Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Top ten islands in children's fiction

Gillian Philip’s latest book is Mysteries of Ravenstorm Island: The Lost Children. One of her ten top islands in children's fiction, as shared at the Guardian:
Lord of the Flies by William Golding

The island where the boys’ plane crashes is a character all by itself: the shore “fledged with palm trees”, the haze of heat, the clear water that’s warmer than blood. The boys who are so out of place as the story opens turn gradually into something else: something that’s part of the island, something savage and primeval and unforgiving. When adults do appear, it’s shocking: as if aliens have landed in the story. To go full circle, I suppose it’s the ultimate case of Losing The Parents – and just this once, it’s not all fun and games.
Read about the other entries on the list.

Lord of the Flies is on Janet Davey’s top ten list of schoolchildren in fiction, Frank Rich's ten top books list, Non Pratt's top ten list of toxic friendships in literature, Francesca Haig's top ten list of the greatest twins in children’s books, Shaun Byron Fitzpatrick list of thirteen favorite, occasionally-banned, YA novels, Matt Kraus's list of six famous books with extremely faithful film adaptations, Michael Hogan's list of the ten best fictional evil children, Danny Wallace's six best books list, Gemma Malley's top ten list of dystopian novels for teenagers, AbeBooks' list of 20 books of shattered childhoods and is one of the top ten works of literature according to Stephen King. It appears on John Mullan's lists of ten of the best pigs in literature, ten of the best pairs of glasses in literature, and ten of the best horrid children in literature, Katharine Quarmby's top ten list of disability stories, and William Skidelsky's list of ten of the best accounts of being marooned in literature. It is a book that made a difference to Isla Fisher and is one of Suzi Quatro's six best books.

--Marshal Zeringue