Lincoln Selkirk is an American attending a prestigious English school called Orsney. He is a fish out of water, clever but not adept at games. When he records the slowest time in years that’s been run around the school quad, he becomes the butt of every joke. Miserable and downcast, he feels totally alone.
His only way out is to agree to his parents’ wish which is to attend summer camp. Only then is he allowed to leave the school forever. However, to Link, this seems a good idea and his exit out of the school. Surely being with his worst tormentors for one last time will be worth it?
The last thing he remembers is being on the plane. Then he wakes up, stranded on ‘The Island’. After initially thinking his classmates are dead, they appear, much to his horror. After days and weeks with no adult supervision, hunger, thirst and the heat start to bite and tempers fray. Who will last the distance?
What I loved is how Link comes into himself when landed with a huge problem. Our anti hero starts to come into himself and use his superior intellect to overcome the bullies and he realises they all have their weaknesses too, which are very much on the surface now they are facing new challenges.
The humour and intelligence in this book shine through, and I really started to root for Link and give a silent fist pump when he starts to wreak revenge on his classmates after three years of feeling miserable. I know many people will relate to this book.
There are nods to other books, and films, relating to being stranded on a desert island, and this is done with tongue in cheek with ‘Wilson’ appearing (from the film ‘Castaway’) and Link names the mountain ‘Monte Cristo’ after his favourite book. Each section of the book is named after a song as Link is fascinated by 'Desert Island Discs'.
I really hoovered this book up. It’s a young adult book but the characters are engaging and the interaction interesting so it's a very easy read. Link thinks of himself as a geek but we see him emerge into a different character on The Island and start to take over as leader which not everyone else agrees with. The reader can see the shift in status as roles are reversed. We see that these people individually don’t necessarily like one another but have to learn to live together and work together for survival.
I will definitely read the other book by this author. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and, while it has comparisons to ‘Lord of the Flies’ this is very much a modern version, based on a theme, and is a one off original. Highly recommended!
His only way out is to agree to his parents’ wish which is to attend summer camp. Only then is he allowed to leave the school forever. However, to Link, this seems a good idea and his exit out of the school. Surely being with his worst tormentors for one last time will be worth it?
The last thing he remembers is being on the plane. Then he wakes up, stranded on ‘The Island’. After initially thinking his classmates are dead, they appear, much to his horror. After days and weeks with no adult supervision, hunger, thirst and the heat start to bite and tempers fray. Who will last the distance?
What I loved is how Link comes into himself when landed with a huge problem. Our anti hero starts to come into himself and use his superior intellect to overcome the bullies and he realises they all have their weaknesses too, which are very much on the surface now they are facing new challenges.
The humour and intelligence in this book shine through, and I really started to root for Link and give a silent fist pump when he starts to wreak revenge on his classmates after three years of feeling miserable. I know many people will relate to this book.
There are nods to other books, and films, relating to being stranded on a desert island, and this is done with tongue in cheek with ‘Wilson’ appearing (from the film ‘Castaway’) and Link names the mountain ‘Monte Cristo’ after his favourite book. Each section of the book is named after a song as Link is fascinated by 'Desert Island Discs'.
I really hoovered this book up. It’s a young adult book but the characters are engaging and the interaction interesting so it's a very easy read. Link thinks of himself as a geek but we see him emerge into a different character on The Island and start to take over as leader which not everyone else agrees with. The reader can see the shift in status as roles are reversed. We see that these people individually don’t necessarily like one another but have to learn to live together and work together for survival.
I will definitely read the other book by this author. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and, while it has comparisons to ‘Lord of the Flies’ this is very much a modern version, based on a theme, and is a one off original. Highly recommended!