Review by Suzer6440 xyz -- Island Games by Caleb J. Boyer

[Suzer6440 xyz]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Island Games" by Caleb J. Boyer.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Island Games: Mystery of the Four Quadrants by Caleb J. Boyer is a great read about two boys Ryan and Matthew who wake up on a mysterious deserted island. They have absolutely no memory of past happenings. Since they have no idea where they are and have no clue how they got there, it seems that the only chance of survival is to rely on each other. There are a series of challenges that test their friendship.

Before jumping into the book, I decided to familiarize myself with the author Caleb J. Boyer. I learned that he was 12 years old when he wrote this novel. Knowing this beforehand made me appreciate the writing and storyline in a different way than normal. There were many monsters and things that happened throughout the book that required a good amount of imagination. Personally, I thought it was written very well with no errors. There were some scary parts about monsters and beasts.

I enjoyed this book and found it to be interesting and creative. Young adult readers would enjoy this book. However, I would compare it to the Maze Runner or the Hunger Games. There were many twists and turns that would surprise the reader. For example, there were several instances that the boys woke up in a different place and had to figure out how to work together. They had to find food, water and a way off the island. There are many challenges that they face that test their friendship . When a series of obstacles threaten their lives, Matthew and Ryan‘s friendship were truly put to the test.

To me, this was an adventure book that encouraged teamwork. There was a quote that stood out to me which was as follows: “it’s not really about what life throws your way because bad things can happen and often times to really good people. It’s about how you face those challenges.” It is impressive to me that a 12-year-old wrote that and shows he understands things on a very mature level.

The message I took away and I liked was that friendship and teamwork are key to getting through life and to be successful. Although these events were made up, the deeper meaning behind the story was a true comparison to real life. In order to appreciate this book, the reader needs to have some kind of background about the author. I say this because it was hard to imagine certain pictures and scenes in my head due to lack of details.

To conclude with my review, overall I enjoyed reading this novel and I give a lot of credit to a boy of 12 years old to write such a story. That being said I rate this book a four out of four stars.

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Island Games
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