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Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder



Orphan Island is a middle grade fantasy novel by Laurel Snyder. Nine children live on a perfect island. Everything is wonderful and nothing ever changes, except one day a year. On this day, a boat arrives, carrying a new young child. The children on the island take the new boy or girl in, and the oldest child on the island leaves in the boat, never to be seen again. Where does the boat go? Where does it come from? No one knows and no one seems to wonder, except Jinny. When it's Jinny's turn to leave, she decides she doesn't want to go. But will the island stay perfect if she doesn't follow the rules? 

Sex: There is no sex, but a character starts her period and this is something parents need to be aware of in case they haven't had that discussion with their child.

Language: None.

Drug/Alcohol Use: None.

Violence/Gore/Frightening Scenes/Death: There are a few frightening scenes and a few instances where kids are injured.

Final Note: This book definitely had an interesting concept, but it wasn't my favorite. I picked it up because it's on a lot of blogs as a Newbery prediction, but I don't think I agree. It left a lot of things without answers, so many of the blanks will have to be filled in by the reader's imagination. I typically like "strange" novels, but this one was a little much for me.
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