropomorphized just enough to turn them into characters. This understated, easy-to-read tale, written with a light and loving touch, is a near-perfect middle-grade novel.
Publisher’s Details
Publisher: Yearling Books, Publication date: 03/01/2001
Number of pages: 125, Price: $5.50 (paperback)
Read Aloud: 7, Read Alone: 8
Number of pages: 125, Price: $5.50 (paperback)
Read Aloud: 7, Read Alone: 8
Our Members Say
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Most Recent Reviews
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
Great read for young independent readers
A fun, exciting read: great choice for a young independent reader. If a kid is young enough that the story is being read to them, and sensitive, be aware that Nim's mother is dead (swallowed by a whale who was scared by an obnoxious tourist group), and that Nim is alone on an island while her father is in (mild) peril lost at sea.
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
A must read book for 6 and up!
This book is very adventurous,funny and great for us kids!
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