3 out of 4 stars
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Islands Games: Mystery of the Four Quadrants written by Caleb J. Boyer is a fun treat for preteens with an active and vivid imagination. The book is a perfect mixture of the genres: adventure, young adult, science fiction and coming-of-age. What is quite remarkable is that the book was written when the author was only 12 years old. Knowledge of the author’s age greatly influenced my analysis of the book.
The author’s debut book tells the story of two young boys, Matthew and Ryan, who find themselves stranded on an island with no memory of how they got there. The only thing they remember is each other. In order to survive the unknown depths of the island, the two best friends must stick together. The two central themes in this book are friendship and teamwork, which the two characters demonstrate as they overcome each challenge. Boyer’s story reminded me of the book Journey to the Center of the Earth, which I read as a youngster. The similarities between both books are the back to back adventures and the importance of the characters sticking together in difficult circumstances.
Boyer understandably uses simple language which makes his book quite an easy read but the simplicity of the sentence construction the author uses also has some disadvantages which I will expound on later. For now, I will discuss the aspects of the book that I enjoyed. The author undoubtedly has a very vivid imagination, one which made every bizarre creature or obstacle believable for the most part. I am not certain if this was done intentionally, but I did notice that it seemed Boyer would often preempt me by answering questions that popped up in my mind as I read.This occurred quite a few times throughout the story and each time I was about to doubt the credibility of the story the author would provide a plausible explanation. For example, when Ryan asked Matthew how he knew how to start a fire, the sentences that followed quelled my skepticism about Matthew’s survival skills. I really liked that he thought ahead and anticipated this reaction from readers. I also liked that I was able to distinguish the characters’ personalities. Through my reading I was able to imagine the interaction between both boys, particularly their facial expressions during dialogue.
Publishing a book at the age of 12 is no easy feat. While this is admirable, there were some areas of the book that did not make it as enjoyable as I had hoped. There was some amount of oddity in the verbal exchange between the two characters. The dialogue was often strained and unnatural. I wish the author had provided the actual age of the two boys. I think knowing their ages would have made the characters a lot more believable for me. The dialogue between the characters suggested two immature teenagers but their survival skills gave the impression of two young adults. I just found that more often than not the way they speak seems to contradict the mature way in which they handle each challenge on the island. The book had only a few errors but I think the biggest pitfall was sentence construction. The sentences were more explanatory than descriptive which sometimes left very little to my imagination or made a simple thought more complexed. Lastly, the characters were not convincingly scared, considering that they were written as two youngsters still living with their parents. I found that I was unable to experience the fear, the anxiety and all the other emotions of the characters.
Boyer's creativity is unquestioned but as a young writer, there is definitely room for improvement. My only recommendation is that the author, as he continues to develop as a writer, uses language that shows rather than tells. Unfortunately, the book left me with more questions than answers. Although the author explained why he ended the book the way he did, I think the disappointing ending may still distract readers from the lesson he intended to teach. I imagine an anticlimactic ending would be ideal if a sequel is in the works but after reading the author's note I sense that this particular story is left for readers to fill in the blanks themselves.
Therefore, based on the aforementioned issues, especially the disappointing ending, I will have to rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. At first, I was leaning more toward a 2 out 4 stars rating but I could not ignore the fact that this is a 23-chapter book written by a 12-year-old, which is absolutely incredible. Amidst the shortcomings, I think young readers will love this book. On the other hand, adult readers may not really like the simplicity and predictability of the plot, if they are more inclined to complex plots. Should an adult reader decide to pick up a copy of Islands Games: Mystery of the Four Quadrants, they may just be left wanting more out of the story.
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Island Games
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