Once on This Island [Hardcover]

Gloria Whelan (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up

When war erupts between England and America in 1812, it brings change and uncertainty—even to Michigan’s remote Mackinac Island.For young Mary O’Shea, the hardest change is the departure of her father, who leaves Mackinac to join the American Army. With her sister and brother, Mary must tend the farm, deal with the hardships of British occupation, and hope for the safe return of their father. ‘The story, told with quiet humor, brings to life this episode in history. The readers feels the beauty of the island, the pain of separation, [and] the anxiety and fear produced by war.’—V. ‘[S]mooth writing, vivid characters, and strong sense of place make this a good choice for libraries and a treasure for ones in the Great Lakes area.’—BL.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7?A novel set on Mackinac Island, Michigan, during the War of 1812. Mary, 12, recounts her family's plight as her father leaves his motherless children tending the farm while he joins the American forces in Detroit fighting the British. Jacques, 15, struggles to keep his promise to take care of the farm and his two sisters when the temptation to join the army or the fur trading business prevails. Sixteen-year-old Angelique's flirtations with the British soldiers during the occupation of their island home infuriates both her brother and sister. Despite these distractions, the young people still manage to maintain a productive farm for the three-year period of the war. Whelan weaves the Indian and American culture together through a complex secondary character, Gavin, an Indian boy raised by Mary's neighbors, who is forced to come to terms with his heritage as he makes the crucial decision to leave his Anglo parents and way of life and rejoin his tribe. Well-rounded fiction that incorporates a little romance, adventure, drama, and history of an American period that is not as commonly used for background.?Rita Soltan, Baldwin Public Library, Birmingham, MI
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 4^-7. Twelve-year-old Mary and her older brother and sister must tend the family farm on Mackinac Island when their father leaves to fight the British. Through Mary's narration, the everyday details of life in 1812 intertwine with larger events, as the fort is taken by the British, her sister flirts with an English lieutenant, and their friend Gavin returns to his Ottawa tribe to ransom his adoptive parents. Mary's resourcefulness and humor add liveliness to the solid historical facts, and her encounters with a wolf, some potential cow thieves, and the British at Fort Michilimackniac are all memorable. Mary's point of view occasionally becomes omniscient, and the ending of the story is a bit tidy, but Whelan's smooth writing, vivid characters, and strong sense of place make this a good choice for libraries and a treasure for ones in the Great Lakes area. Susan Dove Lempke

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers (September 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060262486
• ISBN-13: 978-0060262488
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,382,459 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Something is missing., May 21, 2004

By 

MAB (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Once on This Island (Library Binding)

"Once on This Island" takes place during The War of 1812, but there was a lack of historical information to prove this point. It could have easily been another war. The story itself - three children struggle to live their lives while their father is off fighting for the American cause - is a stable one, though deficient. This could be because the events flowed nicely, without much difficulty, or maybe it was because there was a lack of illnesses and death; realism wasn't truly there. I was hoping for a historical note, but Whelan failed to include one. I'll still read the other two books in the trilogy, but I will not put high expectations on them. I "sorta" recommend.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good, but still..., September 18, 2002

By 

Katie (Annapolis, MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Once on This Island (Paperback)

I know, everyone rated this 5 stars. And I know that this book is for kids ages 6-10. I'm 14. This book, Once on this Island, is very good, but I think it could have been better. Still, it is written for younger children, so... Anyway, if you're older than ten, you'll most likely find it boring.

Mary is living on an island in the Great Lakes during the War of 1812. Her father goes off to fight when the British take over her island and shortly after her older brother leaves. Mary's older sister flirts with a British soldier while Mary runs the farm. An Indian friend leaves to fight for the British alongside his long-lost tribe, which adds to the confusion.

The first in a trilogy, the other 2 books are Farewell to this Island and Return to the Island. I havent read them yet, but Im planning to at least read Return to the Island. As I titled this review, it's good, but still...

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best book I've read in a long time!!!, November 28, 1998

By 

Kathleen K Bowman (St Joseph, MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Once on This Island (Hardcover)

I really enjoyed Once on This Island. It's the War of 1812 and Mary O'Shea and her brother, sister, and father live on the island of Michilimackinac, today's Mackinac Island. I've read this book many times and each time it gets better and better! Please read if you're ready for a good book!