Sweet Friday Island

by Theodore Taylor

Uninhabited and remote, Sweet Friday Island rises out of the Sea of Cortez, the flattened top of an ancient mountain. Its rugged terrain makes it the perfect place for fifteen-year-old Peg Toland and her adventurous dad to take their favorite kind of vacation. But its idyllic isolation and wild landscape ultimately turn Sweet Friday Island into a terrifying and deadly trap. Inexorably forced into fighting for their lives Peg and her father are suddenly struggling as well with a question many of us pose but need never Are we really capable of killing another human to protect someone we love?

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Survival, Adventure, Middle Grade

192 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Reviews

[Nick Vallina (MisterGhostReads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peg and her father love to go camping and do it regularly and full hog. Fully removed from society and just enjoying nature. When they decide to check out Sweet Friday Island, an isolated, uninhabited, hard-to-get-to island in the middle of the Sea of Cortez, they quickly realize it's maybe not as uninhabited as they thought...

Considering when this was written and for which audience, I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. I do wish it had been a bit longer and more slowly paced. There's a fun moment where Peg is feeling like she's being watched and I wished there had been a bit more building dread before the craziness ensues but it kinda jumps directly into the action. I guess I'm just wishing it was more gothic vibes, which is not what it set out to accomplish.

3.5/5 stars, rounded up

[Tegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first time I read this novel I fell in love. I went back to the library months later and checked it out again. It has been awhile since I've read it, but I think about it often and want to read it again. Once you pick this book up you can't put it down. As a reader you're constantly wondering what is going to happen and how these characters are going to get out of this. By the time the novel is done you feel like you went through it with them.

[Eva Weiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of suspense, fast & easy read. The ending is also satisfying. I liked the two main characters: the girl is very insightful, realistically afraid yet also is forced to mature due to her circumstances. The father is an obstinate braggart, and you see his charming and caring side as well as understand the reason why someone would want to divorce him. Nonetheless he is a good father who prepares his daughter very well for a terrible showdown. She ends up doing far better than either of them anticipated.

[Tammie Groeneman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was packing up my books for our move and I saw this book. I don’t remember buying it or where it came from. I sat down to read a couple pages and read it all in one sitting. Now I’m 2 hours behind in my packing, but it was a very exciting 2 hours! Loved it, gave it to my son in law the next day and they were late coming over for dinner bc he got sucked in too and had to finish it. Easy read, and actually a bit scary!!

[Thomasin Propson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A father/daughter camping trip becomes a struggle for survival when the two campers ignore locals and travel to an island they were warned not to visit. It’s not only the island living that turns deadly but the realities of living with insulin dependent diabetes that pushes them to their limits.

Deep it is not, but as a tween/teen adventure story it does the job.

[Jeremiah Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! This was a page turner. I read the first half or so to my seven year old daughter. She was hooked (as was I) but I read the ending myself. The book is probably best for 10 and up. I thought it was well written.

I found it in the giveaway shelf at the Seward Public Library in Alaska.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

When a dream becomes a nightmare! Fantastic book. I couldn't put it down. The pacing is superb while the poetic/detailed setting provides an impressive and chilling atmosphere. I absolutely recommend this audio book for a road trip.

[kira · Rating 4 out of 5]

High-strung but easy read and asked insightful questions. I liked it much more on my reread when I was a little older.

[Patti]

*** 1/2 stars

[Jennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A young girl and her father face peril during an island vacation. After a dangerous stranger steals her father’s diabetic supplies, Peg must attack the man in order to save herself and her father.

Incredible, overlooked title by Theodore Taylor, author of The Cay. Great survival story especially for girls as Peg is a strong female character. Very psychological plot.

[Harmony Shirley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about a father and daughter who get stranded on this small island in Mexico, I believe. It was short and I honestly thoroughly enjoyed my time with it. Wasn't the best book I've ever read, certainly wasn't the worst book I've ever read - *clears throat* Wreck the Halls - but we won't get into that. Anyway, would recommend. Very intriguing, but the ending did feel a bit rushed.

[Judith]

I enjoyed this book as much for the creepiness of the setting as for the creepiness of the plot. I spent hours on Google Earth after I finished this book trying to find a similar island in the Sea of Cortez.

[Laurel · Rating 4 out of 5]

So intriguing, had me captured and scared out of my wits until the ending. That part was a little blah, not quite what I was in for, but good, clean, almost horror.

[Dori · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books as a kid. Loved the suspense. Still read it again, every now and then.

[Sandy Runions · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intrigue. Life threatening from several angles. Clear your day book.

[Debbie Desotell]

ok

[JMRL]

When a father-daughter camping trip on a beautiful island turns into a survival story.

Find it at JMRL: http://aries.jmrl.org/record=b1118502~S9