Island Boxset

Island #1-3

by Gordon Korman

They didn't want to be on the boat in the first place. They didn't want to be stuck at sea with a bunch of strangers. But when a storm hits, what they want doesn't matter. It's all about survival.

Luke, J.J., Will, Lyssa, Charla, and Ian soon find they have nothing to rely on but a desert island--and each other.

No food. No shelter. No rules. They're on their own.

Or are they?

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

411 pages, Boxed Set

First published October 1, 2002

About the author

Gordon Korman is a Canadian author of children's and young adult fiction books. Korman's books have sold more than 30 million copies worldwide over a career spanning four decades and have appeared at number one on The New York Times Best Seller list.

Reviews

[Logan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hadn't read these books since I was in the third grade, but the story stuck with me thoroughly. The only one of the kids' names I remembered was Ian, probably because he was most like me as a kid - bingeing NatGeo and Discovery Channel in the early 00s, when the Discovery Channel still had documentary after documentary on at any hour of the day.

These books really encapsulate what is the most wonderful about middle grade books: even though the language tends to be simpler, middle grade authors tend to craft stories just as skillfully as authors of novels for adults, with symbolism (the boat being called the phoenix, which the heroes of the books survive to be reborn from the dead), character development & growth, real flaws in those characters (something a lot of YA especially fails to capture), and heart-rending emotion. All of this, which I would expect from any book worth its salt, wrapped up in more adventure than you could hope to find in most books aimed at an older audience.

In short, I had just as much of a blast reading it now as I did more than a decade ago. I recommend the Island books to every kid, and to any adult wanting a fun & quick read.

[Rizwan Khalil · Rating 5 out of 5]

গর্ডন করম্যানের আইল্যান্ড ট্রিলজি ছেলেবেলার প্রিয় সেবা ক্লাসিক জুল ভার্নের 'রহস্যের দ্বীপ' ও 'নোঙর ছেঁড়া', রবার্ট মাইকেল ব্যালেন্টাইনের 'প্রবাল দ্বীপ' আর তিন গোয়েন্দার 'অথৈ সাগর-১,২' পড়ার আনন্দময় সুখস্মৃতি মনে করিয়ে দিলো। সেই সাথে ভার্সিটিলাইফে দেখা আমার সবচেয়ে প্রিয় টিভি সিরিজ 'লস্ট'-কেও (অবশ্য আইল্যান্ড ট্রিলজি প্রকাশিত সেই ২০০১-এ)।

জাহাজডুবির পর ছয় কিশোর-কিশোরির আধমরা হয়ে প্রশান্ত মহাসাগরের এক নামপরিচয়হীন জনমানবহীন ছোট্ট প্রবাল দ্বীপে ভেসে আসা। কলা-নারিকেল ছাড়া কোনো খাবার নেই, কোনো সুপেয় পানিও নেই। সেখানে শুরু হয় তাদের প্রতিনিয়ত মরণপণ বাঁচার লড়াই করা। এদিকে দ্বীপে ঘটতে থাকে কিছু রহস্যময় মন্দ মানুষের আনাগোনা। গহীন জঙ্গলের মাঝে পাওয়া যায় দ্বিতীয় বিশ্বযুদ্ধের একটা পরিত্যক্ত টপ সিক্রেট আমেরিকান এয়ার ফোর্স বেস। লোকগুলোর দ্বীপে অভিসন্ধি কী? পরিত্যক্ত অতি গোপনীয় এয়ার ফোর্স বেসটার প্রকৃত কী উদ্দেশ্য ছিল? এমন এক দ্বীপ যার অস্তিত্ব পৃথিবীর কোনো ম্যাপে নেই, সেখানে আদৌ কি কেউ তাদের উদ্ধার করতে আসতে পারবে? নাকি দ্বীপের অসংখ্য প্রতিকূলতার পরেও এইসব মন্দলোকদের হাতেই গুলি খেয়ে বেঘোরে মরতে হবে?

বরাবরের মতোই করম্যানের নিখাঁদ মসৃণ টানটান স্টোরিটেলিং ও স্টোরি ডেভেলপমেন্ট এবং মনে রাখার মতো মূল চরিত্রদের পিচ পার্ফেক্ট নিখুঁত ক্যারেক্টার ডেভেলপমেন্টে পৃষ্ঠার পর পৃষ্ঠা যেন আপনা থেকেই রীতিমত উড়ে গেছে, দেড়শ পৃষ্ঠা করে তিনটি পর্বের মোট সাড়ে চারশ পৃষ্ঠার পুরো ট্রিলজি নাকেমুখে গোগ্রাসে গিলে টানা দুইদিনের মধ্যেই খতম করে তৃপ্তির নিঃশ্বাস ফেলেছি। আহা! এই না হলে উপাদেয় কিশোর-অ্যাডভেঞ্চার উপন্যাস!

প্রথম পর্ব: শিপরেক, ৪/৫
দ্বিতীয় পর্ব: সার্ভাইভাল, ৪.৫/৫
তৃতীয় পর্ব: এসকেপ, ৪.৫/৫

[Sangkyunglee · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 kids who is known for there misbehavior is stranded on a island. The captain disappeared into the sea and the first crew left them to die. What could be worse? The children Luke, J.J., Will, Lyssa, Charla, and Ian relied on each other. Luke's trustiness, Will and Lyssa's warmness, Charla's athlete, Ian's knowledge and J.J stubborn braveness helps them overcome each problem. But as more things are happening in the island, secrets are revealed. Smugglers, atomic bomb Junior... These kids came half around the world because of there problems had actually helped them to survive. Reading this book made me believe in my self. Everything I had, good or bad could help me and others. Reading this book can help you discover something. It provides fun. So if you have any time read this book!

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

These were the books that got me started on my life long journey of reading. Back when I was in 4th grade, these book challenged me in a way that wanted me to keep reading more challenging books. Each book was filled with suspense, actions, and adventure. I loved how the books came to a conclusion. The kids were faced with some tough decisions that I don’t know if I could of done what they did. I love that these books are filled with hope of surviving and that the kids had to rely on one another in hopes that one day they will be reunited with their families. I also loved that each of the kids used their weaknesses at help them get off the island.

[Cassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gordon Korman was my favorite author as a kid; his adventure books and humor resonated with me for some reason. I think this series was my first introduction to his books. :)

*Some mild language

[Jolene Knighton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book, but the picture on the back cover is stupid - the kids' clothes are way too clean and in good condition.

[Akina · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was interesting, kind of like LOtF but with more implausible miracles and less allegory

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved these books as a kid, and thoroughly enjoyed the nostalgia read as an adult. It was fun to get excited for my favorite parts all over again.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A blast from the past; we stan one overly-prolific juv writer <3

[Hennah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Island Box Set includes three stories:


Book 1: Shipwreck
In the first book,six delinquents are sent away to a boating institute called the "PHOENIX". Luke, JJ, Lyssa, Will, Ian and Charla all had their personal reasons why they were there. Luke was caught with a gun in his gym locker. JJ was the son a of the famous Jonathon Lane, so of course, he had his superstar act ups. Lyssa and Will were brother and sister. They were sent on the boat for fighting like animals and nearly killing one another. Ian supposedly watch to much TV(we never found out the real reason). Charla claimed that her father wanted her to pick a talent that she wanted to continue working on for the rest of her life. Charla had several talents including: swimming,gymnastics and dancing. They were all delinquents but in the end they pay off.
They were miserable with the captain and the ship's mate Mr.Radford(or as the children preferred Rat-face). After about a week or so on the ship they learned to live with it.
Later in the story, a shipwreck occurs(How? I can't say,sorry). It's all about survival now!

Book 2:Survival
The children are left without the captain or the ship's mate, they were on their own. It was very mysterious how all the adults were gone! They all had thoerys'. They are surviaving on a deseted island for quite a while. They discover miltary secrets, how to live on a island and most of all they learned teamwork.

Book 3:Escape
They had become more then just strangers, they became family. They cured each other,feed each other and learned to love each other. After a while they had to get off of the island! They had to do it some how! They sent JJ the superstar, who was now a kind and loving invidual to save them all.After all of this I'm to say I can't tell you they survived, read the book to find out! I strongly recommed it to anyone who's a softy and wants a mysterious yet sweet and loving book.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book years ago when I first read it in 2004.
Reading it (technically them, but all three together are only 404 pages and I have them in a single book set) now, I can see the only thing more prevalent than its cliches are its hilariously unlikely coincidences. I had always drawn a comparison of this book at the TV show LOST, but realize now that this came out three years prior to that. I was also somewhat disappointed to discover there wasn't a movie for it. It's one of the few books out there that, I think, would convert to film pretty well.
Its not great writing -heck, it's not even really good writing-, but I still enjoy this book as an adult, and I definitely loved it when I was a kid. I thought it was exciting and compelling stuff. The only thing that threw me was the boar. It didn't make any kind of sense, if you know anything about wild boar, which seemed odd considering the large piles of trivia scooped onto this work like ice cream on cake. But the boar was just completely... it didn't make even passable sense to me. Now, of course, I see all the other flaws that I failed to notice as a kid, and the boar isn't really more out of line than anything else, it only seemed that way because I was such an animal lover and I knew that wasn't how wild boar behaved.
It's kind of hard to review, because this book is really what you see is what you get. Some kids get shipwrecked, land on an island, try to survive. Fairly straightforward, and every character is lifted from the box of adventure character cliches, the ending seems a little abrupt after the length of the setup and story itself but that's nothing new. Anyway, it was fun (if this is your kind of thing, particularly if you're in the right age range), and that's all that can truly be said of it.

[Mari Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars for this MG series about six troubled kids sent out on a sailboat to "revaluate" their lives, but subsequently shipwrecked and marooned on an island used by dangeerous poachers. I really enjoyed this series by Gordon Korman. I have read both this and the first book in the "stranded" series by Jeff Probst and I have to say, that not only do I think this is superior but I feel that Probst ripped off the entire concept from Korman. This did require some suspension of disbelief but I felt that overall, it was very well done. The action was exciting but not overwhelming and the plot moved briskly along. Probably best for grades 4 - 8 and I think this would appeal to both boys and girls.

[Elijah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this trilogy was an incredibly entertaining read. I got this 3 book set expecting it to last me a majority of my summer; but I soon found myself staying up late and finishing the whole set in less than a week. Gordon Korman does a great job of developing the characters throughout the three books. Most of the characters were very likable and by the third part of the series the reader feels a close bond with them. I've read other books by Korman and this is by far my favorite. The pace in his other books are more upbeat but I really enjoyed the mysterious development of plot throughout this trilogy. This "LOST-esque" adventure series is well worth investing in; I would highly recommend it to all readers.

[Dayna Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Island is actually a series of three books: Shipwreck, Survival, and Escape. Six teenagers are sent away to "Charting a New Course", a program for troubled teens where they spend a month learning to sail off the coast of Guam. They are supposed to learn teamwork and straighten their lives out. They end up shipwrecked on a "deserted" island and have to learn to survive. These are very good books. It's interesting to watch each of the kids grow up and step up to help the group. Really hard to put down once you start.

[E · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Island series is something that fired my imagination as a child. I used to just stare at the covers in bed and imagine myself shipwrecked.

The books work fine on their own in spite of that nostalgia, but unlike the Percy Jackson books, these didn't tickle the imagination of my adult mind.

I do like Korman. He's a professional word mill, which I can respect. He does a commendable job with his own limiting, stale parameters. Aside from that appreciation, there's little in these books for someone this side of junior high.

[Jaclyn]

I call this short series the good and interesting alternate to Lord of the Flies. Instead of having all the kids go haywire and basically kill each other off, the troubled teens in this book grow and help everyone to survive. It's a cool plot with characters I related to, and especially when they find the bomb, everything is very engaging.

Personally I wouldn't have read it if it wasn't for an assignment based on the synopsis, but it was very engaging for me as an elementary kid.

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of survival novels, so I was really excited to read this book. It's about six children who are in a program called "Charting a New Course" that is supposed to help troubled youth. they each have their own reason to be on the trip, and all the characters are very relatable. But when a storm hits, and the children find themselves shipwrecked, they have to use teamwork and their own personal skills to survive.

[Katie Josephine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this book when I was younger, which I did, I would have given it a 5, Reading it now I would say 3. All in all its a good shipwreck story but the plot it too far fetched. I mean really a bunch of kids on a sinking boat that get separated into two group only to wind up on the same island a week later, come on.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny exciting adventure of 6 "problem" children from all walks of life, sent off to a "ship boot camp" by their parents to learn to conduct themselves respectfullly, work as a team. So much for that! If you like the tv show survivor, you might like this easy to read tale.

[Faith · Rating 3 out of 5]

When my grandpa got this book for me I really enjoyed it. It was pretty good, but I never found myself liking the characters that much, and a few of them were so annoying I found myself yelling at them. But if you like shipwreck stories, this is an interesting one.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books were very fun to read. Not my first pick in genre, and I'm not chomping at the bit to devour another Gordon Korman book. However, they were exciting and interesting and I am very excited to use at least the first book as a read aloud in my classroom.

[Delaney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutly positivly love this book. I read the first in first grade as an audio book. Then when I found out that there was more I found this book in my library. I used to sit in my favorite chair and read it over and over again. This is one of my favorite books and always will be.

[Cay-lamity · Rating 5 out of 5]

T H O U G H T S:

this was one of my favorites! survival, rivalry, suspense. (and it's funny too).

R A T I N G:

plot // 5
pacing // 4
language // 4
story world // 5
protagonist // 5
antagonist // 4
secondary characters // 4

[Beatrix · Rating 5 out of 5]

really good
i can't stop reading them

[Maria Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another survival fun series. Quick reads! A page turner.

[Marissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

GOOOD

[Julian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazingly tragic, the complex plot line rattles your mind!

[Mindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. Excellent adventure story.

[Cws]

JAR4-Kor

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

My oldest son and I enjoyed reading this trilogy together. Three-in-one pager turners with a twist!