Bad Island
TenNapel, D. (2011). Bad
Island. New York: Scholastic.
Bad Island just seemed
to grab my attention quickly with its parallel stories of young adult “boys”,
both human and alien, struggling to find their own independent footing in the
world as Reese and his family embark on a boat trip that is intended to bring
them closer together. When Reese’s
family becomes shipwrecked on what appears to be an island, they quickly
realize they are targets of strange inhabitants on the island. They soon find themselves literally fighting
for their lives and making discoveries about themselves and each other along
the way. One of Reese’s struggles, and
one so common to young adults, is to be trusted enough to be treated like the
adult he is becoming, and likewise, his father is struggling with trusting
him. As the family works together to
overcome the aliens, the reader discovers that the island is not an island
after all, but some sort of alien-machine disabled years ago and together, they
provide the piece that restores it to life.
There is a happy ending for all (except the bad guys, of course) and
readers leave off with closure. Bad Island would be a great read for
upper elementary readers all the way through reluctant 12th graders
as the reading is easy and the content has emotional depth that younger readers
can understand and older readers can relate to.
I enjoyed Bad Island so much
(surprisingly!) that I’m tempted to read Ghostopolis.
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