Kiran wrote... The Island at the End of Everything

Kids

Winner of the Young Quills Historical Fiction Award. Shortlisted for the Costa Children’s Book Award 2017, and the Blue Peter Award 2017. Longlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Award 2017. Children’s Book of the Week in The Sunday Times, The Observer, and The Telegraph, Editor’s Choice in The Bookseller.

Ami lives with her mother on an island where the sea is as blue as the sky. It’s all she knows and loves, but the arrival of malicious government official Mr Zamora changes her world forever: her island is to be made into a colony for lepers. Taken from her mother and banished across the sea, Ami faces an uncertain future in an orphanage. There she meets a honey-eyed girl named for butterflies, and together they discover a secret that will lead her on an adventure home. Ami must go back to the island of no return, but will she make it in time?

Available now from all good bookshops, including Waterstones, Foyles and from Book Depository.

Reviews...

Hargrave has a real and rare talent for combining poetic prose with compelling, page-turning storytelling. Her writing conjures such a vivid sense of place, the lush wildness of the natural world a fitting backdrop for an adventure that requires great independence and courage. Friendships and familial bonds are all important; the fierce love between a mother and daughter is at the very heart of the novel. Themes of prejudice, difference and loss are deftly handled, and there is real emotional depth and poignancy to the story, which is at times heartbreaking but ultimately one filled with hope.

Fiona Noble, The Guardian

This is easily one of the most impressive children’s books I’ve read for a long time. I believe that if adult readers can find joy in a world marketed for young book lovers, then the author has succeeded in writing a book that stands out from the rest.

Bookbag, Online review

A heartbreaking and heartwarming must-read about love, loss, friendship, and determination in times of desperation.

Kirkus, starred review

Hargrave tells an incredible story of compassion, love, and daring in this book’s pages, and her lyrical writing glides with the grace of a butterfly.

Booklist, starred review

Hargrave gives dignity to the colony’s legacy, showcasing the beauty of the island and the strength and love of the residents.

VOYA, starred review

Hargrave’s lush, lyrical prose brings the jungle island to life and pulls readers into Amihan’s wrenching journey. Facts about the “Touched” contrast with people’s uninformed, fear-driven reactions, in particular those of Mr. Zamora, whose loathing of the afflicted leads to irrational and hateful behavior. A moving look at how prejudice blinds people to the humanity of others.