Review of Island Games

[brooke buchanan 1]

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

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3 out of 5 stars

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Island Games: Mystery of the Four Quadrants was written by 12 year old Caleb J. Boyer and is his debut novel. The book follows two friends who wake up on the beach of a seemingly deserted island. Throughout their adventure, they fight for their survival while trying to unravel the mystery of the island they are stranded on with no recollection of how their situation came to be. The boys must learn the power of courage, wit and friendship.

The book includes a good amount of suspense, mystery and adventure. It is simple and easy to read and understand. There is imagination in each challenge faced by the boys which is told with specific imagery so that the reader’s imagination is allowed to flourish. In the beginning, the story is slower paced but picks up towards the end and closes on a cliffhanger that leaves you wanting more!

Part of what makes the book slow in some spots is the long, almost run-on sentences used. Additionally, it is somewhat hard to sympathize with the characters or get into their mindsets because they are not given much internal dialogue. At times, this is given so that the reader can understand the thoughts, emotions and fears each character is experiencing; I wish there was more of this! There were moments of comedy within the book that early teens would resonate with but the jokes were repeated several times and lost their impact because of this. Some of the dialogue given to the characters is not on par with how a typical teen would speak which can stump the flow of the story and feel inauthentic.

Due to long, run-on sentences along with repetitive humor and story lines, I give this book a 3 out of 5. The story overall is a great idea but it is not executed as smoothly as others I have read. There are moments of great imagery and imagination and other times the same ideas are recycled and remain fairly unchanged which can make the reader bored. However, the book is still enjoyable and will be even more so for younger audiences who have just begun loving to read about adventures and mysteries. For the first debut book of a 12 year old, it has some amazing qualities!

I would recommend this book to young pre-teen and teen readers. The story is written with vocabulary on level for this age group. The friendship seen in the book would also resonate with this age group. Additionally, the humor mentioned would hit best with a teen audience. The content is appropriate for all ages.

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Island Games
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