An Island of My Own

An Island of My Own has 9 ratings and 1 review. Sylvia said: Rowan spends two months in Tofino and becomes active against the development of an island wh.
Table of contents

When the family's wealthy but eccentric Great-Aunt Irene has a str From one of the brightest talents in children's fiction and the winner of the Waterstones Children's Book prize comes a new novel about family and friendship. When the family's wealthy but eccentric Great-Aunt Irene has a stroke, they go to visit her. Unable to speak or write, she gives Holly some photographs that might lead them to an inheritance that could solve all their problems. But they're not the only ones after the treasure Paperback , pages. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

To ask other readers questions about An Island of Our Own , please sign up. Would you recommend this to an 11 year old boy? The adventure is quite intriguing and I think both sexes wille enjoy it. See all 3 questions about An Island of Our Own….

An Island of Our Own by Sally Nicholls – review

Lists with This Book. Sep 07, Maddie rated it really liked it Shelves: I loved the dynamic between the siblings, although if an older brother is called Jonathan, I'm going to think of Jonathan Byers, for sure! A good mystery always makes a good read and this was no exception! Jan 24, Robin Stevens rated it it was amazing. A lovely, funny, warm-hearted family detective novel, like the Story of the Treasure Seekers with geocaching. I love Sally's writing and I love Holly's voice. Freue mich schon aufs Empfehlen und verkaufen.


  1. An Island of our Own by Sally Nicholls - a touching treasure hunt;
  2. The Life of Abraham Lincoln as President.
  3. Morocco: Emerging Economy of the Mediterranean.

Hat mir sehr gut gefallen. Aug 03, LH Johnson rated it it was amazing Shelves: Life for Holly and her siblings is hard. Ever since the death of their mother, they've been trying to survive together. But surviving is hard and living is even harder; money problems, family troubles, and keeping a two bedroom flat together in London is pushing them all to the edge. One of their relatives, Great-Aunt Irene is in hospital suffering from a stroke. And, when Holly and Jonathan and Davy go and visit, Irene gives Holly a book of photographs which maybe, might, solve all of their dif Life for Holly and her siblings is hard.

And, when Holly and Jonathan and Davy go and visit, Irene gives Holly a book of photographs which maybe, might, solve all of their difficulties.


  1. The Virtual Handshake: Opening Doors And Closing Deals Online: Opening Doors and Closing Deals Onlin?
  2. Sacred Mission, Worldly Ambition: Black Christian Nationalism in the Age of Jim Crow.
  3. An Island of our Own by Sally Nicholls - a touching treasure hunt | Books | The Guardian.
  4. An Island of Our Own by Sally Nicholls – review | Children's books | The Guardian.
  5. TV Interview.
  6. An Island of Our Own by Sally Nicholls;

It's time to figure out the clues in the book and find the treasure - before somebody else does. I will be frank and say that I adored this and I loved it and this is a very perfect and quiet and rather brilliant book. The great gift that Nicholls has here is that she's got the voice of Holly perfectly; Holly is genuine, straightforward and rather beautiful.

This is a book about family and people and such a book hinges on character. There's plot, yes, a lot of it and it's good but none of that matters a jot unless you believe in the people on their quest. It reads something like all of these mixed together with a hint of the Famous Five about it as well for good measure. Family is family, but friends are family to. The kindness of strangers.

The connections formed between people that pull people back from the brink. It's such a quietly gorgeous and richly layered book this. Nov 27, Saoirse Milotte rated it really liked it. Holly and her younger brother Davy have been in the care of their 18 year old brother Jonathan ever since their mum died. So when Holly's eccentric, wealthy great-aunt gives her a photo album shortly before her death, she is sure it contains clues to buried trea Holly and her younger brother Davy have been in the care of their 18 year old brother Jonathan ever since their mum died.

So when Holly's eccentric, wealthy great-aunt gives her a photo album shortly before her death, she is sure it contains clues to buried treasure. Solving the clues is only the beginning, though, as Holly also has to convince her brothers the treasure is real and get to it before anyone else does. This is a beautiful tale of hardship and family love.

Holly is a spirited, determined girl who says exactly what is on her mind, no matter the situation, and her passion for the treasure hunt is infectious. The story is fast paced, and each character is fully developed and believable, making readers invested in the outcome. A touching, humorous book. Nov 21, Alicia Papp rated it liked it. The danger of a middle aged woman reading a book written from the perspective of a 12 year old is that you find the character self-centered and annoying. Which reminds you of how self-centered and annoying you were at that age. And this book does, but it is also a fine story about family, life, overcoming adversity and love.

And a treasure hunt! As Holly discovers - "life is an adventure and I am an adventurous soul".

See a Problem?

Sweet, short and the kind of book I would have loved at age 1 The danger of a middle aged woman reading a book written from the perspective of a 12 year old is that you find the character self-centered and annoying. Sweet, short and the kind of book I would have loved at age Plus some great tips on using your computer to find the exact co-ordinates of the location in a photo - could be useful! Oct 16, Stephanie rated it it was amazing Shelves: In terms of voice, overall feel and sheer charm, this book felt like a contemporary MG version of I Capture the Castle.

Totally enchanting, heartfelt, and full of warmth, with wonderful characters and such a fun story. I read a library copy but am now planning to buy a copy to keep for re-reading in the future.

Subscribe By Email

Feb 15, Jane Branson rated it really liked it. Deceptively simple plotting and a strong narrative voice. It's a story of three orphans looking for some treasure - sounds archaic, but in reality utterly modern, very convincing, completely unsentimental. Would be a worthy winner of the UKLA book award - and it's a proper children's book: Dec 31, Hobbitlass rated it really liked it. Excellent comtemporary children's book. Feb 04, KatieBookQueen rated it really liked it Shelves: Amongst reading so many dystopian worlds and complicated fantasy lands, this book brought me back down to earth with a huge smile on my face.

This story follows siblings, Holly, Davy, and Jonathan, as they try to track down jewellery left for them by their aunt. Holly is a delightfu Reviewed at: Holly is a delightful character. Her determination to go hunting for the jewels and make life better for her and her brothers is what makes this such a heart-warming story. I loved the bond she had with her brothers. The gardener fetched things from the market in the village on the mainland.

Another man, a Hindu came twice a day to empty the latrines, as there was no running water on the island. Life moved like clockwork; there were no complications. For me, much of the joy of living on Taprobane had to do with lying in bed at night listening to the sound of the big waves booming against the cliffs below, and the more distant, subdued sound of the same waves breaking on the sand along the great curved beach. The cook provided twenty side dishes for each meal including marunga leaves which, sprinkled over coconut cream, gave the food an irresistible flavor.

When the lobsters were too few, we made do with spearfish, the local equivalent of pompano, and equally delectable. Only once was this tranquil existence significantly disrupted: The rice arrived, but it had been lying in damp warehouses for so long that it was rancid.


  1. Christian Science on Trial: Religious Healing in America (Medicine, Science, and Religion in Histori.
  2. The Work of Washington Irving.
  3. Sunrise Sunset: Poems!

When one tried to cook it, it gave off an unbelievably powerful stench; it was inedible. All the Sinhalese were complaining, but there was no help for it. The only solution was to comb the shops in all towns along the coast for boxes of English rice and hoard them and, when the shops were empty, which they soon were, to go more than a hundred miles to Colombo and bring back all one could find. Only thanks to such efforts did the curry continue to be as good as ever.

An Island of Our Own – Sally Nicholls

For the most part, however, life on Taprobane was trouble-free: The ocean was languorously warm, and the sharks left alone. You could see them a few hundred feet away as they patrolled the reef, but they never ventured inside. Occasionally a gigantic tortoise that lived among the rocks on the southwest side of the island would rise to the surface and remain there, a floating boulder.

If one swam toward it, it quickly submerged. The catamarans bearing fishermen streamed past the island before sunrise and returned en masse at sunset, oars and sail giving them speed. And just as regularly, each daybreak flocks of crows arrived to chase away the hordes of bats that spent each night hanging from the trees outside the windows.

The bats were surprisingly big, often with a wingspread of three feet. Their bodies were covered with dark, russet-colored hair and their teeth looked very sharp when you flashed a light into a tree and saw them hanging above you. They were fruit eating animals and entirely innocuous, even with respect to the vegetation; the big trees on the mainland where they gathered in day time were burned white by their dung, and nothing grew in the immediate vicinity, but for some reason they did not excrete at night.

It was the crows that saved my trees. They came in great numbers at dawn for no purpose that I could discern other than to drive away the bats. It is a fantastic read and one that I really wanted to share with you. They may not have much money but they all pull their weight and are determined to stick together as a family. When a series of incidents collide, they decide to take a risk for a better life. I told my brother Jonathan I was going to write a book about all the things that happened to us last year.

Her experience of going shopping for her first bra with her brothers is one of the few times where she feels sorry for herself. Here she is shown how to find location co-ordinates on digital versions of the photos, how to open locks, and how to hack into a laptop. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail.