The Lost Island

A deeply enthralling children's adventure set on and off the Galway coast. A missing father, legendary treasure, hard-bitten rogues, danger on land and on sea, all told with realism and romance, written with beautiful clarity and perfectly-crafted prose, a vivid portrayal of Irish rural life and coastal and village fishing communities and lovely illustrations by Richard Kennedy. Some of the story-telling conventions creak a bit, but the writing raises this book several levels, this is surely a classic of children's literature.

A great adventure yarn. Having visited Ireland and the islands off its coast I was transported back to those rocky shores. Great characters, wonderful sense of place, engaging writing, a real page turner. A great boys book. Not my favorite kind of story, but it really kept my attention.

Excellent adventure story, like the Hardy Boys but with better writing and a historical Irish setting. Read this out loud to my nine-year-old son. It begins slowly, but the narrative and characters drew us in.

It's a fun book, though I think that I would have enjoyed it even more if I had brushed up on Irish folklore before reading it. It does contain references specific to the folklore of this region, but the story is still enjoyable for those who don't share this background.

The story follows Michael Farrell's search for his father, who had been missing for four years after setting out for The Lost Island and the treasure it holds. Along the way he and Joe fend off greedy villains, meet a new friend and travel companion (Mike), and brave rough seas on their quest.

As much as I enjoyed this book, I do think of it as a boy's adventure story. The female characters are few and far between. At first I was concerned by the portrayal of Michael's show more mother, an overly trusting who sometimes seemed younger than Michael. I was relieved later on by a portrayal of a strong woman from Fort Island, owner of a public house, as it provided some balance.

Overall, this is a nice suspenseful sailing adventure. While there are some violent scenes, they are not graphic and they go by quickly. show less