Tree Castle Island

Rating:
Summary: Adventure Marred by Outdated Views of Adoption
Review: I enjoyed reading this book to my 10 year-old son until I read ahead to the ending. I was shocked to see how the author, Craighead George, presented adoption. My son and daughter are both adopted in open adoptions, but reading about adoption in Tree Castle Island is like going back to the 1960s. Adoption is presented as a shameful secret. There is a lot of emphasis on how the adopted kids look nothing like the adoptive parents, how they only share real and important things with their "real" siblings and "real" parents--not the adoptive parents. Frankly, I won't be finishing this book with my kid because it's almost harmful in the way it addresses adoption. If you have adopted kids, you may want to skip this book.


Rating:
Summary: A survival story in the tradition of MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN
Review: I had been waiting a long time for the release of the newest novel by Jean Craighead George for several reasons. One, I have been an avid reader of her books for a long time, two, it had been 3 years since she had published a novel, and three, the new book took place in my homeland of Georgia; to be more exact, the setting is the spectacular Okefenokee Swamp just north of the Georgia-Florida border. I was not disappointed. TREE CASTLE ISLAND is very special. It is an intriguing book that has similarities to some classic adventure stories, while other aspects of it are fresher and broader. In it, we meet a 14-year-old boy, Jack, who loves the outdoors, even though he lives in the big, busy city of Atlanta. It is a treat for Jack to be able to visit his Uncle Hamp while his parents are in Europe. Hamp, too, likes nature and allows Jack to be indepedent. Soon Jack has fashioned a handsome homemade canoe he calls "L'tle Possum", and he sets out to do some exploring in the great habitat surrounding Uncle Hamp's home. In a short time Jack (and the reader, too) has become enchanted with the vast Okefenokee. When an accident damages "L'tle Possum", Jack must learn to fend for himself on an island. Like Sam Gribley from the beloved MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN trilogy, Jack is a strong, industrious teenager. While most kids might give up hope in such a predicament, Jack quickly takes control, turning the island into a liveable home. While on the island, he makes some new animal friends--including a dog named Dizzy who looks strangely familiar--and discovers some bizarre mysteries. There are clues that there is other life hanging around the island besides Jack; it's evident in the strange cries that echo throughout the swamp, the debris scattered around camp, and the odd behavior of Dizzy. Then, one day, Jack meets a kid just like him; looks just like him, acts just like him, and thinks just like him, even has a name (Jake) like his! Slowly the boys come to realize that they must be long-lost twins. Frustrated with his parents for never telling him he was adopted, or that he had an identical brother, Jack decides to remain on the island with Jake. The boys turn their camp into a paradise that any nature lover would envy, complete with a house in the trees, wild animals for companions, and catfish and plants for food. The sights, sounds, and life of the swamp are wonderfully weaved into the plot, and even with such a unique situation, the realistic side of the story is never lost. The book is moderately paced, rising to a gripping climax toward the end. It makes a great read for people who are passionate about the swamplands or who, like me, would enjoy learning more about it. I have lived in Georgia ten years and with TREE CASTLE ISLAND I still learned a great deal about the nearby Okefenokee and the people, wildlife, and legends of this state. That's one of the great things about the books of Jean Craighead George--you learn something, or many new things, in each story. If you enjoyed this book I would recommend MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN, a 1959 Newbery Honor book that helps to prove that even after so long, Ms. George's adventure books have not lost their touch, and its sequels, ON THE FAR SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN and FRIGHTFUL'S MOUNTAIN. Each book gives a descriptive account of living as a beneficiary and a part of nature, sort of, Thoreau for kids. THE TALKING EARTH is a beautiful book about a girl who, like Jack, paddles out into another place of trees, grass and water, the Everglades. Also check out a stunning picture book called EVERGLADES, illustrated by Wendell Minor, the prolific artist who did the captivating cover of TREE CASTLE ISLAND (the team also have a great new picture book out, entitled CLIFF HANGER). Read any one of Ms. George's stunning books--whether a survival story like TREE CASTLE ISLAND, a picture book like EVERGLADES, or an epic like the JULIE OF THE WOLVES trilogy--and you are sure to be dazzled by your new knowledge and understanding of a natural treasure.

Rating:
Summary: Three stars
Review: I would give this book three stars because this book is a good book but some parts are too unreal. The ending was okay. I didn't really like the ending because some parts I didn't want to happen, they really surprised me. I didn't like the ending as much as the beginning. It was very confusing. There aren't even really sad parts at all and I like books that have feelings and emotions and are realistic.
The parts that I liked were when the characters meet and their adventures in the Okefenokee Swamp. This is a really cool book. They should make a sequel or a movie or something to see what happens. So good job Jean Craighead George, you have made a very interesting book.

Rating:
Summary: Itching to camp in the Okefenokee?
Review: My 9 year old son really enjoyed this book, accepting the amazing series of coincidences uncritically, but he was amazed that Jack woke up the morning after making his bed out of Spanish moss with nary a bite from the redbugs that usually infest the stuff. The Indians and settlers used to bake the moss before they used it. We visit the Okefenokee often, and this book's descriptions of the shadowed cypress bogs and sun-hammered prairies adds another layer of appreciation, but watch the facts: talk to folks who live around the swamp when you visit!

Rating:
Summary: Itching to camp in the Okefenokee?
Review: My brother and I read this book a little while ago and loved it. Unlike My Side of the Mountain, Jack makes mistakes and does things that everybody can do and does. I liked his relationship with animals how he had great knowledge of the swamp.

Rating:
Summary: Tree Castle Island
Review: Tree Castle Island is a book about a boy whose parents leave him at his Uncle Hamp's house for a couple of weeks. He built a canoe and went on journey to find a Sun Daughter. He came to an Island and heard strange sounds at night. Soon he found a boy exactly like him who was making the sounds. He didn't know if he was dreaming or not. Everything about the boy was exactly the same thing about himself. This would be a great book for someone who likes adventure and mystery.