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Barroux, Egmont, 9781405280525, £6.99
A simple but powerful picture book for young readers. Polar Bear and his friends are swept from their icy home so they hope for a new home in a new land. They are turned away from island after island by the inhabitants (panda, giraffe and cows until at last, with their own ice island shrinking all the time, they find an empty island
where they can settle. After a while monkeys turn up and want to share the island – after some thought the bears welcome them. A delightful picture book for parents to share with children exploring the plight of refugees from their own homelands.
Beyond the Bright Sea
Lauren Wolk, Corgi, 9780552574303, £6.99
Crow was tied into an old boat and sent out to sea. The boat washed up on a tiny windswept island and the new born baby was seen to have a feather-shaped birthmark, a ruby ring and the remains of a sea soaked letter. Osh found her and in his own way welcomed her into his world and the island. It is some time later that Crow starts to wonder where she came from, what her history is, and if it might be somehow connected with the lights she can see burning from across the
water around her home. This book has elements of mystery in Crow’s past but develops quickly into a story of family and whether the past is more important than the future.
The Island at the End of Everything
Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Chicken House, 9781910002766, £6.99
Ami lives with her sick mother on a beautiful island until the arrival of a cruel government representative – Mr Zamora. The island is to be made into a colony for suffered of leprosy with all healthy individuals to be moved to an orphanage across the sea on another island. On her enforced travels Ami meets a friend and they try to find a way back home – even though it is forbidden to return there. This is an incredibly difficult journey – enlivened
with beauty of the natural landscape, especially the butterflies they see. But it is chiefly about children fighting for what they know to be right and good. A beautifully crafted book, written with a poetic style that lives with you for a long time.
We Were Liars
E Lockhart, Hot Key Books, 781471403989, £7.99
A very privileged family spend their summers on a private island in luxury – until there is a disaster. There are four main characters – the liars – and the story switches between their points of view, giving us a skewed view of the truth in this complex thriller. It will not be to everyone’s taste as the writing style is often short phrases with overly dramatic expressions and imagery but I found it compelling. As a reader you are questing everything all the time in this tragic but beautiful story.
The Children of Castle Rock
Natasha Farrant, Faber & Faber, 9780571323562, £6.99
Alice Mistlethwaite is an imaginative child who is shipped off to an unusual boarding school in Scotland – which turns out to be so unlike everything she could imagine she wonders if she will ever fit in. To add to her worries her Dad, Barney, an up and coming actor, disappears – and Alice decides she must try and find him. Can she persuade her two friends at school to help her run away and find him. This is an epic quest in search of the rather
ne’er do well Barney and all set in the wonderful countryside of the Scottish Islands with their storms, difficult tides and teeming wildlife – especially sea birds. A truly magnificent island sits at the heart of this wonderful adventure for young readers.
And finally
Swallows and Amazons Arthur Ransome Vintage Publishing - this edition 2012, originally 1932 ISBN 9780099572794 £7.99
The Walker children – Captain John, Mate Susan,
Able-Seaman Titty,
and Ship’s Boy Roger – set sail on the Swallow and head for Wild Cat Island. There they will camp under open skies, swim in clear water and go fishing for their dinner. But their days are disturbed by the Blackett sisters, the fierce Amazon pirates. The Swallows and
Amazons decide to
battle it out, and so begins a summer of unforgettable discoveries and incredible adventures. Surely one of the best known and loved island adventure stories ever – a classic to be read at least once by every island lover!.
As a professional librarian Tricia Adams has worked in several sectors including government libraries and as a self-employed information specialist. For the last 20+ years she has worked with children’s books. This included a spell as a primary school librarian, before moving back to public libraries as Head of Children’s and Young People’s Public Library Services and the manager of the Schools’ Library Service – Learning Resources for Education Northamptonshire. She was director of the School Library Association from 2008 until 2018.
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