Monkey Island (book) facts for kids

Monkey Island is a children's novel written by Paula Fox and published in 1991. The story is about an 11-year-old boy named Clay Garrity. It explores difficult topics like families facing tough times and what it's like to be without a home.

Story Summary

The main character, Clay Garrity, is 11 years old. His dad, who used to work as an art director (someone who plans the look of ads or movies), lost his job. Clay's mom was also expecting a baby. Things became very hard for the family.

One day, Clay's dad disappeared. Later, without any warning, his mom also left him alone. She left him in a difficult hotel that was meant for families needing help. A neighbor suggested calling the police. But Clay got scared and ran away. He was afraid that if the police got involved, he might become a foster child. He worried this would mean he would never see his mom again.

Clay ended up in a park. There, he met two new friends. One was Buddy, a young man who worked hard but couldn't save enough money for a place to live. The other was Calvin, an older, retired teacher. Calvin had lost everything he owned in a fire.

For several weeks, Clay, Buddy, and Calvin lived together in the park. They created a small, simple camp. But their peaceful life was suddenly broken. A group of mean people, called "the stump people," attacked their camp. They destroyed everything the friends had built. This attack made everyone living in the park scatter and leave.

After this terrible event, sad things happened. Calvin, the retired teacher, passed away. Clay became very weak from not having enough food and from being out in the cold. He had to go to the hospital to get better.