Take a Shelfie: Scar Island | Mentoring in the Middle

Take a Shelfie: Scar Island

This was one bizarre book!  But I loved it!  Think Lord of the Flies meets Holes at Alcatraz.  When I handed this book off to my students, it got gobbled up immediately, and is being passed around quite a bit!

I'm impressed with Dan Gemeinhart.  He writes books about such different topics and does a good job of getting into the head of the characters in each one.  I love his writing style, his characters, and the hopeful endings of each of his books.  They're hard to put down!

The Scoop

In Scar Island, you meet Jonathan, on his way to Slabhenge, a reform school.  Jonathan feels he deserves every bit of his punishment (you don't know what he's done until much later) but I couldn't help but be amused by the way he is taken there.  He goes in a small boat with two other people on board, one who mocks him, the other who's a bit more sympathetic.  I kept picturing Alcatraz!

Slabhenge is run by a group of men under the direction of the Admiral, who seems to enjoy punishing students for their shortcomings.  In a freak accident, the adults are no longer part of the plot, and some of the boys convince the others that they should stay and enjoy the freedom and the food they weren't allowed to take part in.

At first, the idea seems like fun.  But as some of the boys grab power, they use it against others.  Jonathan doesn't like this, but doesn't know how to combat it.  Add a character who appears mid-book, a 100-year storm, a lot of twists and turns (in the plot and in the building) and you have a book that's hard to put down!

Enjoy whatever you're reading this week!




If you like, you can purchase the book through the link below.  You don't pay any extra for it but I earn a few pennies as an amazon affiliate.

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