Book: Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder

Date Read: December 15 to 18, 2021

Rating: 4 (of 5) stars

I found this book while shopping with a friend. I must have picked it up and set it down a dozen times—I was supposed to be shopping for gifts, not for myself. Of course there is the matter of the giant stack to read at home. I somehow summoned the self-control to leave without it. Lucky for me, my friend was paying attention and picked it up to give to me later. Bookish friends are the best.

This one has been a little tricky to write about, as there were some aspects of this book that I loved and others that I’m still not sure about. The concept is definitely intriguing, and for the most part the story was as well, although the plot meandered a bit. The world of the island is constructed slowly, both answering questions and generating new ones along the way.

After finishing this book, I saw it described somewhere as “a children’s book that adults like more than children” and this makes sense to me. There are so many aspects are relatable in terms of the uncertainty of growing up, but that’s much easier to appreciate in retrospect than when you’re going through it. While I felt that the ending was in some ways fitting with the overall theme of the story, it left me a little unsatisfied. Sure, it works well as a metaphor, but sometimes the story is more desirable than finding a deeper meaning.

Minka’s Thoughts: “I think there’s something about children’s novels that can bring us all together. 4 paws.”

Boris’s Thoughts: “Sure. But don’t push it, little girl. 3 paws.”