Nowhere Island

by Tania Unsworth

Set on a hidden island at the intersection of several busy highways, this is an original and action-packed survival adventure about trust, friendship, resilience and what really makes a home.

Hidden at the intersection of several busy highways behind the trees and scrubby undergrowth is an island, full of secrets...

Pez has lived there for a while now, enjoying the solitude. She has a vegetable patch, a routine, her own way of doing things and a condor, who may be outstaying his welcome.

Runaway brothers, Riley and Grayson call the island home too. They keep their distance from Pez and spend precarious days trying to survive, still relying on the man-made world which speeds around them.

Then Gil arrives, with his hagstone and a dream of happy families, and everything changes. The four of them find a way of living and believe they might stay on the island forever. But all too soon they witness something they should never have seen and they're in deadly danger...

Tania Unsworth constantly raises the stakes to write about trust, friendship, resilience and what really makes a home in this original, tense and action-packed survival adventure.

Genres: Childrens

214 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 3, 2023

Reviews

[Katy Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new generation's 'Five on a Treasure Island' mixed with 'The Runaways'.

I doubt anyone not around my age will remember The Runaways by Ruth Thomas, about two children who run away from school/family/problems and who try to live together on their wits. But I am sure many people will know the Blyton title, about some plucky kids and their adventures on an island involving some bad guys and outdoor-type escapades. Well, I had both in mind as I read this.

Gil is being driven to yet another foster home, years after his parents' deaths, and rather than feel the outsider yet again, slips from his carer's car and runs away, coming across an oasis of sorts. At the intersection of some motorways is a hidden island where it's unlikely he'd ever be found. If only he could survive there.

But is he even the only resident? Other runaways have taken refuge on Nowhere Island as well, each with their own story. And together, their story is one that draws you in.

We get enough backstory from each of our characters to feel we understand what's brought them to Nowhere Island and to empathise with their personalities and what's shaped them. There's nothing graphic but none come from happy homes.

I enjoyed very much how this stayed completely away from Blyton territory, putting the protagonists in real danger at times and giving them real-world problems to solve in real-world ways. It will certainly make readers questions just how hard/easy it might be to live in the wild on your wits.

This was immensely enjoyable and quite mature writing for young people, on themes of family and loyalty, home and friendship.

For ages 10-14.

[Thushara · Rating 5 out of 5]

So underrated. A bittersweet ending that I would definitely remember for years to come.

Listened through Storytel

[Farah G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nowhere Island is about how we seek refuge from the chaos of our immediate life surroundings - including our emotional and psychological states - as well as from the wider world.

Four young people (and Junk the dog) find a haven in the island located so close to the highway and yet hidden from view. They have taken different routes to be there.

Pez has freed herself from a cult-like community. Brothers Riley and Grayson are at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of personality, but nevertheless share the bond of blood ties. And Gil is a dreamer, hoping for happiness against the odds.

With their own reasons for being there, each is wary of the other. Despite this, over time, the small group establishes a family of sorts. But then, they witness something that puts at risk the peace they have worked so hard to find...

Unsworth does a wonderful job of handling a number of difficult themes to produce a charming and relatable story. Readers will find themselves rooting for this scrappy bunch of misfits to find the freedom that they deserve, in a place where they can truly be who they are.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seeking a kind of asylum in a place normally associated with speed, four kids fetch up on the same mid-highway patch of land. The fact they don't go full feral and prove to not deserve a decent future there is but one of many plus points here.

And full discussion of those can be had here:- http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/reviews/N...

[Mardy Yardy · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the title, this wasn't what I expected it to be. My son (11) enjoyed reading it with me though and it did touch upon some important subjects such as domestic violence, foster care, parents death and chosen family. It also weirdly contained religious/cult themes with regards to a child running away from one. Still a good read nonetheless.

[Nix Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story grabs you from the very beginning, it moves on quickly with no faffing about, the characters are great, the ending is great (always a bug bear of mine), the setting is strong and its not too long. Think Robinson Crusoe in the middle of the M62. Brilliant.

[Jen Nishi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent novel. I enjoyed the survival aspect of this story and the uniqueness of it being an urban survival story. I wish we got to know the brothers more but overall it was a great story. I liked the found family aspect of it and the ambiguity of the ending.

[Adam Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nowhere Island by Tania Unsworth is another special children’s book. Almost like Lord of the Flies, this survival story captures the spirit of children transforming their personalities through nature.

Four children are hiding on a wild island off the motorway. They use the land, steal from cars, and learn ways to cook, clean, and create. The kids scavenge for food, befriend wild animals, witness a crash on the nearby motorway and survive a destructive storm. Through it all, they learn more about themselves and each other, about what is essential in their lives, and their bonds grow into something extraordinary.

Unsworth’s books have a fascinating, high-concept premise for the young demographic to be easily entertained. It may be hard to imagine a near paradise of nature in the middle of a motorway intersection, but that is precisely what the author does. Her writing overflows with a childlike fascination with the most ordinary, trivial things in our world, regarding every part of it as a door that opens up to a world of imagination.

[Cedar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this this book. It’s different than anything else I’ve read in a long time. It was a quick read, but very satisfying and I didn’t want to put it down.

Insightful character development. I felt like I knew everyone personally.

I’d love to read more from this author.

[Kitchen Sink Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nowhere Island is a ground-breaking book. Tania Unsworth, its author is already a critically acclaimed author having been nominated for the Sunday Times Book of the Week, now she is back with another book that breaks down boundaries. With its themes of found families, fostering, social exclusion, survival, the power of the wilderness and human connections to healing it may sound a little heavy going but it is not. Unsworth combines these difficult topics with a story that is alive with magical adventures and exciting life experiences.

Inspired by her own experiences and feelings of the ‘difference’ of places of wilderness and the neglected spaces of our world that she herself felt as a child this is a beautiful story.
There is an island that is full of secrets but to find it is not easy for this island is hidden at the intersection of several busy highways, behind trees and scrubby undergrowth. It is an anonymous patch of green where four runaways and Junk, the dog, live. They are hiding out here, relying on the man-made world that speeds by on the highways that surround them. There is the wild but silent Pez who has escaped from a mysterious cult, Riley the criminal mastermind and his gentle brother Grayson. Finally, there is Gil, the orphan with his lucky pebble and head full of dreams. All four are looking for safety but as soon as they think they might have found it something they witness puts them all in deadly danger. A magical story if friendship hope and the wild places.

[Karen Hammond · Rating 5 out of 5]

We loved this book. The children are relatable and charming, the setting is so unusual and unexpected and the narrative delightful. Considering what these children have been through you would think that this would be a wingey depressing book but this could not be further from the truth. The children are now looking at the lost spaces between roads in a different way !

[Sianne Wardle · Rating 4 out of 5]

These kids are so relatable, it made the book even better to read together. It is so upbeat considering the events the children have lived through. The setting is described amaxingly well. A must read for kids and families