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Education Shed Ltd, Severn House, Severn Bridge, Riverside North, Bewdley, Worcestershire, UK, DY12 1AB
One of Our Books of the Year 2017 | Shortlisted for the 2018 Blue Peter Awards - Best Story | Shortlisted for the Costa Children's Book Award 2017 | Longlisted for the UKLA 2018 Book Award
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More than Amihan it is Mariposa (which in Spanish means 'butterfly') who is my favourite character in the book. Despite being a fictional character, I wouldn't mind having her as a role model, particularly as she has an injured hand but comes across as tough and resilient. Hargrave has weaved some very important topics into the novel, such as melancholic issues that relate to death, disabilities, illness, mental health and prejudice. Hargrave has handled all this with care. Therefore, not only is the book gripping but it also raises the reader's awareness of these issues. Major highlights of the book are how Hargraves very effectively (through use of providential and humorous situations) explored the themes in the book. A message from the author: ‘At a time when the world seems to be moving deeper towards intolerance, the message that we should be together but not the same, was at the forefront of my mind when writing this book. It’s easy to label people, and labelling means reducing them to one attribute, which in turn makes it easier to dismiss, dehumanise, and persecute. In The Island at the End of Everything, it is down to Ami, and her friend Mari, to find a way home in a society that tells them they are only children, only girls, and so are not in control of their own lives. But of course, this is far from the truth.’
My favourite parts of the book were the imagery of the butterflies throughout the book. It was poignant. Kiran Millwood Hargrave was born in Surrey in 1990, and her earliest ambition was to be a cat, closely followed by a cat-owner or the first woman on Mars. She has achieved only one of these things, but discovered that being a writer lets you imagine whatever you want. The Island at the End of Everything by Kiran Millwood Hargrave is a book that I would definitely read again! This book is set in the early 1900s when people didn't accept other people who were different to themselves. Ami and her Nanay live on the island of Culion which is a leper colony, though they prefer to call themselves touched. Although one day a man called Mr Zamora comes to Culion to announce some changes that will change Ami's life forever. Along the way Ami makes some new friends and gets torn away from people that she loves. The author creates very vivid images throughout the stories using similes, metaphors and various other techniques. I love how the author manages to thread the theme of butterflies in to the book; from the beginning of the book where Ami and her Nanay never see any butterflies in their butterfly garden, till the end of the book where butterflies are swarming around the island of Culion. In my opinion, the butterflies are just there for symbolism. They symbolise hope and the beauty that lies within the people of Culion. I would rate this book 5/5 and recommend it to both boys and girls who are interested in history and heart-felt stories. I liked this book because it showed me that people with diseases like leprosy still have lives and families. I liked the character Ami because she had a strong heart and even thugh her mother was a leper, she still loved her and looked after her. I do think that the history in this book is realistic because I can see that the author has spent a lot of time and effort researching these colonies of epers and actually finding out about their lives. When I had finished reading this book it made me really want to read another book by this author because it was so realistic like but with her own characters in it. My favourite part of this book was where she made a lovely friend even though she was different. I would recommend this book to anyone with a love for adventure.
Author notes
Felicity Wilcox, age 14 - 'A great emotional rollercoaster adventure story...It made you grip the edge of your seat (or bed if you read it at night).' Ellen Cox, age 10 - 'A brilliant book that captures your heart...There are such detailed descriptions I had very clear images in my head.' I did enjoy the book as it gave a point of view of a child in the circumstances presented and how it affected them. Most of the time children are not considered in theses type of situations. Millwood is very good on keeping the book to historical realism with also giving it an easy way to understand it. The book opened my eyes as I did not know how leprosy came about and where it started. The book made me want to find out more about the segregati
of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars The Island at the End of Everything by Kiran Millwood Hargrave The book is set in 1906 in the Culion Island, Philippines. The book is about the segregation of people with leprosy and how the government tried to get rid of the disease by separating the clean people and the people who are 'touched' (the name given to people with leprosy in the book) and getting them treated with professional doctors help. The perspective is in the 1 st people of a young girl Amihan, 11, and about her journey in being separated from her mum and taken to another island and put into an orphanage. Felicity Kerswell, age 14 - 'At the start I was unsure if I would like this book but as the story progressed and you found out more about the characters it grew on me and by the end I was crying.'
Extract
The Island at the End of Everything is a book well worth reading, I had me captured from the start to the end and I would recommend it to children aged 10-14 who love History and books. My favourite characters were Mari and Ami. I really liked Mari because although she looks different from everyone else she is just the same on the inside, I liked her as well because she was really kind to Ami when she was at the orphanage. I like Ami as well because she was quite determined to see her mother again and she is not selfish at all and never once worried about herself. I think the History in the book was realistic for that time period, but it must have still been horrible for families with people who were 'touched'. Now I have a basic understanding of the Leper Colony I would really like to learn more about it and I would also really love to read The Girl of Ink and Stars which is by the same author. I absolutely loved the prominent symbolism of butterflies and the powerful, meaning behind it. Nanay mentioned butterflies surrounding her house one summer. They stayed for a whole week one year, compared to Mr Zamora who sees no value in them but, just to be dead and behind glass. 'Take these butterflies', he says, gesturing at the walls. 'They have never known disease or danger. I even give them a clean death - is that not a kindness? They are beautiful. Clean. Untouched by the world.' There are also recurring themes of love, friendship and loss. LoveReading4Kids exists because books change lives, and buying books through LoveReading4Kids means you get to change the lives of future generations, with 25% of the cover price donated to schools in need. Join our community to get personalised book suggestions, extracts straight to your inbox, 10% off RRPs, and to change children’s lives.
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