Common Sense Media Review
By Mary Eisenhart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Wrenching emotional fable leaves many questions unanswered.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
On ORPHAN ISLAND, everyone knows the verse: "Nine on an island, orphans all / Any more, the sky might fall." Nine kids live a simple life on a magical isle that supplies all their needs, keeps them all safe, and puts on a spectacular light show in the sky every morning and evening. And, every now and then, there's a Changing, as a boat arrives bearing a little kid and leaves taking the eldest kid away, never to be seen again. When her best friend, Deen, leaves, like all the bigger kids before him, Jinny, now the eldest, questions why the kids have always blindly obeyed this rule, without knowing who made it or why, or what's going to happen to them. Soon, the boat will come for her. Then what?
Is It Any Good?
This coming-of-age fable of kids on an island has a great premise, relatable characters, and heartfelt emotions. Also a habit of raising tantalizing questions only to leave them hanging at book's end. Why do the kids come to the island? Where do they come from? Who sends them? Where do the kids who leave go? Where did the books come from, and who's Abigail? You'll wonder all these things and more, but you'll be none the wiser at story's end. Like The Giving Tree, which comes up early on, Orphan Island provokes strong feelings in readers, whether they love it and think it speaks to their innermost heart, or they can't believe they stuck it out for 288 pages for so little payoff.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Orphan Island and other stories of kids living on their own in some isolated place. Why do you think this is such a popular theme for storytelling? What other examples can you think of?
One character in Orphan Island loves the book The Giving Tree, while another thinks it's really stupid. Have you read that book? What do you think? Can you see why someone might feel differently?
Have you ever been in a situation where you had to figure out what to do, and you didn't really have enough information to make a decision? What did you do? Was there anyone you could ask for help?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Coming of Age
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Adventures , Friendship
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Walden Pond Press
- Publication date : May 30, 2017
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 12
- Number of pages : 288
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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