On the island, everything is perfect. The sun rises in a sky filled with dancing shapes; the wind, water, and trees shelter and protect those who live there; when the nine children go to sleep in their cabins, it is with full stomachs and joy in their hearts. And only one thing ever changes: on that day, each year, when a boat appears from the mist upon the ocean carrying one young child to join them and taking the eldest one away, never to be seen again.
Today's Changing is no different. The boat arrives, taking away Jinny's best friend, Deen, replacing him with a new little girl named Ess, and leaving Jinny as the new Elder. Jinny knows her responsibility now to teach Ess everything she needs to know about the island, to keep things as they've always been. But will she be ready for the inevitable day when the boat will come back and take her away forever from the only home she's known?
"Through the precocious Jinny, Snyder (Seven Stories Up) delivers a contemplative commentary on the transition from childhood to adolescence, and from ignorance to awareness. Although the children’s ages are unspecified, the eldest islander is on the cusp of adolescence, beginning to yearn for more than the small island can provide, even while dreading to leave the comfort and stability it provides. The dissonance Jinny feels is universal, and Snyder’s skillful storytelling and lyrical writing heighten its impact." Publishers Weekly
Recommended Age | 9 - 13 |
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Author | Laurel Snyder |
ISBN | 0062443410 |
Publication Date | May 30, 2017 |
Publisher | Walden Pond Press |
Language | English |