Nim's Island [Hardcover]

Wendy Orr (Author), Kerry Millard (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 13, 2001 | Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

A girl. An iguana. An island. And e-mail. Meet Nim–a modern-day Robinson Crusoe! She can chop down bananas with a machete, climb tall palm trees, and start a fire with a piece of glass. So she’s not afraid when her scientist dad sails off to study plankton for three days, leaving her alone on their island. Besides, it’s not as if no one’s looking after her–she’s got a sea lion to mother her and an iguana for comic relief. She also has an interesting new e-mail pal. But when her father’s cell-phone calls stop coming and disaster seems near, Nim has to be stronger and braver than she’s ever been before.

And she’ll need all her friends to help her.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Orr (Peeling the Onion) blithely throws credibility to the wind and inventively tweaks coincidence to create a fantasy tale as welcome as a breath of fresh tropical air. Ever since her mother died when Nim was a baby, the girl and Jack, her scientist father, have lived on a remote island. When Jack sails off on a three-day trip to collect plankton, Nim stays behind with her three best friends: a sea lion, a marine iguana and a green sea turtle. But a storm disables Jack's boat, and Nim remains alone for a full two weeks, in contact with her father only through notes delivered by a frigate bird. As the author describes the girl's daily routine of foraging for food, doing chores and playing with her pals, she neatly slips into her narrative slivers of information about the tropical habitat (e.g., Chica the sea turtle returns each year to lay her eggs on Nim's island, where Chica was hatched). A story within a story emerges as Nim strikes up an e-mail correspondence with an author who begins writing an adventure novel set on an island that looks exactly like Nim's. With ample doses of suspense and comedy, and a pleasingly sappy happily-ever-after ending, the tale portrays the improbable so cleverly that readers will want to believe everything about the likable Nim and her idyllic isle. Pen-and-ink drawings that resemble Quentin Blake's bring these enchanting characters and setting to life. Ages 9-12. (Mar.)
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-5-Nim lives on the most beautiful island in the world (its location is a closely guarded secret) with a marine iguana, a sea lion, and her scientist dad, Jack. When he goes off to explore the world of plankton, the child occupies herself with typical Swiss Family Robinson-like chores and keeping her dad's batteries charged so she can check his e-mail on the laptop computer. When his boat becomes disabled, Nim's link to humanity becomes Alex Rover, the author of the novel she's reading, who has e-mailed Jack with some scientific questions. They correspond frequently, Nim giving Alex advice on building a raft out of coconuts, and Alex uncannily picturing spots on the island in her current book. A violent storm and volcanic eruption toward the end result in Nim saving the day, and the three characters set up life together on their paradise. And all of this occurs amid a clever plan to divert evil tourists from ever finding the island. If readers can suspend belief long enough to accept this plot, they will have a great time with this modern survival/adventure story. Children will love this unshakable, strong female character and the zany things that happen to her. They'll also enjoy the way adults seem to bungle everything. There are plenty of sketches to add visuals to this wild tale, which never loses its momentum. Teachers can springboard many geographic or scientific studies off this novel as they read it aloud, but kids can just enjoy the fun.
Debbie Whitbeck, West Ottawa Public Schools, Holland, MI
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (March 13, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375811230
• ISBN-13: 978-0375811234
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,367,814 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you could bring only one book to an island, would it be this one?, May 28, 2006

By 

E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Nim's Island (Paperback)

I run a homeschooler bookgroup with incurably picky tastes. The kids love books. They devour them by the cartload. But if you want to get their attention and really get them to love a given book, that book should contain lots of enjoyable cuddly animals. Finding them books of this nature has fast become my life's calling. I want to give them worthwhile reading material on the one hand, but also let them read the kinds of books they can really love on the other. So when, "Nim's Island" fell into my lap it was like manna from heaven. Cute animals? Check. Small pictures for the kids who still need them? Check. Fast-paced enjoyable storyline with a fairly original conceit and wonderful location? Check, check, and check. All in all, "Nim's Island" could have been written purely for the sake of giving kids books they'd really like to read. It's fun and funny and when it comes to bookgroups, few titles are more ideal than this.

Nim Rusoe and her father don't live your ordinary life. Some people dream of a tropical island entirely of their own. Nim and her father Jack live that dream. When her mother was taken to the bottom of the ocean by a whale (all do to a tourism company's interference), Nim's father picked up his baby girl and took her to a remote isle hidden away behind deadly coral reefs. There, Nim has grown up alongside the motherly sea lion Selkie and her best iguana pal, Fred. Now her father, a scientist specializing in plankton, has gone off to find a particularly interesting strain. He'll only be gone a day or two and Nim should be safe enough on the island. Should be. Unfortunately, when Jack's boat gets delayed by a break, things start to get dangerous for Nim. Invading tourists and tropical storms and even an injury may beset our heroine, but with the help of her mighty faithful friends, our heroine is able to best each of these problems, one by one.

The book gives obvious nods to "Robinson Crusoe" and "Swiss Family Robinson", of course. So obvious, in fact, that at one point both books are literally looked at by one of the characters. When I first picked up the book I expected something more along the lines of the latter book rather than the former. Not the case. Right at the beginning we establish that the tourism company Troppo Tourists was responsible for Nim's mother's death. So in a way I expected the tourists to besiege the island for days on end once Jack took off the other way. Instead, the fooling and banishment of the tourists is a very small part of the book itself. Author Wendy Orr knows exactly how she wants this book to go, and its entirely according to her own authorial whims. Orr takes time to explain the inner-workings of the island. Where Nim gets her food. Her chores. How she gets to play. The result is that the island is a realistic place. Kids reading the book really believe that they could exist entirely on their own with sea lions, iguanas, and sea turtles for company if they really wanted to. At the same time, these descriptions aren't boring at all. They aren't drawn out or so meticulous that you find yourself snoring. Orr keeps the action and adventure going at a steady clip while at the same time never skimping on the important details. This makes for a particularly amusing story.

The characters in this book are also fun. Heroines like Nim are sometimes in danger of being too perfect to be lovable. Instead, this Nim is a fun frolicsome young gal who gets unreasonably angry and none-too-bright personal-safetywise like any other kid. Orr has anthropomorphosized Nim's animal acquaintances, but it all fits within the reality of the story. Top all this off with some rather nice pen and inks by illustrator Kerry Millard (including a lovely map of the island) and you have all the makings of a small story classic.

With its small page count (125) and exciting imaginative tale, "Nim's Island" is ideal for bookgroups or just imaginative kids who fancy getting away from it all. And hey, if they get into this, why not try a little, "Swiss Family Robinson" as a follow up? There are plenty of tales in the island-survival genre. Consider this a gateway book.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Julia, January 19, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Nim's Island (Paperback)

Wendy Orr is a great author! Nim is a girl who has some rough times! Her mother died when she was young, and her father left her to go on a trip for an experiment. She is very brave! This is a five star book, and I love it because I've always wanted a little tree house or a place of my own. Nim has her own island! Nim's Island is a book for 8-10 year old kids who always wanted a place of their own like me. Using her father's laptop, she meets a famous but shy author named Alex. Alex has many questions about Nim and her animal friends. Will Nim survive, and what will her adventures be? Will Nim's and Alex's relationship become more than just e-mailing each-other? Will you ever know the answer to these questions? I bet you will if you follow my advice and read this amazing survival fiction story, Nim's Island!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Book I've Ever Read, January 8, 2002

By 

Anne Boynton (Lynchburg VA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Nim's Island (Hardcover)

It is the best book I've ever read, and I've read lots of books. It is exciting but not too scarey. It's got animals in it (I'm a great fan of animals). The vocabulary is easy and the story zips along. The characters are realistic enough to make the story seem true. It makes me feel excited, like I am going to go to Nim's island. It has a good sense of humor but not so funny that the humor takes away the sense of adventure. The only thing that could be better is if there are more books about Nim! I think that this book is suited for all ages above 5. Anyone with a taste for adventure and who appreciates the beauty of nature will love this book.