Star Island

by Louise Dickinson Rich

Eleven-year-old Larry Scott was an orphan -- a ward of the state. All his life he had lived in one foster home after another, with little hope of staying anywhere permanently. But now the worst had happened. He, with a group of other foster children, had been sent to an island off the Maine coast. What would he do on an island? And why did the islanders want so many children at once?

He was determined not to like his new home, but gradually he found himself being won over to the island people and their ways.

His sudden discovery of the reason for the children's presence on Star Island dealt a cruel blow to his growing trust and contentment. How he met his problems and found his own place, where he felt needed and wanted, makes a story full of exciting incident -- a story with all the salty tang of its ocean background.
(From the book flap)

154 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 1, 1968

About the author

Writer known for fiction and non-fiction works about New England, particularly Massachusetts and Maine. Mrs. Rich grew up in Bridgewater where her father was the editor of a weekly newspaper. She met Ralph Eugene Rich, a Chicago businessman, on a Maine canoe trip in 1933 and they married a year later. Mr. Rich died in 1944. Her best-known work was her first book, the autobiographical We Took to the Woods, (1942) set in the 1930s when she and husband Ralph, and her friend and hired help Gerrish, lived in a remote cabin near Lake Umbagog. It was described as "a witty account of a Thoreau-like existence in a wilderness home

Reviews

[Rebekah Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an enjoyable read. A boy in foster care learning a whole new way of life along with other things. I love Uncle Joe and Aunt Emma. And Mate, the dog, was a delight. I learned a lot about lobster fishing and living on an island. I didn’t want the book to end.

[Peter McGinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I took this book out from my new town’s small library, one of those libraries that keep some books on hand for decades rather than just years. So when I want to read good old fashioned young adult fiction, the kind I have written myself, I look for the books on the shelves with the redone, nondescript binding, sometimes repaired with vinyl tape. The ones that have been read by young people dozens of times, though sometimes not for several years, as modern teenagers turn to fantasy, paranormal, or edgy, modern themes.

This novel tells a story the way I like to in YA fiction: a first person account by the teenage protagonist, simply told about the struggles and humor of everyday life. The author does an excellent job of portraying life in Maine during this time period. Better than I did, I confess, as my book about a girl sent to a Maine island against her will focused more on people and dialogue than nature, weather and other realistic details of island life. You feel like the author was staying in a coastal cabin as she wrote the book. If you enjoy wholesome YA or wish to direct a teen or even pre-teen to ripping yarns that don’t lean on violence or profanity to hold the reader’s attention, search for a copy of Star Island Boy.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book for a fourth or fifth grade reader who needs a break from heavy reading. That's just what I needed. A book about redemption, inclusion into a society, and trust. All the good things in life. Short, fantastic read.

[J.L. Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this book dozens upon dozens of times, even as an adult I could hear it's call and went on a quest to find it and wound up with two Hard Back copies that I will treasure forever and hand down through my nieces and nephews.

It is timeless and perfect, something that speaks to anyone and everyone and really should be a part of every adolescent's library.

[Peter B Creedon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice book. I've lost my copy though.

[Sharon Buxton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A. children's book, Maine, foster care, island, Weekly Reader Book Club, Mom's stash, keep, also published as Star Island Boy