Scar Island Hardcover – January 3, 2017

I teach 5th grade and bought this on another teacher's recommendation. I decided to read it before I put it in my classroom library. I started reading one morning and never put it down. Excellent story, characters, and I absolutely loved the descriptive writing! The suspense kept me reading all day. If you are looking for something for a reluctant boy to read, this is your book!!

I have loved every one of Dan Gemeinhart's novels and not a one is in any way similar! He creates such strong characters, exquisite settings, and edge-of-your-seat plots! Each one I read I find myself saying, "This is my favorite!" In this 'couldn't-put-down' middle grade novel, Jonathan Grisby is sent to Slabhenge Reformatory School for Troubled Boys, but it's more like a dungeon on an island. (Not exactly realistic- but it's the surreal Dickensian setting that makes this story so gripping.) Jonathan has done something so terrible, he cannot bring himself to tell anyone about it. When some bizarre event happens on the island, the children find themselves free, but then they must grapple with what freedom really means. It's not what any of them expected. Do yourself a favor and get a copy of this book....NOW!

If the boys from Lord of the Flies became imprisoned on Alcatraz without supervision, it would be Scar Island. The main character, Jonathan, serves as a modernized version of Ralph, determined to keep a semblance of order among the boys. Antagonist Sebastian fills the role of Jack, intent on being the leader and allowing the other boys to do as they please, so long as they don't get in his way or take anything he's claimed as his own. Colin portrays a mix of Piggy and Simon, loyal to Jonathan and eager to stay away from Sebastian, as Piggy was to Ralph, but also intelligent and reasonable, questioning Sebastian's reign over the group & his decision-making skills the way Simon did with Jack. Instead of a fire saving the boys from their fate, a wild hurricane brings an end to the madness. The parallels between LOTF and Scar Island are somewhat obvious, but appreciated. Whether intentional or not, Gemeinhart has crafted a modern-day reboot of survival among a group of tortured boys unsure of how to ever return to the innocent children they once were.

I am an official fan of Dan Gemeinhart. Scar Island is my third read by him, and it's his third home run with me. He has an engaging way of grabbing you by the shirt collar and pushing you to read more, and more and more until...VOILA! You look up only to realize that you gulped the entire book in one sitting.Scar Island is his darkest plot yet. Set on a remote island once used as an insane asylum, young boys who have been sent to Slabhenge Reformatory don't go willingly. They are court-ordered to wile their time doing repetitive hard labor to pay off the sins they have committed in society. Jonathan, the new twelve-year old boy, finds himself the unwelcome target of the head of the "school." The fifteen boys find themselves in the unusual predicament of sudden independence when a freak accident wipes the handful of adults in charge out. What happens when "bad boys" are left to their own devices? What is that incessant banging down in the basement? Will Jonathan ever forgive himself for what he did in order to be sent to Slabhenge? And what about that huge, one hundred year storm heading straight for the sinking island? Middle grade readers will likely read will past their bedtime to find out the answers to these and many more questions.The pretext is set up much like William Golding's classic tale of island survival, Lord of the Flies. In fact, Gemeinhart makes no bones about the comparison because he actually mentions the book in HIS book. One of the many things that makes Scar Island work is the "librarian" tucked away in the deep confines of the reformatory. He is the only adult on the island Jonathan feels he can trust, and in return, he is rewarded with a classic book (or two, or three). Treasure Island, Robinson Crusoe and yes, even Lord of the Flies make an appearance within Scar Island. You can take the librarian/teacher out of the school (Gemeinhart is no longer working in an elementary school setting full time...he's hit it big!), but you can never take the school out of the librarian/teacher-turned-full time author. These classic books, often ignored and largely going unnoticed by middle graders, will surely receive some much needed resuscitation after kids read references to them in Scar Island.Besides a nod to classic literature, though, readers will likely pick up on the messages of bullying, the strength of family ties, and forgiving oneself of past wrongdoings. Although I marked this book as a "guy read," Scar Island will appeal to both girls and boys alike (and even middle-aged teachers). Highly recommended!Now I just have to bide my time waiting for Gemeinhart to hit another home run...I think I'll run to the library and grab a copy of a classic book. After all, as Scar Island's librarian repeatedly says, "...you cannot leave a library without a book."

Bought this to read to my 8-year-old. Don't do that. It's not appropriate for that age. We set it aside after 4-5 chapters but might break it out again when he's a few years older. There are swear words like damn, hell, etc., which I ended up editing while reading. We're not especially conservative around the house but the swears were off-putting in an adventure story about boys. The story-telling is pretty good and the description/scene-setting worked okay. Puts you in the mind of Oliver Twist. The characterization is pretty weak in spots... There's an (apparently) African-American kid who calls everyone "man." That seemed like more of a stereotype, rather than realistic. There's a kid with a lisp whose quoted dialogue is painful to read and made me feel like we were making fun of his speech impediment. Basically, a little of the lisp would have been okay, but don't cross the line. There are some other ethnicities that could have been handled with more subtlety. Perhaps these concerns would have been less noticeable with an older audience... 5th or 6th grade, maybe.

Purchased this book for my son's English class book club (6th grade).He is a reluctant reader but LOVED this book. The setting, characters and action packed nature of the story drew him in from the very beginning. From the first night when we started reading it together he didn't want to stop. Most night's he would beg to read more together. He is excited to try another book from this author (Dan Gemeinhart)!

this is a good quality book! it is definitely worth the price

Buen libro

A good storyline with a lotta twist and turns which makes it a worth pageturner

An uprising novelist

It’s good for children