Reviews

Isla to Island by Alexis Castellanos

endemictoearth's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

4.0

jwinchell's review

4.0

I did not know anything about the Peter Pan operation that took 14000 Cuban children out of Castro’s Cuba and placed them in US foster families. This is a wordless graphic novel other than sounds and signs, and the use of color is fantastic. Highly recommend.

meaganmart's review against another edition

3.0

Isla to Island was the next installment in my middle school graphic novel deep dive. While this novel is beautifully illustrated, it is mostly wordless, and the words that we do have are a mix of English and Spanish. As an adult reader I really enjoyed the story and thought it was wonderfully told. I'm not sure, however, that this would be as impactful for middle grades readers. Without context I'm not sure that many of them could recognize Fidel Castro or understand the impact that his takeover had on the Cuban nation. I would imagine that most of my kids have no frame of reference for Project Peter Pan, and while there are resources at the end of the novel that are suggested for further reading, I think for our particular group of kids we could have used a little more context within this work. We did purchase it, because I think it's a story that will still resonate with readers.

empressofbooks's review against another edition

emotional informative fast-paced

5.0

themaeyu's review against another edition

emotional inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

smalltownbookmom's review

4.0

This was such a heartfelt middle grade wordless graphic novel about a young Cuban girl's experience immigrating to America on her own during the Cuban revolution in the 60s. Marisol has to adjust to life in New York City, not speaking English, dealing with culture shock and missing her family back in Cuba.

The author does such a great job illustrating the loneliness and longing Marisol feels and how the kindness of her foster family helps open her up to the possibilities of her new life. Highly recommended with a moving author's note included at the end!

While this was based on the author's family's experiences, I found it highly relatable and an important reminder of how hard it can be for new immigrants and how far a little bit of kindness and understanding can go.

inkbunnie's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

There’s no dialogue this was odd to me. But isn’t absolutely necessary for you to understand the story. 

julieanncordero's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

I really enjoyed this graphic novel. It was unique in that the story is powerfully told through pictures and even the color (or lack of color at points).

What was most interesting to me was the author's note at the end of the book. I had no idea that there was Operation Peter Pan from 1960-1962. I had heard of how bad things were under Castro, but I didn't know that families tried to send their children away to hopefully meet back up with them when times were better.

Marisol's story is heartbreaking, but I'm sure that other people had it worse and some had it better. It's a good reminder that we must study history or we are doomed to repeat it.

I would highly recommend this graphic novel. I read it as part of the 2024 Beehive Book Awards Nominees list.

 

mikeyandherbooks's review against another edition

This book was beautiful and expresses emotions so well for having probably less than 100 words

annalisenak97's review against another edition

4.0

This wordless graphic novel lends itself perfectly to expressing the difficulty to moving to a new country and learning a new language. The use of color is so powerful too! Watching Marisol realize that she's not alone and that she's surrounded by love MADE ME EMOTIONAL OKAY