Scar Island

October 17, 2016
The opening chapters of Gemeinhart’s (Some Kind of Courage) fast-paced novel, set in a boys’ reformatory school on a remote island, immediately bring to mind the sadistic adults and helpless boys of Louis Sachar’s Holes, but the situation soon changes to a Lord of the Flies scenario. There are 16 “troubled boys” at Slabhenge, a “hulking, jagged building of gray stone” crumbling into the sea, sent there for a variety of crimes, but 12-year-old Jonathan Grisby believes himself to be the worst; exactly what he has done comes out in bits and pieces until the complete truth is revealed in the book’s suspenseful climax. The creepy setting is almost over-the-top, complete with an ancient librarian with a giant pet rat, who gives Jonathan—appropriately enough—a copy of Robinson Crusoe to read to the others. While only a few of the boys are fleshed out enough to be fully dimensional, the group dynamics of leadership and peer pressure are well depicted and will inspire thoughtful discussion. Ages 8–12. Agent: Pam Howell, D4EO Literary.

Starred review from October 1, 2016
Lord of the Flies set on Alcatraz, with the Gothic sensibility of The Wolves of Willoughby Chase. Twelve-year-old Jonathan Grisby has been sentenced to 10 weeks at Slabhenge Reformatory for Troubled Boys, an enormous, decaying fortresslike island prison off an unknown coast, formerly an insane asylum, for a crime that has him staggering under his own guilt. At Slabhenge, rats run wild, a monster lurks behind a locked door, and 15 boys ages 10 through 14 cower in damp cells under the sadistic control of the head. That is, until Jonathan's first morning there, when a bolt of lightning kills every grown-up in the place without harming a single boy. At the urging of Sebastian, an older boy with dark urges toward control, and Jonathan, who cannot bear the thought of returning home, the multiracial inmates decide to stay awhile and enjoy a bit of freedom. They stick the dead bodies in the walk-in freezer, feast on the stores of food long denied them, and gradually fall under Sebastian's despotic rule. Before Sebastian can gain complete control or anything truly ugly can happen, a wild storm starts to break Scar Island apart. In finding the courage to rescue his companions, Jonathan finds the strength to face his past. It's grotesque, compelling, over-the-top, yet fully realized, and nothing like Gemeinhart's previous work. Children who respond to it well will read it over and over again. (Fiction. 8-12)

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November 1, 2016

Gr 5-8-Gemeinhart gives readers a poignant, action-packed story with references to classics Robinson Crusoe and Lord of the Flies. Jonathan Grisby is the newest kid to be sent to the remote island fortress Slabhenge Reformatory School for Troubled Boys. Run by the Admiral and a small group of surly men, Slabhenge reforms boys through hard work, squalid living conditions, and the constant threat of bodily punishment via a torture device known as the Sinner's Sorrow. When a freak lightning strike kills all adults on the island just a day after Jonathan arrives, he convinces the other boys to stay, free from adult interference. They call themselves the Scars, unable to be picked off and thrown away like the scabs of society. When tough guy Sebastian declares himself the leader and becomes a punitive dictator, Jonathan and the other boys who oppose Sebastian find themselves in danger. A storm threatens to sink the island, and Jonathan must confront his troubled past and become the leader the Scars need to survive. Gemeinhart creates a compulsively readable story with enough teasers to keep the mystery alive until the very end. The plot is not too dark and is suitable for middle graders as well as for young teens. The bond between Jonathan and Colin, another boy on the island, is the shining star of the novel, showcasing empathy and demonstrating Gemeinhart's emotional range. This is an unflinching salute to friendship and redemption. VERDICT A heartfelt tale, recommended for most middle grade collections.-Jessica Holland, University of Kentucky, Lexington

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

dictionary - Jonathan Grisby has done something horrible. And he's willing to accept whatever punishment is coming his way. That made him get in Slabhenge Reformatory School for Troubled Boys. Not really a school; an ancient island. In Slabhenge, you don't write essays about your summer. You don't have recess. You don't read books. You don't have science labs and classes- all you do is work, work, work. And what I mean by ''work'' is cleaning the bedrooms, cleaning the bathrooms, cleaning the kitchens, and scrubbing the floors. But then something abrupt happens. All the adults get stuck by lightning and die. So now that they have freedom, they plan to wait for the boat, explain what happened, and go home. But Jonathan has other ideas. He tells the boys, why don't we stay here? We can live on our own, no rules, and nobody will look at us and think ''troublemakers''. First, the boys think it's a crazy idea. But then they think about it. But first of all- they need a new name- ''Scar Island''. When Sebastian, this kid who also agreed to the idea, starts acting like he's the boss, he gets angry at Jonathan for making him look bad. They make Jonathan go do one of the chores, but he discovers a library. ''You cannot leave a library. Without a book.'' But when a terrible hurricane comes, Scar Island is going under water. The librarian told them to use the lighthouse. So now they would get saved and go home. This book is so good! I feel the characters and this book actually connects a bit to my life. I could feel the way Dan Gemeinhart was expressing his characters. I definitely would give this book a 5/5 rating. Highly recommended.

November 1, 2016
Grades 4-6 Holes meets Lord of the Flies in this fast-paced novel set in a reform school on a creepy island. Jonathan Grisby has been sentenced to 10 weeks at Slabhenge Reformatory School for Troubled Boys. Jonathan, haunted by the tragic circumstances that condemned him to the school, is prepared to serve his time. When a freak accident eliminates (deservedly) the entire staff of adults, the boys turn their prison into a playhouse, though it soon becomes evident that one sort of authoritarian rule has been exchanged for another. The book incorporates the atmospheric hallmarks of an island-bound suspense tale: a crumbling fortress, dank passages, giant rats, and a dark and stormy night. Jonathan is a brave young man capable of leading the boys through this extraordinary situationif only he was not so incapacitated by his grief and guilt. Told with pathos and compassion, this rises above the label of survival story and examines the way truth and redemption are interconnected in one troubled boy's life.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)