Lost

April 15, 2015
Bodeen's second book in the Shipwreck Island series wades a little deeper into the island's mysteries. Twelve-year-old Sarah Robinson and her newly blended family are stranded on a tropical island, where perplexing events increase as hope of immediate rescue fades. Mysterious Cash, a girl they discovered unconscious on the beach in series opener Shipwreck Island (2014), has recovered and tells disturbing tales about the Curator, a self-described collector who tried to imprison her. Sarah's stepbrother Marco shares Sarah's and his own strange experiences, but their parents remain skeptical-surprising, since everyone's seen the same scary "red orb in the sky" hurtling toward them. Meanwhile, Sarah's stepmother, Yvonne, is sick (something more ominous than morning sickness?), and just as Sarah and her stepbrothers are beginning to embrace a cooperative relationship, Sarah's dad and Marco's little brother disappear. Like a deepening bad dream, the search for missing family leads Sarah and Marco (literally) to a cliffhanger and a chilling encounter with the Curator. Though characters are uneasy about splitting up, they can't resist, which allows readers to enjoy the island's scenic side, with crystal-clear streams and juicy mangoes. The plot, however, would have benefited from a clearer story arc, and readers will be impatient for more reveals in the next installment. Bodeen's enjoyable castaway fare enhanced with a touch of sci-fi futurism still entertains, but readers will hope Volume 3 tightens things up. (Adventure. 10-13)

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April 1, 2015

Gr 4-6-Twelve-year-old Sarah Robinson, her stepbrother Marco, and their blended family remain stranded on an eerie and dangerous island. Picking up where Shipwreck Island (Feiwel & Friends, 2014) left off, the group has survived their first few nights on the strange island. They meet a fellow castaway, a teenage girl named Cash, who has a terrifying story to tell of someone called the Curator. He collects the oddities that they have seen so far on the island, dangerous and bizarre mutated animals and perhaps worse. While Sarah's dad and Marco's younger brother Nacho head out to look for bamboo, the rest of the group get to work building a shelter. When the others don't return, Sarah and Marco set out to find them, only to find a terrible truth. The novel ends with a shocking revelation. VERDICT While not as exciting as the first volume, this one will appeal to reluctant readers who like creepy suspense, particularly those who enjoyed the first installment.-B. Allison Gray, Goleta Public Library, CA

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2015
Grades 3-6 Picking up immediately where Shipwreck Island (2014) left off, the Robinson family remains stranded on an uninhabited island where things grow more bizarre by the hour. A girl named Cash is found unconscious on the beach and comes to with an unbelievable story of being held captive by someone calling himself the Curator. When Sarah and her stepbrother Marco stumble upon a cave of collected animal specimens, it seems Cash may have been telling the truth. Could they be next on the Curator's list? This slim sequel's cliff-hanger ending will leave readers eager to see what's next for the Robinsons.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)