This book has been sitting on my to-read pile for awhile. It seemed fitting to read it in these days leading up to Halloween, with its scary-sounding title:
I really liked Dan Gemeinhart's Some Kind of Courage and Coyote Sunrise. This story does not begin like either of those! Scar Island opens as our handcuffed main character, Jonathan Grisby, is transported via motorboat to a reformatory school--really a prison--for delinquent boys. The former "insane asylum" resides on a small, crumbling island. The adults who run the "school" remind me of the crass, brutish characters in Dickensian stories. We don't have to witness their cruelty for long, however; a twist of fate brings a moment of nature's fury upon the wardens, and frees the boys from their abuse.
What happens next makes up the crux of the story. Should the boys attempt to go home, or stay on the island unfettered by adult rules? I'll be reading Scar Island this week to find out.
It's Monday! What book on your to-read pile are you reaching for this week?
No comments:
Post a Comment