The Island at the End of Everything: from the bestselling author of The Girl of Ink & Stars

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My favourite parts of the book were the imagery of the butterflies throughout the book. It was poignant. One day a man named Mr Zamora comes into the church and during their congregation and states that he has been sent by the government to separate those with and without leprosy so that they can give a better life to those without it. His plans succeed, anyone under 18 without leprosy has to go out to another island named Coron whilst those who are over 18 with and without leprosy have to stay in permitted areas to stop the spreading of disease.

LoveReading4Kids exists because books change lives, and buying books through LoveReading4Kids means you get to change the lives of future generations, with 25% of the cover price donated to schools in need. Join our community to get personalised book suggestions, extracts straight to your inbox, 10% off RRPs, and to change children’s lives. More than Amihan it is Mariposa (which in Spanish means 'butterfly') who is my favourite character in the book. Despite being a fictional character, I wouldn't mind having her as a role model, particularly as she has an injured hand but comes across as tough and resilient. Hargrave has weaved some very important topics into the novel, such as melancholic issues that relate to death, disabilities, illness, mental health and prejudice. Hargrave has handled all this with care. Therefore, not only is the book gripping but it also raises the reader's awareness of these issues. Major highlights of the book are how Hargraves very effectively (through use of providential and humorous situations) explored the themes in the book. This is a book that had adventure and sadness. I didn't know much about the time period but I did learn that the time was hard. (1906 Culian Islands The Phillippines) This book allowed me to see a new world I didn’t know anything about. (Score: 4.4) Hello Yellow - 80 Books to Help Children Nurture Good Mental Health and Support With Anxiety and Wellbeing - The main island in the story is named Culion which is where people at the mainland send people with leprosy. Amihan [the main character] lives with her mother whom she calls Nanay. Her mother is 'touched' and she is 'untouched' - this is there way of saying ones who have leprosy and those who don't.Poetic, bittersweet and full of heart, this has the feel and quality of an instant classic. Author Kiran Millwood Hargrave writes with a beautiful and gentle touch, evoking a lush and bountiful home for Ami in which disease is just another element to be balanced and lived with rather than separated from, while nature is as much of a character as the people. The historical realism is shown a lot through the way that Amihan talks about the world around her there is no mention of anything that is in the modern world. She says that the “church is the most beautiful building on the island” showing that religion is a big thing during those times. Many churches are not the best looking showing that the island must be run down. This can show the values of the people which is another way that is different from modern times showing the history behind the book. Millwood also uses some Pilipino words like nanay is mother and ama is father, using the language were it is set can draw people into reading the book. The Island at the End of Everything is a book well worth reading, I had me captured from the start to the end and I would recommend it to children aged 10-14 who love History and books. My favourite characters were Mari and Ami. I really liked Mari because although she looks different from everyone else she is just the same on the inside, I liked her as well because she was really kind to Ami when she was at the orphanage. I like Ami as well because she was quite determined to see her mother again and she is not selfish at all and never once worried about herself. I think the History in the book was realistic for that time period, but it must have still been horrible for families with people who were 'touched'. Now I have a basic understanding of the Leper Colony I would really like to learn more about it and I would also really love to read The Girl of Ink and Stars which is by the same author.

Ellen Cox, age 10 - 'A brilliant book that captures your heart...There are such detailed descriptions I had very clear images in my head.' A message from the author: ‘At a time when the world seems to be moving deeper towards intolerance, the message that we should be together but not the same, was at the forefront of my mind when writing this book. It’s easy to label people, and labelling means reducing them to one attribute, which in turn makes it easier to dismiss, dehumanise, and persecute. In The Island at the End of Everything, it is down to Ami, and her friend Mari, to find a way home in a society that tells them they are only children, only girls, and so are not in control of their own lives. But of course, this is far from the truth.’Hargrave spins a delightful world of golden beaches and lush plants, so much so that the reader feels as though it is their own island being given over to a leper colony. The description in this book is by far the most endearing part and it provides a platform for the rest of the novel to build on. This lends itself in favourable ways to the book, however it does leave the reader with a sense that without the vivid description the rest of it would perhaps fall short. Whilst the characters themselves evoke sympathy and pity , they don't quite reach the demands that you might expect a protagonist or supporting characters to reach; the reader is rooting for them but does not feel inspired or empowered, leaving much to be desired. I liked this book because it showed me that people with diseases like leprosy still have lives and families. I liked the character Ami because she had a strong heart and even thugh her mother was a leper, she still loved her and looked after her. I do think that the history in this book is realistic because I can see that the author has spent a lot of time and effort researching these colonies of epers and actually finding out about their lives. When I had finished reading this book it made me really want to read another book by this author because it was so realistic like but with her own characters in it. My favourite part of this book was where she made a lovely friend even though she was different. I would recommend this book to anyone with a love for adventure.