Shipwrecked
By Author / Illustrator
Jenny Pearson
Genre
Adventure
Age range(s)
9+
Publisher
Usborne
ISBN
9781474999908
Format
Paperback / softback
Published
01-08-2024
Synopsis
Three kids face shipwrecks, survival and pirates in the latest adventure from bestselling and award-winning author Jenny Pearson.
Sebastian Sunrise and his two best friends, Lina and Etienne, are in a bit of trouble. They are stranded on a desert island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, after a rowing race went very, very wrong. The friends have no idea how long they might have to stay on the island, so they make a plan. They will try to survive, look after the island's baby turtles, and have fun, if they can.
But Sebastian's life has never gone to plan, and they quickly face jellyfish stings, burnt bums and an out-of-control goat. But when a boat arrives, bringing pirates who want to hunt the island's baby turtles, the friends face their greatest danger yet...
"A very funny refutation of Lord of the Flies." The Sunday Times. "The perfect adventure story, packed with humour, just the right amount of danger and with amazing illustrations." Dermot O'Leary
Praise for Jenny Pearson: Shortlisted for the Costa Book Award, Waterstone's Children's Book Prize, Laugh Out Loud Book Award and the Branford Boase Award. "Heart-warming and genuinely funny." The Times. "Hilarious and heartwarming." A.F. Steadman. "As funny and tender as it could ever be" Frank Cottrell-Boyce. "Jenny is one of the finest storytellers we have." Phil Earle. "No one writes humour and heart quite like Jenny Pearson." Katya Balen.
Reviews
Jenny
Receiving a proof copy of Jenny Pearson's new book, Shipwrecked, was a delight. I am a huge fan of Jenny's books which epitomise how to write a cracking adventure that just bursts with humour and heart. Her young characters are utterly relatable and emotionally relevant to her young readers. Alongside the books by Frank Cottrell Boyce, I think Jenny’s books stand out as truly enjoyable empathetic reading experiences.
When Sebastian Sunrise and his two best friends, Lina and Etienne, win a Climate Avengers competition and the prize of a summer camp on Tonga, in the Pacific, they know they will be spending the holidays getting up close and personal with oceanic ecosystems, creatures and environmental issues… However, Sebastian's prickly attitude issues, a foolish bet and a ferocious thunderstorm sees the three friends dramatically dumped by the wildest waves on an uninhabited, middle-of-the-ocean deserted island. Getting up close with nature is the only means of survival and working as a team and having each others' backs is the only way that this trio can harness nature in order to survive… Lina has her precious copy of Lord of the Flies as her manual on what NOT to do whilst trapped on a desert island - no one will attempt to kill anyone else and the campfire will NOT go out..right?
As blisteringly funny in parts as the heat that scorches the young castaways, this is an energetic, entertaining and also moving and emotional story. The back story of each of the characters forms their strengths and challenges. Sebastian wants to impress and connect to his strict Royal Navy dad and is struggling to understand why his mum has left them both. Lina is clever, organised and has a rigid sense of right and wrong, while Etienne is the small, clumsy kid that always gets overlooked in school. All charmingly unique yet wonderfully representative at once.
There are dramatic near-drowning scenes that really do have the reader frozen in tension and then the business of setting up camp (making a shell-decorated toilet, obviously, is high on the list of priorities for some!) and of becoming acquainted with the wildlife … enter Giuseppe Garibaldi, the goat, Julian Jehoshaphat the stalking jellyfish, and the nest of eggs of sea turtle Tarquin Tarantino.
The effects of eating unripe fruit have a hilarious effect on one of the group and climbing for coconuts becomes a real Boy versus Tree stand off. The label of 'Climate Avengers' is tested for real when saving hatching turtles becomes even more important perhaps then saving themselves.
Shipwrecked is a joyous read - an absolute riot of fun and comedy amidst genuinely emotional themes of friendship, self-discovery, resilience and of keeping faith and hope alive.
352 pages / Reviewed by Jenny Caddick, teacher
Suggested Reading Age 9+