Our Literacy Evangelist for the 2008 Cybils is well known around the kidlitosphere for her wonderfully comprehensive, informative, and intelligent blog about books for kids and young adults, Jen Robinson’s Book Page. Her book reviews are always thoughtful and thorough, and so we’re proud to kick off this year’s nominee reviews with her enthusiastic coverage of The Other Side of the Island, a middle-grade book nominated in Fantasy and Science Fiction.
When she reviewed the book, back in July, Jen confessed that she has a special love of post-apocalyptic and dystopian fiction. Allegra Goodman’s The Other Side of the Island tells the story of a girl named Honor, growing up on a future Earth where most of the land has been flooded.
Jen says the book grabbed her from the very beginning:
Goodman’s writing is eloquent. The island setting is fully realized.
The social issues are thought-provoking and memorable. The plot is
suspenseful, and has surprising twists. The characters are complex and
flawed. Honor is far from perfect. When her parents have a second
child, in a society where second children are unusual, she is horrified.
Read the full review here.