2 out of 4 stars
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The Island Games by Caleb J. Boyer tells the story of best friends Matthew and Ryan who wake up to find themselves trapped on an island without memories of the past or supplies to help them survive. As the two best friends find ways to survive, they begin to realize that they are on the island together for a reason. They are only successful in the challenges they face when they work together as a team. Matthew and Ryan face all kinds of climates and conditions that they must conquer in order to be rewarded with supplies and food. In the end, the reader is faced with the questions: How will they escape? How will they get to return to their families and former lives?
The main draw to this text is the strong bond between Matthew and Ryan. Although they have their fights, as all BEST friends do, they always find a way to achieve their goals. Island Games presents many valuable lessons that are especially relevant to middle-grade readers. The author explains, “Along the way, the challenges we face may not seem fair or even reasonable at times, but perseverance to overcome and face the challenges by remaining present is the key to finding peace and remaining centered in the eye of the storm.” The author is fully successful in presenting these lessons throughout the text.
As an avid reader of young adult literature and the dystopian genre, I found myself disappointed by the cliched premises, many holes in the logic of the story itself, and dialogue that sounded forced and unnatural. The concept of the island itself is reflective of the “clock” in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, and the concepts of memory loss and being “placed” in a trap by makers are reminiscent of The Maze Runner.
These echoes would not have been terrible except for the execution of them. Almost immediately, Matthew remembers that his dad was the football coach and that the two boys had played on the same team. Other memories surface unnaturally throughout the story and detract instead of add to the story as a whole. Similarly, there are other holes in the logic of the text. Both boys repeatedly refer to this as a “game” and wonder about “whoever put us here,” but there is no background provided for these assumptions.
As a result of the holes in the plot, the many cliches, and the distracting errors in style (mostly essay-like language that is too formal for the format), I rate Island Games 2 out of 4 stars. While this was not the book for me, it has excellent lessons that are appropriate for middle-grade readers who might not look as far into the details that so bothered me as a more analytical reader.
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Island Games
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