Un'isola tutta per noi

by Sally Nicholls, Anna Patrucco Becchi (Translator)

Da quando i genitori sono morti, i fratelli Kennet – Holly di dodici anni, Davy di sette e Jonathan di diciotto –vivono soli, arrangiandosi come possono tra mille difficoltà. Ma ora che anche gli ultimi risparmi sono andati in fumo, non sanno più che fare. Nel frattempo la ricca ed eccentrica prozia Irene, incapace di esprimersi a causa di un ictus, consegna a Holly un album che contiene una strana serie di fotografie. Holly intuisce che sono altrettanti indizi per ritrovare un tesoro nascosto dalla zia in luoghi diversi. Starà ai nipoti scovarlo e risolvere così i loro problemi.

La caccia al tesoro ha inizio…

Un racconto d’avventura, ricco di ironia e suspense.

Genres: Middle Grade, Contemporary, Young Adult, Adventure, Fiction, Childrens, Family

224 pages, Hardcover

First published April 2, 2015

About the author

Sally Nicholls is a prize-winning British children's author. She was born and grew up in Stockton-on-Tees. On finishing school, Nicholls chose to travel around the world. Her first novel was Ways to Live Forever.

Reviews

[Robin Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely, funny, warm-hearted family detective novel, like the Story of the Treasure Seekers with geocaching. I love Sally's writing and I love Holly's voice.

[Maddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the dynamic between the siblings, although if an older brother is called Jonathan, I'm going to think of Jonathan Byers, for sure! A good mystery always makes a good read and this was no exception!

[ستایش · Rating 3 out of 5]

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[Booklunatic · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Sterne

Awww! Tolles Buch. Freue mich schon aufs Empfehlen und verkaufen.

[Anna Weasley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eine sehr süße und emotionale Geschichte. Hat mir sehr gut gefallen. Besonders da die Charaktere sehr glaubhaft und liebenswürdig aufgebaut werden trotz der Kürze des Buches :)

[Masoome · Rating 4 out of 5]

به جز ان فصلی که می رن لباس زیر می خرن و مترجم/ ناشر می تونست کلا از کتاب درش بیاره چون اثر زیادی روی داستان نداشت، بقیه ش خیلی جالب و خوب بود. با هالی و طرز فکر کردن و حرف زدنش کلی خندیدم و نگرانشون شدم و باهاشون رفتم به جزیره شون و خیلی بهم خوش گذشت.
کلی کتاب و فیلم خوب هم توی کتاب معرفی شده که بسیار بسیار مفید و جالبه.

[Daisy May Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life for Holly and her siblings is hard. Ever since the death of their mother, they've been trying to survive together. But surviving is hard and living is even harder; money problems, family troubles, and keeping a two bedroom flat together in London is pushing them all to the edge. One of their relatives, Great-Aunt Irene is in hospital suffering from a stroke. And, when Holly and Jonathan and Davy go and visit, Irene gives Holly a book of photographs which maybe, might, solve all of their difficulties. It's time to figure out the clues in the book and find the treasure - before somebody else does.

I loved this. I will be frank and say that I adored this and I loved it and this is a very perfect and quiet and rather brilliant book. The great gift that Nicholls has here is that she's got the voice of Holly perfectly; Holly is genuine, straightforward and rather beautiful. This is a book about family and people and such a book hinges on character. There's plot, yes, a lot of it and it's good but none of that matters a jot unless you believe in the people on their quest. And I did. I loved it. An Island of Our Own has the feel of something classic about it; there's echoes of Swallows and Amazons and The Story of the Treasure Seekers and Philippa Pearce about it. It reads something like all of these mixed together with a hint of the Famous Five about it as well for good measure.

The other thing that lays at the heart of An Island Of Our Own is the idea of friendship. Family is family, but friends are family to. The kindness of strangers. The connections formed between people that pull people back from the brink. It's such a quietly gorgeous and richly layered book this. I adored it.

[16KiteM · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was quite good but I personally thought it wasn't the right one for me. The main character was a bit childish so i don't think it was for my age. The storyline was good and i liked the parts where they built up tension, especially when we were about to find out what was in the briefcase, ifit was the treasure or not. I would recommend this book to girls and boys who are 10-12 years old. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

[Saoirse Milotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holly and her younger brother Davy have been in the care of their 18 year old brother Jonathan ever since their mum died. Life is hard, they never have money for new clothes or nice food, and, although he says he does not mind, Holly is pretty sure Jonathan is not too happy about giving up his place in university to work in a café in order to pay the bills. So when Holly's eccentric, wealthy great-aunt gives her a photo album shortly before her death, she is sure it contains clues to buried treasure. Solving the clues is only the beginning, though, as Holly also has to convince her brothers the treasure is real and get to it before anyone else does.

This is a beautiful tale of hardship and family love. Holly is a spirited, determined girl who says exactly what is on her mind, no matter the situation, and her passion for the treasure hunt is infectious. The story is fast paced, and each character is fully developed and believable, making readers invested in the outcome. A touching, humorous book.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I asked for recommendations of books that were filled with real comfort and joy, Frances Hardinge & Terri Trimble both recommended this one, and they were absolutely right.

In terms of voice, overall feel and sheer charm, this book felt like a contemporary MG version of I Capture the Castle. Totally enchanting, heartfelt, and full of warmth, with wonderful characters and such a fun story. I loved it! I read a library copy but am now planning to buy a copy to keep for re-reading in the future.

[Jane Branson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deceptively simple plotting and a strong narrative voice. It's a story of three orphans looking for some treasure - sounds archaic, but in reality utterly modern, very convincing, completely unsentimental. Would be a worthy winner of the UKLA book award - and it's a proper children's book: not a bleak dystopia but a novel you could read with or recommend to any class in year 6 or above.

[Emma Ferrier · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Borrowed from the library. Caught my attention quickly. Fast paced and perfect length.

[Sena Nur Işık · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨10/10✨

Anne ve babasını küçük yaşta kaybetmiş Holly’e abisi Jonathan bakıyordur. Kardeşi Davy’le beraber Londra’da küçük bir dairede yaşıyorlar. Maddi sorunlar yaşamaya başladıkları sırada zengin halaları vefat etmeden önce Holly’e bir albüm hediye ediyor ve olaylar başlıyor.

Hayatımda okuduğum en naif, sessiz ve samimi kitaplardan biriydi. Holly’nin hissettiği tüm duygular sade ve net bir şekilde anlatılmıştı. Bu yüzden kitap vurucu, eğlenceli ve biraz da hüzünlüydü. Son sayfada gözlerim doldu. Sadece 50 sayfa okumak için başlamıştım ama bir çırpıda kitabın tamamını bitirdim. Sürükleyici, samimi ve içten. Kesinlikle okumanızı tavsiye ederim. Çok keyif aldım.

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great. I really enjoyed it and it is quite an easy read!! I recommend this 😃

[Anastasia Hanganu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frumoasă și emoționantă

[Cezara_15sd · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5✰

[Hobbitlass · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Excellent comtemporary children's book. 3 orphans trying to get by in London, with some adventures, but Holly's voice is the best part, as the plot is a bit silly and unlikely.

[Katie Lou · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed at: http://queenofteenfiction.blogspot.co.uk

Picking up this book was such a breath of fresh air for me. Amongst reading so many dystopian worlds and complicated fantasy lands, this book brought me back down to earth with a huge smile on my face.

This story follows siblings, Holly, Davy, and Jonathan, as they try to track down jewellery left for them by their aunt. It’s a treasure hunt which desperately makes you wish you had something to chase up and down the country.

Holly is a delightful character. She’s full of optimism and sass. It made me wish I could’ve been more like her when I was twelve-years-old! Her determination to go hunting for the jewels and make life better for her and her brothers is what makes this such a heart-warming story. It reminds you what it’s like to be that young and feel like you can conquer any quest. I loved the bond she had with her brothers. Even when she was angry at Jonathan, she’d understand that he was just trying to do what was best for them all.

I fell a little bit in love with Jonathan and all his geeky references. There is a scene in which he’s making up a story for Holly and Davy, and he combines nearly all of the nerdy things I adore into it. After that, it was impossible not to love him. He showed personal strength throughout this book. He somehow managed to always keep his cool even though he’d had to sacrifice so much. Fictional he may be, but there are many young adults like him who step up to look after their younger siblings when no one else is there to.

There are so many brilliantly quirky characters that pop-up in the story to help the siblings with their mission, and I could picture each of them perfectly in my head. I love adventures in which the main characters get to meet a wide variety of different people on their journey. It makes it impossible for the story to become dull.

This is a story that can be enjoyed by readers of all ages, and it has something to offer to everyone. Humour, adventure, realism, and a little bit of mystery, whatever you like reading, you can find it within these pages.

This book had me smiling from ear-to-ear by the time I put it down. The final paragraph is a quote I can imagine people will want to turn into those cute, inspirational text images you often find on Pinterest. It’s a fitting and wonderful ending to a really wonderful story.

[Pippa Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

So what did I think?

An Island Of Our Own is a fast-paced adventure story that revolves around the mystery of late Auntie Irene’s strange photo album. Twelve year old Holly shows stoic determination in tracking down her inheritance; and in her quest we get to know her older brother and guardian, Jonathan, and her younger brother, Davy. The more desperately the family of orphans need assistance, the more offers of kindness unexpectedly help them on their way.

Told in the first person, we quickly pick up on Holly’s irrepressible energy and feisty spirit. Although she is growing up in difficult circumstances, Holly is proud and determined and doesn’t take no for an answer.

What I particularly like about this book is that it is filled to the brim with contemporary references and experiences that young people take for granted: facebook, and crowdsourcing and Metadata. Yet, at the same time, An Island Of Our Own captures the essence of a good old Enid Blyton adventure. It is a remarkable balance of the old fashioned kids-having-the freedom-to-roam-the-countryside type adventure, and a contemporary surviving-hard-times story.The entire way through I was compelled to keep reading as I had a strong conviction that Holly would come out of things triumphant. It’s a very satisfying and rewarding read for impatient readers!

You’ll find sad moments, happy moments, silly and deadly serious moments, and nothing boring to get in the way. One of my favourite aspects of the book is the blossoming romance between Holly’s older brother Jonathan and the cheery Kate. It really warms the cockles of your heart. I’ve become fascinated by the idea of Maker Spaces, which seem to be the best idea ever, and I feel like I urgently need to visit Orkney’s Oldest Known Farmstead, Knap of Howar. It sounds the perfect place to capture the essence of adventure.

It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book that filled me with as much excitement as a reader, and for that I thank Sally Nicholls, and will now be finding all her other books to read too!

Pippa Wilson

30th December 2015

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published at: http://solittletimeforbooks.blogspot....

I’m a big fan of Sally Nicholls’ heart-warming, emotional stories of growing up for younger teens and An Island of Our Own was no exception. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

When Molly was eleven, Davy was six and Jonathon was eighteen, their mum died, leaving them to look after themselves. Jonathon turned down his place at university and took his job as a waiter in a café to care for his younger siblings. This struck a chord with me. Luckily I was a little older than Jonathon having just graduated from uni I ended up doing the same as him, though he had it harder, and I understood everything he was going through. It’s not an easy thing to do at any age, but at 18, wow.

And they’re not doing so well. I really loved how Sally Nicholls handled this. She showed the often neglected positive things that our social services and government do to help kids in this situation and it was heart-warming to see. Those services allowed these kids to stay together and stay afloat in the hardest years of their lives and I think that does get forgotten in all the bad press sometimes.

Holly is a sweet, engaging narrator and I loved following along on her adventures. Her voice felt spot on for her age (13-14) and her reactions and thought processes too; I often find this age a murky with lots of voices feeling either a lot younger or a lot younger but Nicholls hit the nail on the head. Holly’ enthusiasm and determination to find her Aunt Irene’s hidden treasure to save her family is something I admired. She won’t be beaten, even against crazy odds and I loved that; she fully believed that everything was possible.

I loved An Island of Our Own. It’s a novel about family, friends, adventure and grabbing every opportunity that gets offered to you – I hope this novel is discovered by as many teens as possible.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read on my blog http://readingawaythedays.blogspot.co.uk

First of I need to thank Sally Nicholls for making me connect with a young protagonist, this is something I am struggling with lately, it's tprobably because am getting old LOL but I am happy to say I connected with Holly in An Island Of Our Own.

An Island Of Our is such a good read with a heavy message on family. Holly and her two brothers go on a journey that was great to be part of. Holly's parents are both passed away and her older brother who is just 19 years old looks after her and her little brother. They are struggling financially and struggle for lots of things. But they have this eccentric great aunt who passes away and leaves them some jewellery but no one knows where it is as her aunt didn't trust anyone not even her own family. Thus begins Holly's treasure hunt to find the jewellery and then maybe everything will be better.

The journey Holly goes on is funny and thought provoking. The will to keep going to investigate and find this treasure can only be done by a determined young girl, a girl that still thinks like a girl and not and adult who can hope and dream and not give up. This is a modern treasure hunt using technology to find clues to where it could possibly be which I loved it felt so fresh and new. Both Holly's aunt and Brother are inventors and I loved the place they went to called the maker space where there where loads of crazy eccentric inventors it was so cool.

Overall An Island Of Our Own was a good read with likeable characters and its a book with a good message of family and friends and making a home out if what you have and who you have. An Island of your very own.

[Katy Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has so much heart, it had me from the first chapter with the narrator’s matter-of-fact depiction of children coping with the loss of their parents and doing their best to thrive together.

Holly narrates – her older brother, 19-year-old Jonathan, has accepted responsibility for Holly and younger brother Davy after the death of their mother. Scraping by on meagre benefits and Jonathan’s wages at a café, the strains of them all are evident, even as their love for each other is. Jonathan has, after all, given up a University place to look after his siblings.

The story takes an interesting turn as Holly is given photographs by her dying aunt and clues to a ‘treasure’ that she is willing to the three of them. Do they dare to hope and dream, and search for the treasure that might change their lives?

I thought of Big Hero 6 more than once, especially as Jonathan’s nerdy friends and hangout feature in the story – there are lots of contemporary references to the technology and social networks that may help them on their quest. It’s very relevant and relatable (with talk of foster carer allowances and bills to pay), bittersweet but uplifting.

All three are adorable, and as many quests go, they meet new friends on their travels and have little adventures that I loved. A beautiful story, one that deserves the award nominations it is garnering. I’ve read Nicholls’ children’s work before, and this is one of her best. I’ll be purchasing a copy for my school library.

One for ages 10-13, would be a good classroom read as well.

[Kelsey van Dillen]

Holly's tante is overleden en heeft haar wat foto's nagelaten. De locatie van 1 van de foto's is de plek waar tante sieraden had liggen die ook voor Holly en haar broers zijn. Ze gaat op zoektocht naar plekken op de foto's in de hoop wat te vinden, net als Sherlock Holmes.

Soms is het niet echt overtuigend dat iemand van dertien dit vertelt. Zo kwam ik het woord flummoxed tegen, wat zelfs ik niet ken. Verder was het echt een boek was ik absoluut leuk zou hebben gevonden als ik dertien was geweest. Het is mysterieus, en heel avontuurlijk. Precies zoals ik het leuk vind. Zelfs nu vond ik het niet eens een straf om te lezen.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book from start to finish, through all the struggles that Jonathan, Holly & Davy have faced in the short time that they have been alive, and their adventure to Orkney that wasn't as successful as they'd hoped. The ending of the story is something that just rounds the book off perfectly, and the fact that everything works out for them is something that made the book even more enjoyable to read. When I first picked it up, I was fairly apprehensive about it, and it did take me 50 or so pages to get into it, and once I had started, I was hooked- this is one definitely worth reading!

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a funny, joyful, little gem of a book to read on my twentieth birthday! I picked this book up after I had lunch with my Mum and grandparents and then I had a wander around the bookshop. This was one of the three that I chose to treat myself to and for most of the rest of the day I read it. (Should read: devoured it) This book made me chuckle out loud, it put into words things I've felt now and growing up that I've never really been able to articulate before, and it was simply just beautifully written.

[Beth Kemp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great contemporary family-based quirky adventure with a strong voice. I really enjoyed the narration here and having loved Nicholls' previous book, Close Your Pretty Eyes, I appreciated that this was another representation of a non-traditional family but with a very different tone - no creepiness here! Nicholls is clearly a versatile writer with a gift for voice and I'd definitely recommend her books for a range of YA readers, from those just outgrowing Jacqueline Wilson to those looking for something a bit different and quirky.

[Rhian Ivory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished reading the wonderful An Island of our Own by Sally Nicholls last night and I can highly recommend it. A great adventure story with so many laughs, all about sibling love, quests, hidden treasure and not a moment of self pity despite all that's against the characters. And if you are a Dr Who/The Hobbit/Harry Potter fan you will love all the in-jokes and funny references and you will also want to go on holiday to a Scottish island on a treasure hunt.

[Lucy · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars
I don't know what it is about this book that I didn't like, it just didn't do it for me. Perhaps the family issues through me off? I don't like reading about sad/bad family situations it just really upsets me. Furthermore, it reminded me too much of a Jacqueline Wilson story, which I'm not found of at all. Nevertheless, the adventure and mystery element of the story was engaging and interesting.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holly and her brothers set out on a quest to find the hidden jewellery their great aunt left to them in her will. The trouble is they need money to go and find the money. An epic adventure, told with humour, and a revelation about the lengths people will go to to help out. If only they know you need it.

The chapters are short, making this an easy read that will appeal to reluctant readers. Unfortunately I may have a hard job selling this to the boys though.

[NBHS Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holly and her brothers set out on a quest to find the hidden jewellery their great aunt left to them in her will. The trouble is they need money to go and find the money. An epic adventure, told with humour, and a revelation about the lengths people will go to to help out. If only they know you need it.