Orphan Island

A National Book Award Longlist title, Orphan Island tells the story of nine children living on a mysterious island where everything appears perfect. The sun rises over dancing shapes in the sky, and the wind, water, and trees provide shelter and protection. The children sleep with full stomachs and joy in their hearts. Once each year, a boat emerges from the mist carrying one new child to the island while taking away the eldest child, never to be seen again. When this year's Changing occurs, Jinny's best friend Deen is taken away and replaced by a new girl named Ess. Jinny becomes the new Elder, responsible for teaching Ess everything about island life and maintaining things as they have always been. As Jinny guides Ess through the island's ways, she begins to question the rules she has always followed. She also grapples with the loss of her closest friend and the knowledge that one day the boat will return to take her away from the only home she has ever known. The novel explores themes of leaving home, the families we create, and the pain of saying goodbye.