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Comments (26)

What did you think about this title?
1 to 25 of 26 items
Feb 21, 2024talkwithaarya rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
“Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder” was a heartwarming book that revolved around childhood and how growing up can be difficult. The island where Jinny lived was perfect, as long as there were only nine orphans on the island. Every year, a…
Aug 09, 2023MTLibrary10 rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
A heartwarming tale about the eldest child not wanting to leave the island that she knows and grows up at. Throughout her entire life, she wonders where she would go when it be her time to depart but doesn’t want to find out at the same…
Sep 30, 2022HPL_Teen_Volunteer1 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Orphan Island is a sweet book about childhood, and adolescence by Laurel Snyder. Jinny has always loved the island. Its bees don’t sting, its fruit is all edible, she is safe, and warm, and never lonely. It is all she has ever known, and…
May 11, 2021
This book is about 10 or so Orphans who live on an island together where, every year, a boat brings them a child and then takes away the one who has lived on the island the longest. It had a bit of an eerie undertone to it and the whole…
Jun 20, 2020KATHE DOUGLAS rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This is amazing.
Apr 01, 2020JCLGailK rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Overall I enjoyed this fast-paced, character-driven, open-ended book. Initially, I was left uneasy about the ending which leaves the reader with a multitude of unanswered questions. However, thinking about a 'coming of age' story, isn't…
Nov 19, 2019Tasteer rated this title 0.5 out of 5 stars
Well written and engaging. You keep wondering, "Why are these children on this island? Where does each year's replacement child come from, and why? Where does the child the new one is replacing, go? What is up with all the magic realism?"…
Jul 30, 2019jenetics9 rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
"Orphan Island is a book about letting go of something and someone you love. It's interesting how all the characters are children and solve problems that are usually solved by adults. Deep human bonds are formed in this story, and yet the…
Jul 19, 2019Azaria_Renee rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
The ending sucked. Be prepared for a suck-y ending.
Jun 18, 2019
This book had so much potential! I enjoyed the characters, the mystery of the island, the use of language by the author. But the end of the story left me feeling robbed. I still think this story is worth reading, but don't expect things…
Feb 25, 2019Audlife rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
I gave 3 stars because I couldn't put this book down. I had to know how it ended and where they go on the boat. There were so many questions, so many things I wanted to know. **SPOILER** None of the questions get answered. I…
Jan 16, 2019Rouver rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
This book is very clearly an allegory for childhood & the transition into adolescence & puberty, but it was very unsatisfying to me. It would have been brilliant as a short story, where loose ends can be left trailing, but for a…
Jul 03, 2018ricky_6 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
FIVE STARS!!!!! I love the mysteriousness in this book, of how you don't know where the orphans come from or where they go. I like the emotion in the book and how you can feel what their feeling. This book is definitely page-turning, I…
May 30, 2018APLTeenCentralLibrarian rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
A wonderful story that blends magical realism with wilderness survival, this book will be a quick and intriguing read - but may leave readers wishing for a sequel. The author has said that she does not plan for a continuation of Jinny’s…
Apr 15, 2018
great
Feb 23, 2018ArapahoeKati rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
I liked the premise of the story but the execution (and ending) fell unexpectedly flat for me.
Feb 12, 2018JCLChrisK rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
I'm afraid I struggled to find the magic in this fable. Others I know who have read it have struggled to suspend their disbelief around its fableness--all the unanswered questions and mysteries about the context for the story, for its…
Feb 10, 2018
The other reviews give lots of details about the plot and characterization of this story, and it's true that it's well-written and fascinating. But the unanswered questions that build throughout the story demand that the conclusion will…
Dec 04, 2017KCLS_RobinH rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
This is a weird book, with an angsty protagonist who is difficult to like. I'd dub this 'Lost' for kids, but with a bit less violence, and all of the weird magic and lack of explanation for the premise.
Nov 14, 2017indigo_bear_266 rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
I enjoyed this book but the end was really confusing and that is why my rating is 3 stars, but i like the simplicity as well as the characters. over all, this was a really good book
Oct 27, 2017bibliomum rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
A very interesting story, but a bit slow for me to give it more than 3 stars. I was left with a lot of unanswered questions.
Sep 26, 2017
Currently long-listed for the National Book Award! Smart, compelling and deep fiction that happens to be classed in juvenile, but is a great read for everyone. On a beautiful island where one child is delivered each year while the eldest…
Sep 16, 2017Mrsdoody rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This book is on several 2018 Newbery watch lists. I thought it was very interesting, but the ending is a cliff hanger. Will their be a sequel?
Aug 03, 2017
This book was a surprisingly different approach to a coming of age novel for 4th-5th grade girls. Although the pace of the book was a bit slow through the first half, young readers could really connect with Jinny's feelings and inner…
Jun 20, 2017Chapel_Hill_KrystalB rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I enjoyed this one and have found myself thinking about it quite a lot. There is an overarching mystery that at times makes the book feel kind of haunting. Who are these kids? Where did they come from? Why are they on the island? Where…