Race to Imagination Island

by Mel Taylor-Bessent, Alessandro D’urso (illustrator)

‘Race to Imagination Island will suck you in!’ Chris Smith, author of Kid Normal

‘You’ll LOVE racing to Imagination Island!’ Maz Evans, author of Who Let The Gods Out?

‘One of the most joyful books I have read — you never want to leave!’ Jenny McLachlan

Observers! Dreamers! Inventors! Explorers! The time has come to crown four new Protectors of Imagination Island. Do YOU have what it takes to win the Race?

Mario Kart meets The 13 Storey Treehouse in this thrilling new series from the author of The Christmas Carrolls

The time has come for four children to be named the new Protectors of Imagination Island. In an event that only happens once every 80-100 years, children all over the world scour the globe in search of lightstreams (portals) to the magical island where anything they imagine comes to life. To become a Protector, they must compete in teams and complete a series of challenges to prove they have what it takes. But not everyone will make it to the next level of Imagination Island, and the last person to reach the checkpoint will be transported back home immediately…

Dreamy 10-year-old Luca is afraid of everything, not least the lightstream he stumbles into by accident. Imagination Island is everything that he’s terrified of. But there’s no way out. So he hits on a plan. Work out how to come LAST, and get sent home. That’s what he really wants. Isn’t it?

The Race is ON!

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade

256 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 4, 2024

About the author

Founder of the hugely successful Authorfy and Little Star Writing, Mel Taylor-Bessent has made her career connecting readers to their favourite authors and encouraging children to write for pleasure. After gaining a Creative Writing degree, Mel launched her first business at the age of 22 and ran creative writing workshops for thousands of children aged 6-12. As a result, she also arranged hundreds of author events and witnessed first-hand the positive impact these interactions had on her students.

In 2017, she decided to replicate this via online ‘Author Masterclasses’ on a website she created called Authorfy.com. Since then, Authorfy has gone on to win numerous awards, partner with the likes of World Book Day and BookTrust, and is used in classrooms all over the world. Now Mel is bringing her own writing to readers with The Christmas Carrolls, her debut fiction series.

Reviews

[Mrs Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this to a certain point. I love the idea of the underdogs making the most impact. I enjoyed the concept of the book. I wasn’t sold on the way it ended.

[Danielle Adnitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this to the kids and they loved it, held their attention and we’re now on book two. They’ve asked if there is going to be a movie. It reminds me of a nice kids version of the Hunger Games in a way…

[Katy Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sons both listened attentively. Full of imagination and a great start to a series.

Quite an ask, to keep the attention of a 14 AND an 8 year old on car journeys. But I have to admit, they both did tune in completely and want to continue when I stopped the car.

That is down to the fantastic premise of an island where anything is possible though. What young person could resist - where anything you can think of can become so?

The story set-up sends a group of young people to this magical place: 4 children are needed to become the Protectors of the Island, and anyone interested must first race to to the lightstreams to be transported there to enter the next stage of the race.

Globe-wide there's a frenzy to find these portals, and Luca is as far from thrilled as it's possible to be when he accidentally falls into one. Luca is overwhelmed, scared, and lacking self-esteem and confidence after a lifetime of being looked down on, he just wants to go home. He doesn't want to race, he doesn't want to be in a team, he wants to lose so he can go back to safety and normality. But his new teammates don't seem to want to let him, or even think he's not an asset.

Forced to take part in the challenges allongside the other competitors, Luca's team of misfits is trying hard to use their skills and the 'imagines' they are allowed to beat the others to the finish.

Clearly the start of an ongoing series, this was full of fun and adventure, bonkers stuff (Snot Monsters, a rap about poo) and definitely showed my boys that writing can be off-the-wall and be able anything your mind can conjure up.

I found Luca a little grating for most of the audiobook, he's far from your average protagonist in this kind of story, but as expected he does grow as a character and develop into something more nuanced and self-aware.

We'd read the next in the series. Enjoyed the narrator's efforts with multiple child voices, all well conveyed and distinct.

For ages 7-12.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.

[David Wright · Rating 1 out of 5]

“I wanted to write like I was a child again” - well I wanted to read a book written for a child not by a child.
Cons:
The race TO Imagination Island is over in the first 20 pages.
The race FOR Imagination Island doesn’t start until halfway through the book.
Correction, the race starts in the last 20 pages. The rest of the second half of the book is two non-time sensitive challenges.
The characters spend more time sleeping than anything else:
Day one of the ‘race’ is drive in a straight line for 8 hours and go to bed after only one meal (at least it’s the 14-year old driving not the 7-year old).
Day two of the ‘race’ is walk over a bridge after breakfast and then have dinner and go to bed (at least they got 2 meals that day).
Luca’s strength is solving riddles (apparently) but he isn’t even the team member who solves the only riddle in the book!
Luca (9/10 on the imagination scale) “ran out of ideas”.
Cover spoils the ending (like the current Harry Potter covers) so there’s nothing to look forward to.

[Nikki]

I received this book from the publisher via Net Galley, in exchange for an honest review.

My local bookseller had been talking this up to me, then I saw that the audio was narrated by my favourite, Joe Jameson, so I had to try it!

This is a fun story about the power of imagination, and I like the way that it tackles different aspects of what is needed, and tries to consider fairness. It does still seem possible for the cocky kids to win though, and I don't want to imagine what a world under their power could be like. I also really like the main character because I don't think I've read a middle grade with severe anxiety rep in it before? I think it was handled pretty well, though there is an element of "just get over it" to it (not explicit in the main of the book, but Luca does have to get on with things despite it all) which maybe held me back form outright loving it.

I will probably be picking up book two, but this isn't a standout for me, just a mid-range. 3.25 stars.

[Lisa Trollip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Race to Imagination Island by Mel Taylor-Bessent is an amazing story filled with adventure. Every 80 to 100 years four children are named Protectors of Imagination Island, a magical island where all your thoughts and dreams come to life. Luca gets sucked in after discovering the light stream (portal) and finds himself on the magical Imagination Island. At first he wants to go home, and comes up with a plan to come last in the challenges that face the wannabe Protectors, but before long he's not so sure anymore.

My two children loved the audio story, their only complaint was that the book finished and they now have to wait to find out what happens in book two! There was lots of giggling and it kept them very entertained during the school holidays. The audio story comes highly recommended from my two bookworms.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK Audio for the opportunity to listen to the audio book.

[Emma Ferrier · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5, rounded up to reflect that I’m not the target audience but I would highly recommend to them.

A fun, fast paced middle grade. I think this would’ve rated higher for me had I not been reading via audiobook - the narrator just wasn’t my preferred style for a middle grade. He had good distinct voices for different characters but it was the sort of narration that doesn’t feel realistic? If that makes sense? A lot of MG narrators do it, this sort of exaggerated caricature of a child that doesn’t work for me personally but overall the actual story was a lot of fun and reminded me of books I read as a kid. This is probably a good introduction to middle grade for younger readers and I think may be a good one for parents to read to kids as well.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Woah, this is a WILD RIDE. Honestly full of fun and imagination! Imagination Island is a total adventure filled with everything you can think of - is it a bit much for Luca? Or can he learn to trust himself and others? I can’t wait for the next stage of the journey - it promises to be thrilling.

[David Barker · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exciting adventure as 16 kids try to win a race, to earn the right to become one of four new protectors of Imagination Island. Luca is a reluctant participant but soon finds he wants to help his new team mates. Full of imaginative encounters, plenty of humour and the start of a new series.