Island (novel series) facts for kids
Island is a series of adventure books written by Canadian author Gordon Korman. These books are set in modern times and are perfect for young teenagers. The story is about a group of kids who get shipwrecked on a deserted island.
The series includes these books:
- Shipwreck (2000)
- Survival (2001)
- Escape (2001)
- Island Trilogy Bind-Up Book (2006)
Contents
Story Summary
Island 1: Shipwreck
Six teenagers named Luke, Ian, J.J., Charla, Will, and Lyssa meet in Guam. They are there for a special program called "Charting a New Course" (CNC). Their parents sent them to this program to help them learn new skills and grow. They meet Captain Cascadden and his first mate, Mr. Radford. Soon, they set sail on the Pacific Ocean aboard the CNC ship, the SS Phoenix.
After some time, they hear that a big storm is coming their way. They have to face the storm. During the storm, J.J. thinks they should raise the sails to outrun it. He tries to do it himself, but Luke stops him, and they fight. A huge wave hits the ship, knocking J.J. down. He accidentally presses the button to raise the sails. The ship's power goes out, and the captain tries to lower the sails by hand. But another huge wave washes him overboard.
The next day, Radford realizes the captain is gone and takes charge. The ship is slowly sinking, and they can't call for help on the radio. One night, Radford secretly leaves in a small boat, taking most of their food. The kids realize they must do something. Lyssa tries to get the engine working again. She briefly succeeds, but then the engine explodes, setting most of the boat on fire. J.J. and Lyssa are lost in the fire. Luke, Will, Ian, and Charla escape on a piece of the main cabin's roof. The raft isn't big enough, so one person has to hang on. They drift through the Pacific for days. Ian remembers to bring a rubber hat to collect rainwater, which helps them. But rain is scarce, and Will eventually drinks sea water because he is so thirsty. He passes out. The others also become unconscious until only Luke is awake. Dolphins save them by guiding their raft to an island. On the island, Luke, Ian, and Charla wake up during a heavy rain. They celebrate their survival and head into the jungle to find food, leaving Will, who is still unconscious, on the raft.
Island 2: Survival
The three survivors, Luke, Ian, and Charla, go into the jungle to find food. They leave Will, who is still unconscious, on the beach. They find durians, a strange but edible fruit. After not eating for weeks, they eat a lot of the fruit. They pass out for a few hours and wake up to fight off a wild boar. They return to the beach and find Will. He is confused and has lost his memory. He thinks he is still in Guam. The others try to tell him what happened and that his sister is gone, but he runs off into the woods. He believes he and his sister were kidnapped.
The others build a simple shelter and start looking for food and trying to make signals. Ian explains that it's very unlikely they will be rescued so soon. But then, a plane flies overhead and lands on the other side of the island. Thinking they are rescuers, the kids run to the plane. Instead, they see something dangerous and realize the men are illegal smugglers. While they are watching, another plane arrives, and a guard dog spots them. They run back to their camp. They decide to stay hidden to avoid being caught, but they know it might be hard.
They decide to find Will before the smugglers do, since he is living in the jungle. Instead, they find Lyssa and J.J., who they thought were lost in the shipwreck. J.J. explains that he escaped the shipwreck on an inflatable raft and found Lyssa unconscious in the water. Unlike the others, their raft had freeze-dried meals, so they survived easily. Meanwhile, Will meets the boar and becomes friends with it. He confronts Lyssa, who tries to convince him to stay with them. But he runs off and grabs the last freeze-dried meal, sharing it with the boar. He decides to name the boar Rat-face. This nickname reminds him of the Phoenix's first mate, and his memory returns. He heads off to join the others. The doberman dog finds the other kids, and they are almost discovered. The boar then saves them by attacking and killing the dog. The smugglers shoot at the boar, killing it, and then leave. It is revealed that a stray bullet hit Will's leg. Ian says that Will could get an infection and might die.
As the smugglers leave by plane, J.J., Luke, and Charla go to the smugglers' camp. They discover an old army base from World War II. While exploring, J.J. falls into a pit and finds an atomic bomb. They decide it's too dangerous to leave it for the smugglers if they come back, so they cover it up. They find a newspaper dropped by the smugglers. It says that Radford, the first mate, was rescued off the coast of China. He lied and said he tried to save them but everyone else died. Now knowing that no one is looking for them, the survivors head back to camp.
Island 3: Escape
The situation gets worse as Will's injury becomes more serious and his fever rises. He becomes confused and then unconscious. Ian says that if Will doesn't see a doctor soon, he might not make it. They find antibiotics from an old army medical station in the jungle, but there isn't much medicine. They plan an escape: J.J. will hide in the smugglers' plane. Once he's rescued, his rich father will pay a ransom, and J.J. will arrange for the others to be rescued.
When the smugglers find J.J., they threaten him, wanting to know if there are other people on the island. He breaks his arm but doesn't tell them about his friends. He is almost shot, but he manages to prove he is the son of a famous Hollywood director by showing them his special sunglasses. This means he can be ransomed for a lot of money. He is held captive for days. He realizes he will be killed once the ransom is paid. He escapes and crashes into a police car. The police were sent to investigate after J.J.'s father found out that one of the kidnappers was trying to sell J.J.'s designer glasses.
Meanwhile, on the island, Will's fever from the infected bullet wound gets worse. Luke removes the bullet with Charla's help and Ian's knowledge from the Discovery Channel. They use supplies from the army camp near the atomic bomb, which they call Junior. Will wakes up a few days later. They all get ready to escape the island on a yellow raft. After sailing for six hours, a U.S. Marine scuba diver finds them. He gets them onto a helicopter that is also carrying J.J.
Back in civilization, everyone is there when scientists open up Junior, the atomic bomb. Inside, they find a piece of paper with the words "KA-BOOM!!" instead of the uranium core. (It is later revealed that when the army tried to move Junior, the crane got stuck. The soldiers decided to just remove the uranium core and leave the empty shell on the island so they could go home.) They decide to name the island Junior Island and put it on a map.
Radford is later arrested in a bar. He is charged with trying to murder six people.
The story ends with the survivors having a reunion at J.J.'s fancy house. They decide not to go to the beach.
Main Characters
Charla Swann
Charla Swann is one of the shipwrecked teenagers. At first, it's not clear why she was in the "Charting a New Course" program. Later, we learn that her father pushed her very hard in sports, and she became exhausted. She is serious and quiet. She is also very worried about her family's money situation. Because of this, she doesn't trust the others right away. She is very determined and athletic, coming from a family that isn't rich.
Luke Haggerty
Luke Haggerty is another one of the shipwrecked kids and becomes the unofficial leader of the group. He was wrongly accused of having a gun. He had to choose between going to a youth detention center or joining the "Charting a New Course" program. He is confident and makes decisions quickly, but he can get angry easily. He often fights with J.J. Lane throughout the series.
J.J. Lane
J.J., whose full name is Jonathan Junior, is the son of the famous Hollywood actor Jonathan Lane. He is the oldest of the shipwrecked group. He was sent to the "Charting a New Course" program after doing many outrageous stunts to get his father's attention. For most of the story, he believes that all the bad things happening are just a trick to teach them a lesson. He is shown to be self-centered and has a quick temper, especially getting into fights with Luke Haggerty. However, by the end of the second book, he starts to take the situation seriously. In the third book, he becomes the key to rescuing himself and the others.
Ian Sikorsky
At eleven years old, Ian Sikorsky is the youngest member of the group. He is a very lonely person who spends most of his free time watching TV, especially the Discovery Channel. While he can be brave at times, he is usually shy and quiet. He is upset when he has to leave his crutches behind for the trip.
Will & Lyssa Greenfield
Will and Lyssa Greenfield are a brother and sister who joined the "Charting a New Course" program because they fought a lot. Will is the older brother, and Lyssa is the younger sister. Will struggles with how he sees himself, possibly because he feels Lyssa is treated better, which makes him resent her. Lyssa shows herself to be confident, smart, and capable. She seems to resent her brother, though the reasons aren't fully clear. It's possible she is just reacting to his attitude.
Other Important People
James Cascadden
Captain of the Phoenix. He is a kind and calm person. His personality is the opposite of Calvin Radford's meanness. Captain Cascadden is knocked overboard during the storm and is thought to be dead.
Calvin Radford
The Phoenix's first mate. Soon after the storm, he steals most of the ship's supplies and leaves during the night. When he is rescued, he lies and says that the rest of the ship's crew died in the storm. But his true actions are revealed to everyone when the stranded group is rescued.
