Orphan Island
Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder is an illustrated novel published by HarperCollins on May 30, 2017. This 288-page book presents a unique narrative centered around nine children living on a mysterious island where everything appears perfect. Each year, a boat arrives to take away the eldest child and bring a new one, creating a cycle of change that the children must navigate while maintaining their idyllic existence.
In this story, readers will follow Jinny as she becomes the new Elder after her best friend is taken away. She faces the challenge of teaching the newcomer, Ess, about their way of life while grappling with her own fears about the future. The book explores themes of family, adolescence, and the complexities of growing up, set against a backdrop of fantasy and magic. Orphan Island invites readers to reflect on the nature of home and the inevitability of change.
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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).
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