Synopses & Reviews
Sarah Robinson is deeply troubled in the wake of her dads second marriage. She now has to deal with a new stepmom and two stepbrothers, Marco, who is her age, and Nacho, whos younger. Even though theyve all moved from Texas to California to start life as a new, blended family, none of the kids seem remotely happy about it.
Sarahs dad and stepmom then decide to take the whole family on a special vacation in order to break the ice and have everyone get to know one another. Theyll fly to Tahiti, charter a boat, and go sailing for a few days. Itll be an adventure, right?
Wrong. Dead wrong. Shipwreck Island is the first installment in a series from S. A. Bodeen.
Review
". . . a fractured family goes on a sailing trip to bind its wounds, and disaster ensues . . . should leave readers plenty impatient for the next volume." - BCCB "Narrative tension runs high as the kids try to adjust to their new life and the stress of their disastrous vacation . . . this adventure just gets going when the book comes to an end, leaving the story wide open for a sequel." - Booklist "In this exciting series debut, 12-year-old Sarah Robinson responds with ill-grace to her father's remarriage after six year as a widower . . . Intensely readable and will be excellent for reluctant readers." - School Library Journal "The first in a series, a contemporary castaway tale featuring a blended family . . . This book will leave readers hungry for a second helping." - Kirkus Reviews
About the Author
S. A. Bodeen is the author of The Gardener and several picture books, including Elizabetis Doll, winner of the Ezra Jack Keats Award. The Compound earned her an ALA Quick Pick for Young Adults, a Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year, and a Publishers Weekly "Flying Start." Bodeen grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin. Her first friends were cows, which she named after characters in books. From there she went on to be a Peace Corps volunteer in East Africa and has lived in seven states, as well as a remote Pacific island. She adores books and is a big fan of cheese. She lives in Oregon.