Author: Jane Eagland
Publisher: Barrington Stoke
Release Date: 1st July 2012
ISBN-13: 978-1781120446
Synopsis
Anna is living a lonely life on a small island with only her ageing mathematician father and his helper Max as company. When Rob washes ashore after an accident, Anna's world is turned upside-down. Is Max really devoted to her father? Is Rob the love she's been waiting for? Could she really leave the island? Drawing inspiration from The Tempest, Jane Eagland has woven a rich and moving story of mystery, love and deception.Particularly suitable for reluctant, struggling and dyslexic teens.
My Review
I won a copy of this in a competition, I didn't actually know anything about it and didn't expect it when it arrived. I was totally surprised. It's very small at only 73 pages and the print is fairly big - I then found out it was designed for dyslexic and reluctant/beginner readers which made sense.
I don't have a problem with that format and think these books are great for getting people into reading, it opens a door for them, anything to encourage reading is fine by me.
The storyline is very simple and moves very quickly, I actually liked it, offered a break, a breeze through. I didn't have to use my brain.
Anna lives on a secluded island with her dad, his assistant, a maid and her husband. Anna has never met anyone else and yearns for adventure. She longs to see the world and meet other people, but at teh same time she is scared, her father keeps her there for 'safety', is the world really that bad.
As it says in the synopsis, you can tell it was inspired by The Tempest and I did enjoy it, however it doesn't actually go anywhere. The book just ends. She finds out a secret, decides she has to do something and then the book just ends! No conclusion, no big ending, no solution. It just stops.
I understand these books are a certain length specifically, but to me it felt like someone had said - 'no, it's too long, too many pages, just print the first 70 and delete the rest'.
I need an ending, this just leaves you in limbo. Which left me feeling very disappointed.
A really easy read with a good story idea but it goes nowhere fast.
My Rating
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