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thenextgenlibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
“He looked up at the grim, crumbling walls of his new home. It looked bad. Just as bad as he deserved.”
shinesalot's review against another edition
4.0
Sort of a Lord of the Flies type story but on an island - formerly an insane asylum, now reform school. All sorts of adventure and mayhem are afoot in this tale of young Jonathan Grisby. Jonathan is serving time for crime he is unwilling to share and when the opportunity arises to stay on the island without adult supervision, Jonathan grabs hold. Meaningful friendships are made, power struggles threaten to throw the balance of things on a regular basis keeping the story on edge from page to page. I listened to the first half and read the last half - both were extremely enjoyable. Excellent middle grade read. Full of adventure and wonderful male protagonists.
channywax's review against another edition
What happens when a group of criminal boys suddenly have to survive with out adults in a creepy island prison? Just what you can expect. Creepy and dark, yet full of humor too. Kind of reminded me of Lord of the Flies, but not as violent.
*There were swears here and there, and a bit of violence, just so parents are aware.
*There were swears here and there, and a bit of violence, just so parents are aware.
cjmedinger's review against another edition
3.0
I think i may be a little bit too hard on this book, but it feels formulaic to my adult sensibilities. In a world with the book "Holes" do i need to read a half-way attempt at a similar story? Reform school boys are being abused by leaders, etc etc... The book was fun to read, but the characters didn't earn their arcs and many decisions were made that didn't make very much sense.
jennchandler's review against another edition
4.0
Good. A quick read. A strict very similar to Lord of the Flies.
asimilarkite's review against another edition
4.0
Dan Gemeinhart is kinda the man. I have only read this book of his, but from what I hear of his other books...Washington's got a rock-star.
To me, this book feels like contemporary Charles Dickens meets Lord of the Flies. Slabhenge Reformatory School is NOT a nice place to be. The adults are awful, there are literal torture devices, and food consumption is limited to gruel.
But then, all the mean mean adults die...and the boys are left to their own devices, and all hell breaks loose. This is a book about social dynamics, guilt, and redemption. It has the word "hell" and "damn". It's also for elementary schoolers. At first I was a little nervous about the prospect of talking about it to 4th and 5th graders (I think it could go up to 7th or 8th grade), but then I decided that kids can handle it. Kids can handle darkness, and reading books about dark things is a developmentally appropriate way to learn about the world.
I'm doin' it. I'm bringing it to the schools. Kids are gonna eat up the gritty adventure.
To me, this book feels like contemporary Charles Dickens meets Lord of the Flies. Slabhenge Reformatory School is NOT a nice place to be. The adults are awful, there are literal torture devices, and food consumption is limited to gruel.
But then, all the mean mean adults die...and the boys are left to their own devices, and all hell breaks loose. This is a book about social dynamics, guilt, and redemption. It has the word "hell" and "damn". It's also for elementary schoolers. At first I was a little nervous about the prospect of talking about it to 4th and 5th graders (I think it could go up to 7th or 8th grade), but then I decided that kids can handle it. Kids can handle darkness, and reading books about dark things is a developmentally appropriate way to learn about the world.
I'm doin' it. I'm bringing it to the schools. Kids are gonna eat up the gritty adventure.
sallydonnelly's review
5.0
A great book to read aloud to kids! We all laughed out loud at the “Mother’s Day” chapter! They wanted to hear it a 3nd time. Other times we were biting our nails, wondering if the characters would make it during the storm! Such a great adventure story!
marvsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Great Middle grade read! Reminiscent of Lord of the Flies. My rising 6th grader really enjoyed it, as did I during our buddy read. I loved seeing the boys mature as the story continued, and enjoyed seeing how their friendships developed throughout the book as well.
withthebanned's review against another edition
3.0
Suspenseful and full of heart. Scar Island was fast paced and tough to put down. The characters had a lot of complexity and I think they would be easy to relate to for middle grade readers. 3.5
thenextgenlib's review against another edition
4.0
“He looked up at the grim, crumbling walls of his new home. It looked bad. Just as bad as he deserved.”