Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Monmouth Public Library | J Fic Bodeen, S. 2014 | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Stayton Public Library | JF BODEEN | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Stayton Public Library | JF BODEEN | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Sarah Robinson is deeply troubled in the wake of her dad's second marriage. She now has to deal with a new stepmom and two stepbrothers, Marco, who is her age, and Nacho, who's younger. Even though they've all moved from Texas to California to start life as a new, blended family, none of the kids seem remotely happy about it.
Sarah's dad and stepmom then decide to take the whole family on a special vacation in order to break the ice and have everyone get to know one another. They'll fly to Tahiti, charter a boat, and go sailing for a few days. It'll be an adventure, right?
Wrong. Dead wrong.
Shipwreck Island is the first installment in a series from S.A. Bodeen.
Author Notes
S. A. Bodeen is the author of the acclaimed several teen novels, including The Compound. She lives in Minnesota with her family.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-8-Suddenly stepsiblings, 12-year-olds Sarah and Marco are at odds with each other but united in their determination to dismantle their parents' new marriage. As the family, including Marco's younger brother, Nacho, head for a South Pacific sailboat vacation, tension is high. Less than a day later, they have survived a strange, violent storm and taken refuge on a lush island. The family come across weird predatory animals, an alluring voice in a bottle, and an unconscious girl. Then Sarah's father and Nacho disappear. Marco's mom is feeling ill, so the pair team up to find their loved ones. Sitting on the edge of their seats, listeners must wait for the next installment in this vivid adventurous series to learn if rescue is possible. Kirby Heyborne is spot on as he narrates a variety of characters: sulky preteens, frightened kids, and plucky parents. VERDICT This recording will lure upper elementary and middle school students who like dramatic action laced with fantasy. ["This is intensely readable and will be excellent for reluctant readers": SLJ 4/14 review of the Feiwel & Friends book.]--Barbara Wysocki, formerly of Cora J. Belden Library, Rocky Hill, CT © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
The Swiss Family Robinson gets a modern makeover in this series opener, Bodeen's (The Raft) first for middle-grade readers. Twelve-year-old Sarah Robinson is stunned when her father remarries after a whirlwind courtship and extremely reluctant to accept her new stepmother or stepbrothers-12-year-old Marco and 10-year-old Nacho-who are equally unhappy with the arrangement. They're forced to coexist when their parents take them all on a cruise among the islands off Fiji, a vacation that swiftly turns into a comedy of errors. Things get worse when a storm shipwrecks them on a deserted island, which turns out to be full of mysterious dangers and inexplicable events, such as an abandoned and possibly haunted house and creatures that shouldn't exist. There are no answers to be found, though, as this first book is almost entirely setup and worldbuilding, ending with little resolution. The point-of-view characters are well-rendered, but readers may tire of the constant squabbling and resentment. A fine start that depends on the strength of the books yet to come. Ages 10-13. Agent: Scott Mendel, Mendel Media Group. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
The first in a series, a contemporary castaway tale featuring a blended family.Twelve-year-old Sarah Robinson (yes, shades of Swiss Family Robinson) is upset: Her father has remarried (he met his new wife, Yvonna Murillo, through online dating). Now Sarah's stuck with stepbrothers Marco (Sarah's age) and his little brother, Nacho. Marco's equally unhappy about moving from Texas to Southern California. When the newlyweds decide to skip their honeymoon in lieu of an all-family cruise, the kids soon face bigger problems than merging food preferences and family traditions. Alternating chapters punctuated with plentiful dialogue move briskly, offering readers Sarah's and Marco's reactions to an increasingly surreal adventure. It begins when they board the sketchy Moonflight, manned by an understaffed Capt. Norm (his first mate is a Newfoundland called Ahab), and escalates with a sudden storm that maroons them off a lush tropical island. Sarah and Marco glimpse strange creatures, suggesting trouble lurks in paradise (they must climb trees to avoid giant coconut-eating crabs). Sarah and Marco's shared sense of danger ultimately transforms them from inconvenienced, contrary preteens to wary allies facing threats no one (including readers) understands: The book ends abruptly and on an ominous note, with a "smear of red" in the sky and many unanswered questions.More tantalizing appetizer than full entre, this book will leave readers hungry for a second helping. (Adventure. 10-13) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Angry doesn't quite cover how 12-year-old Sarah feels when her dad marries a gold-digging flight attendant and moves his new wife and her two sons into their house. On the flip side of the coin, Marco is resentful that he and his little brother have to leave their lives in Texas because their mom was duped into marrying some guy who dazzled her with his money. Now, as if only to intensify the misery, they are all being forced to take a let's-get-to-know-one-another family vacation aboard a private boat, making avoidance of one another impossible. When a fierce storm leaves them shipwrecked, it soon becomes apparent that something is off with their tropical refuge. Alternating between Sarah's and Marco's perspectives, narrative tensions run high as the kids try to adjust to their new life and the stress of their disastrous vacation. A brisk and simple read, this adventure just gets going when the book comes to an end, leaving the story wide open for a sequel.--Smith, Julia Copyright 2010 Booklist