Nim's Island is a fun and well-developed and complete adventure. Wendy Orr has crafted a great story with all the elements that entertain and transport the reader into the story--a well-developed and thoughtful plot, colorful, cute and interesting characters and simply a good story to be told. As a teacher and fellow writer, I am always looking for children's books that demonstrate a complete story that includes characters you care about, a plot that has a strong beginning, middle and end, and enough actions, adventure and places to stop and dream. Also, I appreciate how Orr references modern-day technology with a secluded island life and makes technology use familiar and common (great for incorporating discussions about technology and communication within the classroom). This book is a great choice for a classroom, whether for reading aloud, using to teach writing or discussing within a book group. ( )

This contemporary realistic fiction book is about a young girl, Nim, and her father, Jack, who decided to live on an island away from civilization. Nim lost her mother when she was a baby and Jack was upset with the "bad guys", so he decided to raise his daughter on an island. Nim's best friends are Selkie, a sea lion, Fred, an iguana, and Chica, a sea turtle. They have some of the basic neccessities, laptop, cell phone, and solar panel to communicate with civilization to have their supplies delivered. The end of the last chapter leaves you wondering what will happen next.

Even though I have not seen the movie, the book has made me want to see it. Maybe the movie will have a different ending that does not leave me hanging in suspense. I enjoyed the details of the story because it made me want to do the same thing. I have always been an outdoors person and this sounds like something right up my alley.

As an extension, I would have the students do a collage of all the things he or she would want on his or her own island. I would also have them finish the story and then share it with the class. I would also you this book to introduce the scientific method by them making a chart of Nim's question, research, hypothesis, experiment, and result/conclusion. ( )

Great and better than the movie. Cute story of independence and strength. ( )

this book is awesome. I like everything about this book. This is great adventure book for young readers. ( )

In truth, I liked the movie better than the book, because there’s a lot more detail to the characters’ lives. Alex Rover is more agoraphobic… pretty much phobic of everything, really, so the struggle to “be the hero of her own life” is more intense. The movie’s Nim has more depth and is more like a real girl than in the book, with the attitude of a desire for independence that most preteens have. Also, the movie’s dad seems more like a caring and concerned parent desiring the safety of his daughter than the book’s more-or-less-absentee father.

Click for my full review: http://thekoolaidmom.wordpress.com/20... ( )