Orphan Island /

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

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).

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

Jinny is the oldest of nine orphans living on an idyllic island. New children are delivered to the island by a mysterious boat, and whenever one arrives, the eldest on the island takes the arrival's place aboard the vessel to leave the only home he or she has ever known, with no knowledge of what the future holds. It's Jinny's responsibility, as the elder, to care for the newly arrived Ess, despite the fact that Jinny is heartbroken over losing the previous elder, Deen, her best friend. As Jinny teaches Ess to contribute and uphold the cryptic rules that promise chaos if broken, she begins to question the unexplained dictates, opting to take charge of her actions and destiny. Through the precocious Jinny, Snyder (Seven Stories Up) delivers a contemplative commentary on the transition from childhood to adolescence, and from ignorance to awareness. Although the children's ages are unspecified, the eldest islander is on the cusp of adolescence, beginning to yearn for more than the small island can provide, even while dreading to leave the comfort and stability it provides. The dissonance Jinny feels is universal, and Snyder's skillful storytelling and lyrical writing heighten its impact. Ages 8-12. Agent: Tina Wexler, ICM. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

School Library Journal Review

Gr 3-6-The sound of the bell that signals the boat's arrival fills Jinny with dread. The boat comes yearly, bringing the new youngest child to the island and taking away the oldest, thus preserving the island's status quo. "Nine on an island, orphans all, any more the sky might fall." This particular bell means the departure of Jinny's best friend, Deen, making Jinny the unwilling new Elder and the newest arrival her responsibility. The island has everything the children need: plentiful fish, nuts, berries, and beehives for honey. There are cabins for sleeping, a supply of clothing, and worn books to read. Even the animals are friendly. Everything is idyllic as long as the rules are followed. When Jinny blatantly breaches a cardinal rule, the island's natural order is upset and everything begins to change. The children's once benevolent home ceases to provide for them and protect them. Jinny knows she is to blame and does the only thing she can think of to fix their broken world. The premise is intriguing, the writing is strong, and the tight pacing will keep readers fully engaged. For those looking for satisfying answers, however, no explanation is ever given for the adultless island, where the boats come from, or what force holds the island together. Why were the children sent to the island in the first place? Where do they go when they leave? For the philosophically inclined, the unanswered questions offer much to ponder and discuss. For more literal-minded young readers, the story is apt to feel unfinished. Here's hoping a sequel is in the works. VERDICT A good purchase for readers who are interested in dystopian landscapes but aren't ready for the heavier and more violent themes often found in the genre.-Kelly Roth, Bartow County Public Library, Cartersville, GA © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Nine orphans live by themselves on an idyllic island, which provides them with everything they need as long as they follow a few rules: learn to swim, learn to read, and there can never be more than nine children on the island. Each year (time is only measured in sleeps), an unpiloted green boat arrives from across the ocean with a new youngest child and departs with the oldest. When Jinny rebels and refuses to leave and the balance is skewed, the island responds in kind, and when disaster strikes, Jinny has only one choice if the rest are to survive. Although some readers might be distracted by the somewhat thin world building and wonder why the children are on the island at all, Snyder's well-realized and distinct characters are a distinguishing feature. Even the island, with its magical elements, becomes a sort of character, as it responds to events. With the book's lovely, absorbing narrative and an enigmatic plot, readers willing to suspend their disbelief will enjoy this deceptively simple story.--Scanlon, Donna Copyright 2017 Booklist

Horn Book Review

Nine children live alone on an idyllic island. Every year, a small green boat arrives, taking away the oldest child and bringing another new inhabitant. After her good friend Deen leaves, new Elder Jinny becomes a reluctant mentor to most recent arrival Ess, a small child who remembers a mother left behind in the mysterious outside world. Jinny finds it harder than expected to instruct Ess in the ways of the island--gathering and preparing food, playing games, swimming, reading from the precious collection of books. When a year passes and the green boat returns, Jinny decides she is not ready to leave the only home shes known. Jinnys refusal is the first challenge to the way of life the children have passed down to one another (these are the only rules we have, and its good here, when we follow them), and it proves both awkward for group relations and taxing to the islands resources--as well as terrifying (for Jinny) when it turns out that remaining on the island does nothing to delay the mysteries of puberty. Snyders tribute to the painful aspects of growing up is elegant in its simplicity, keeping the focus on Jinnys thoughts and the group dynamics, never explaining why the children live in isolation, and leaving the reader satisfied with an ending that nevertheless leaves so many questions unanswered. sarah rettger (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Book Review

When the bell rings and the green boat emerges from the mist, gliding up into the cove, Jinny knows that it is time: time for her beloved Deen to leave and for a new child to take his place.Now Jinny will become the Elder, and the balance of life on the island will be maintained. The ragtag bunch of nine orphanseach one "boat" (year) apart in ageare the sole human residents of a benevolent wilderness, busy chasing wild kittens and harvesting honey from docile bees, reading from a stockpile of tattered books, and inducting each new arrival into their ways. Once someone broke the rule about never picking the last of anything, but having experienced the consequences (no more curlyferns!), they are careful now to behave. That is, until Jinnyspirited, curious, and defiantdecides to break the most sacred rule of the island, throwing their universe frighteningly out of whack. The children's hair (black, red, blond) and eyes (blue, brown) are described, and Jinny remarks on the dark skin of two of her fellow orphans; the cover art shows a girl with dark brown skin. Despite the idyllic setting, one where children can safely fling themselves off cliffs and surf air currents, the story is suffused with melancholy and the haunting absence of parents and former residents. The mystery of the children's origins and the source of their stockpile of supplies are never resolved, perhaps indicating a sequel to come. This charming, engrossing tale set in a vividly realized world is expertly paced and will appeal to fans of wilderness adventure stories and character-driven relationship novels alike. (Fiction. 9-13) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.