Review by Elaine swan, Langlees Primary School, Falkirk
Suitable for: 2nd Level maybe even end of 1st level? 9+ due to the storyline
Themes – Friendship, Guilt, Belonging, Refugees, Illness in families, Is it right to tell a lie?
The Secret of Golden Island reminded me of reading the adventures of The Secret Seven or The Famous Five but without lashings and lashings of ginger ale! I love the idea of kids outwitting adults and having adventures. The characters of Yakov and Skylar were also much more complex and layered than the characters in the Blyton novels – each having already faced challenges and struggles of their own before their paths cross and somehow, they recognise something familiar in each other and the knowledge that they don’t really fit in. Pupils reading the book could perhaps identify with this.
Farrant uses excellent descriptive language which give the reader a detailed picture of Golden Island, the different journeys at sea and the town of Broademouth itself. She also keeps the story going at pace as the race to win the island picks up memento but keeps you guessing around the true identities and intentions of the adults right to the end. I delighted in Yakov and Skylar’s hope and optimism that they would indeed win the island and the courage, resourcefulness and self-belief they portrayed to win it. I am sure pupils reading this book will not question the implausible nature of this story anymore than I questioned the Famous Five’s ability to bring hardened criminals to justice.
A jolly good adventure story with heartwarming themes running throughout it.
