Megan's Island

by Willo Davis Roberts

Pack up and leave? "Tonight," when Megan has just one week of school to go until vacation? Megan is used to moving. After all, she's moved a dozen times in her twelve years. But this time is different. They are leaving in the middle of the night, and Megan won't even have a chance to say good-bye to her best friend. What's worse, Megan senses that her mother is frightened. It's almost as if they are running away—but from what?

Genres: Mystery, Childrens, Fiction, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Adventure

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Willo Davis Roberts was an American writer chiefly known for her mystery novels for children and young adults. She won Edgar Allan Poe awards in 1989, 1995, and 1997 for best juvenile and best young adult mysteries. Her books included The View from the Cherry Tree, Twisted Summer, Don't Hurt Laurie, Megan's Island, Baby-sitting is a Dangerous Job, Hostage, The Girl with Silver Eyes, The One Left Behind and Scared Stiff.

Reviews

[Meagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this mystery story aloud to my fourth grade class. It is perhaps not as literary as some of the other books we read, but it's a great example of mystery and super suspenseful. Ever chapter ends on a cliff-hanger, and it's always great to hear "Aw!" from the class when read-aloud time is over for the day.

[Cherish · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It was probably more on a high school level, but it got me addicted to mystery novels. If you're younger, you'll love this book and this author, Willow Davis Roberts! I read all of these books in Middle and High School.

[Qt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-read this one. Probably a three-star for me now, as I wanted more explanations, but I liked it better the first time (when I was closer to the intended age) so I'll leave it at four stars.

[Celeste · Rating 4 out of 5]

My second WDR read! This is a fast-paced thriller that begins in the middle of the night with a family packing up and moving quickly. We have an absent father theme once again. The plot turned out differently than I expected and I appreciated Megan’s inner monologue about feeling powerless in her difficult circumstances. Recommended!

[Katie Klein · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as a child and was surprised by how much I remembered! It’s not the most high quality literature but definitely engaging and memorable!

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was my fav book when i was 12. checked it out of the school library so many times the librarian was probably like “girl branch out”. first time reading it since then (15+ years later!!) and it’s just as fun and mysterious as i remember. my adult crime loving self is who she is today because of this book lol.

[Hailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Megan Collier is used to moving around all the time with her single mother, Karen, and her little brother, Sandy. But this time is different. They are leaving in the middle of the night, and they have been forbidden to tell anyone where they are going. Megan had been planning on spending the summer break with her grandfather out on a lake, but when they show up there two weeks early, she is not the only one confused. Soon after arrival, her mother leaves, and people start showing up---people who are looking for them.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was excellent. I can see why it was an award winning book. Although written for children, it kept both my husband's and my attention throughout. It was well-written with a nice cliffhanger at the end of each chapter. The plot kept moving forward. There was never a dull moment. I highly recommend this book. It was a great mystery, full of suspense, with lots of twists and turns to keep you reading.

[Erin]

It has been years since I have read this book. I simply remember it as one of my favorites from my childhood. For it to stand out in my mind twenty years later, it had to have something great!

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well this was a fun LFL find. A little longer and more intense than one might guess from blurb, but also funny bits, and bits that were all about 'the feels.' I see there is a reprint with a dramatically different cover... which it deserves. However, it is hard to imagine, now, that the grandfather would not have a phone at the cottage, or in his pocket, so a reader has to approach this somewhat as 'historical fiction' in a sense.

If they can, they may love it. Solving the mystery, hiding in a treehouse/cave built by themselves on an island, learning that other families are 'broken' too, learning to row one boat & paddle another, the big stray dog... lots to enchant a kid. Some of you might have read this when you were a child. (Lots of people apparently loved this copy, as it's rubbed & wrinkled and needs a rubber band for the loose pages.... ;)

"... sometimes, when you hurt a lot, you don't feel like being nice to other people."

[Quath · Rating 4 out of 5]

Writing this based on childhood memories; review will be modified if I find it to read again.

As an introduction to suspense, this worked remarkably well; I was on the edge of my seat reading this story, and ended up checking it out multiple times so I could re-read it again. It is intense, fast-paced, but still includes some great moments that sparked the imagination. The idea of hiding out on an island in the middle of the lake was highly appealing, and I desperately wanted an island of my own.

Regarding the story: having grown up in an awesome family and being rather sheltered, the idea that there might be bad guys out there who wanted to do bad things was a completely foreign concept to me. I distinctly remember an uncomfortable feeling upon discovering that you can't actually trust every adult in life. It was my first time feeling fear while reading a book, and I didn't really like it. (I read this somewhere around the age of 8 or 9.) Of course, I liked excitement and adventure, and so I did eventually go back to check it out again... and again. Divorce was also a foreign concept to me at the time... I think I might have asked my mother about some things in the story the first time I read it, because I didn't really understand what was happening. Where is Megan's father? Why isn't he around? Why would anyone want to hurt them? The things you don't think about when you're young and naive!

[Vee Bee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Megan is around 11 years old and she has a brother not much younger. Some days before the school year ends, her mother grabs Megan and her brother, packs a few things, and takes off to visit her father (Megan's grandfather). He's living in an isolated cabin near a lake. Because Megan is getting older, she starts to ask her mom what is going on, but gets few answers. Megan starts to wonder why they've moved so often over the years. The novel takes you through Megan and her brother's adventures on the lake as well as the gradual unraveling of what her mother is so scared of. It has a satisfying ending. What makes it a step above your average tween tale is that it brings up some thought-provoking situations and how one should deal with them. The book made you think.

Family Corner: Nothing objectionable. If anything, one of the central themes of the book is to do the right thing.

[Lissa Notreallywolf · Rating 2 out of 5]

A young girl comes to terms with her mother's habit of moving frquently while hiding out at their grandfather's vacation rental on a lake. The book is true to an intelligent 11 year old's slow assembly of evidence in her mother's absense and is fairly dramatic in the two cars that come up their deserted lane. The book's appeal is the building of shelters on a small lake island and her experiences boating with her brother Sandy, a foundling dog and a bossy neighbor boy, Ben. Like most children's fiction, food plays an important part of the scenes. Still I was less impressed than I could have been.

[Josie Mae · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went into this thinking it was going to be a simplistic children's book with little plot, but while this is a good book for young readers, it really deals with some tough topics for 4th grade and down in appropriate ways. It was a good surprise. For being so young, it kept me captivated. Well done!

[Essie-Marie F. · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was sitting on my bookshelf, was under 200 pages, and I needed to meet my reading goal.

Not bad, but not that great, either. The author did a bit of telling instead of showing. But it's a good book that deals with some hard issues, like preteens coming to grips with the fact that their dad is a thief.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought I had the storyline all figured out, but I didn't, which made the book more exciting. Megan's Island won the Edgar Allan Poe Award several years ago, which is what led me to pick it up. I really enjoyed it and found it to be a worthwhile, quick read. It was full of mystery and I was anxious to get to the end so I could figure out what all was going on.

[Isla · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was an amazing book! I’ve read some very good books, and this was definitely in my best books list! It was very suspenseful, and I couldn’t put it down. I have just one word for it- amazing. Definitely a mystery, and I didn’t want it to end!

[Annie Grace Herman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book in middle school. Absolutely loved it. Read it many times until cleaning out my room in high school. Gave the book away forgot the name been searching for several years until I found the name again.

[Leslie Lamb · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beginning of the book had me hooked. What would it be like to pick up and leave in the middle of the night. Her mom promised she’d explain why when they got far enough away. But who were they running from? Why?

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

(From the dusty shelf)
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. It was a mystery that definitely had me turning the pages and things got pretty intense for Megan and her family for a minute....but the ending was so abrupt that I was a little disappointed.

[Christine Ofslager Halpaus · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites as a third-fifth grader. I read it at least five times and loved it more each time. Would love to find a copy one day to own.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great story!

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely did not expect the ending! This was a great coming-of-age story that really takes a different direction in how lives can be lived.

[Mitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved it!

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute little book

I like how it didn't complicate things. The author knew what their demographic wanted and kept to it. Pretty fast paced.

[Leila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as much action as the others

[Alexia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely not as good as i remember (from when i was 9 haha). The author gets across the feeling of helplessness really well, like when you’re a kid and you know there isn’t a single adult around that can/will help you.

[Maryam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Megan and her brother Sandy have to pack up and go to their Grandpa's house in the middle of the night. Megan couldn't even say bye to her best-friend. They moved a lot over the years and they had to move again, it was hard for me to adjust.

[Will Garlock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Megan's Island: Choice book #4 Quarter 1. In this book Megan's Island by Willo Davis. This book is a realist fiction book and takes place in a small town outside a bigger city. The main character in this book is Megan and also there in Megan's mom brother and grandpa to. The main problem in this story is Megan's mom does not have a lot of money and has to move a lot. Until one day Megan has to move and her mom won't tell her why they are moving. Until later that her mom tells her that her dad and grandpa on there dads side of the family was planing to do something with Megan and her brother. This is one of my favorite books that I have ever read. It has a lot of action and adventure in the book to. If you like action filled story's then this is a good book for you. And if you are not really into action filled story's and adventure filled story's I still recommend that you try and give this book a shot because it might change your opinion on action and adventure filled books. If I were to give the
author tips I wouldn't give him any because I liked this book so much. If you read this book report I think strongly that you should read Megan's Island. I loved it!

[Meagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really good.
it is about this little girl called Megan that loves adventure. One day, her mom wants them to move house, and live with her grandpa, even though school break hasn't started yet. But Megan and her little brother thinks that she is running away from something, they are not allowed to use the phone, because their mom, said THEY can track them if they use the phone. Megan is trying to find out who THEY is. When megan, her mom, and her little brother arrive at her grandpa's house, Megan spied on her mom while she was trying to explain what they were running from, but she got caught. Then she borrowed her grandpa's rowing boat to go to this abandoned island, which was quite close to her grandpa's house.