The Devil's Own

by Deborah Lisson

Fifteen-year-old Julianna, bored and rebellious on her father's yacht, can see no beauty in the lonely, windswept Abrolohos Islands off the coast of Western Australia. If only something would happen, she thinks desperately, anything just to break the monotony. Then her wish is granted. It starts innocently enough - a glimpse of a face hidden among the bushes on a neighbouring island - but when Julianna goes to investigate she encounters a mystery that is to sweep her away from every security she has ever known and plunge her, alone and bewildered, into a three-hundred-year-old nightmare of shipwreck, mutiny...and murder.

Genres: Time Travel, Young Adult

167 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Deborah Lisson is a well-known author of young adult fiction, living in Banbury, Australia. Her passion for the story of Red Hugh led her to research this book in Ireland. Her novel The Devil's Own won the Western Australia Premier's Award for Children’s Fiction and was shortlisted for the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award in 1991; her book, A Place of Safety, won the Western Australia Premier's Award for Children's Literature in 1997.

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I'm an idiot and my review of this book got deleted.

Ok, so this is one of my favorite books about spoiled Julianna who's family is so mean they make her go on a yacht to uninhabited islands off the coast of Australia after the catch her shoplifting with her friend. So mean, right? In her spoiled-ness, Julianna sneaks off the yacht in the middle of the night when she sees a campfire on a supposedly uninhabited island...and is transported back 400 years to the time of the Batavia shipwreck! Julie learns what it means to be tough (pro-tip: it isn't shoplifting) and that even the good guys can be bad.

The more I learn about the historical shipwreck, the more I love this book.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading it for school made me wary of the content, since class texts tend to be boring and depressing. I found this surprisingly enjoyable, however. A very meaningful story for teenage readers, particularly for those finding it everything difficult and irritating, as the heroine of the story did. Teens will enjoy watching her grow through her experiences and become a much better and considerably more mature person by the end of the novel. Her relationship with Dick was sweet, and the ending left a nice bittersweet and somewhat haunting feeling.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

my favorite book in 6th grade.... i mean FAVORITE!

[Kandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS BOOK!
I read it when I was 12 - one I would definately read again!
AND am going to have to hunt down a copy!

[Sian]

I have read this book over 20 times now and have even travelled to the Abroholos Island a few times. Defintely a good read for teenagers.

[Jamila Munchkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember reading this book in High School (voluntarily) and it has stuck with me as a book that I really enjoyed.

[Sarah Thornton · Rating 4 out of 5]

My edition (signed, McPherson print, 2005? reprint, very vague publishing details) had a lot of editing issues, enough to distract and detract from the story, which in itself was good and factual and horrific, but the main character was kind of... too accepting of her situation. It felt like it was about 2 different people with the same name.


Not enough stories about Western Australia, and not enough about the Batavia, so this is still a great little gem, but the issues remain.

[Christina Lisson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, it brought to life for me some Western Australian history that I clearly did not learn (or perhaps listen to) at school. Although, I was slightly perturbed to see my teenage self peaking out at me from between the lines here and there.
So very proud of my mother and this book, her first published novel.

[Chelsea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really liked this book when I was in year 8 and obsessed with the Batavia story. I still am the latter, so appreciate a book that puts an interesting bit of Western Australian history into fiction for young adults.

[Summer.Hollins · Rating 3 out of 5]

It good

[Nadia King · Rating 3 out of 5]

I kept comparing this one to Playing Beatie Bow and it wasn't as good. But I loved the premise.

[Hat · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book for school. I wasn't expecting much and I didn't get much. The fact is that I wrote an essay on this book, forcing me think deeper. The was not enjoyable for me, but is acceptable as i did bot choose to read it. You all probably think I'm a complaining schoolgirl, you're probably right.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

everybody in English extension last year should have this on their list! I thought it was really good, I learnt a lot about the Batavia wreck from it and a liked the romanticised side of it :)