Bad Island

This is my 3rd book by this author and the deciding book for me on whether I'd continue to read him. I loved Ghostopolis and found Cardboard didn't live up to its expectations, so wondered which way this one would go. I'm pleased to say I loved it. I'm not sure I *quite* got the relationship between the giant rock people and the humans, but I *think* I did. Otherwise, it was great. I loved the whole bad island concept, kind of a twist on the Dr. Moreau theme but with aliens. As with "Cardboard" this explores the father/son relationship and I found the story much more realistic and poignant as the two came to understand and appreciate each other. Absolutely loved Pickles, the dead snake which reminds me, though this came first, of the dead squirrel from the Bone: Quest for the Spark series. This book has it all: a shipwreck, monsters, aliens, adventure and a family coming together. This was a lot of fun; I like TenNapel's artwork and will try some of his backlist. ( )

A solid adventure/scifi/fantasy featuring a marooned family on an unusual desert island. Fun with lots of boy appeal. ( )

Cool monsters, lots of adventure. ( )

Z's dug all his books (Ghostopolis, Cardboard) to date and Bad Island's no exception. I'm merely "meh" on these but they definitely fit the bill when the boy's looking for a quick read, airplane-book sort of fix. ( )

Bad island
This book was about a family who had a teenager by the name of Reese. Reese has a younger sister by the name of Janie. He feels that his parent just do not understand him. After being forced on a boating trip with his family, it turned out not as he expected. The boat was tossed on a very strange island filled with the strangest lookig plants and animals. This vacation turned out to be a terrible one as they were not only trying to escape this island but also being very precautious of the dangerous inhabitants. This escape turned out to be a mysterious hunt with secrets to be unlocked. AS each secret was revealed there was no telling whether it would aid in their espcape or if it they will be doomed. Reese was already upset being after being forced on this trip and now this bad island adds to his frustration. His siter Janie seems to be crazy about her pet snake that died on the trip. This sad event causes her to keep it with her throughout the trip.
Reese’s parents idea of a trip was to reunite the family but it seems to be turning out to be the other way around. Reese feels that he is not understood by his parents that he is no longer a kid anymore and seeks freedom and acknowledgement of this. Janie is also longing for love and acceptance from her mother who shows more love and attention to her plants than to the family on a whole. This entire scenario seems to get from bad to worse. From the time that storm threw them on that island, the boat sank, they make a shelter and have food to last things only began to get worse. Apart from the strange interesting native of the island there was definetely something really bad about this island.

Personal Reaction:
I like how this book is created as an old comic book layout of black and white with a few colors in it. Because of the way the many pictures tell the story, I believe it would be easy to read and understand by children of all ages. I have a four year old and I am sure he would make sense of this book as he usually does with many picture books. The excalmation words used in this text truly brings the story to life. I also like how the artistic layout of the picture that is very simple and effective.
It was kind of hard to believe the way the family seems to accept the weird creatures in no time as well as the way in which the secret places were found. The author/designer of the book did a great job at the beautiful colors and drawing.

Extensions:
To introduce this book to elementary children, I would elicit a discussion about a trip they went on or would like to go on. In this desciption they would be asked to state some of the things they would take on a trip. Th KWL strategy would be a very intersting tool to use for this novel and it would be amazing to see what the children come up with. After students have read the book the moral of the comic can be discussed ot elicited. Highlight the importance of love and acceptance in the family. ( )