The Other Side of the Island, by Allegra Goodman; Penguin Young Readers Group: New York, 2008; $16.99 Imagine living in a world of rules—a world where the first letter of your name is chosen by the year you were born, a world where the weather is programmed each day. This is Honor’s world in The Other Side of the Island, by Allegra Goodman. Honor is born in the eighth year of the Enclosure: a world controlled by the Earth Mother, created after the polar ice caps melted and flooded the old world. There is no visible violence or hardship on the peaceful islands on which the world now lives. As long as one obeys the rules, no harm will come to them. But Honor’s parents do not obey the rules. They ignore the curfew, wade in the ocean, and sing songs. They even have another child, a boy named Quintilian, and keep him. Honor is the only child with a sibling. As Honor goes to school and learns the ways of the island, she becomes more and more ashamed of her parents. She tries everything she can to fit in, even changing her name to one where the H sound is heard. But, at the book’s end, Honor has learned her lesson. She realizes that being an individual is OK, and standing out from the crowd is what makes a person unique. She realizes that her parents, who are trying to bring down the Earth Mother and create a world where everyone can be different, are really the ones to imitate. I believe that The Other Side of the Island has a very important lesson to teach. One must learn to follow one’s own heart and be an individual. For example, when Honor realizes that none of the other girls in her class have boys as friends, she quickly abandons her best friend, Helix. When they make up later in the story, Honor realizes that she never should have given up her best friend, despite what others thought. One of the things I liked most about The Other Side of the Island was that I felt like I could connect with Honor’s character. At one point in all our lives, we wish to fit in. For example, I used to ice skate. Many of the girls with whom I skated went to the same school and were always talking about something that had happened there. Although I sometimes wished that I had more to talk to them about, so we could become better friends, I knew that I had to be my own person and not spend my life trying to be like them. By the end of The Other Side of the Island, Honor too has realized this. The Other Side of the Island shows what may happen to our world if we do not stop global warming. It is a scary thought and convinced me that we must do something to keep the polar ice caps from melting. The Other Side of the Island also does a great job of showing how individuality matters, yet it is still an adventure- filled page turner. Honor’s character embodies a determined spirit that I loved, and it made me want to keep reading to see what happened to her. Filled with friendship, love, hardship, and sadness, The Other Side of the Island will stay with you even after you have turned the last page. Kelsey Flower, 13Portola Valley, California
July/August 2009
Racing
I walk outside and feel the grass being crushed under my shoe. A light breeze teases the trees. The peaceful yard won’t be this way for long. “Come on, Klaire! Race me!” Sophia cries, grasping my hand and pulling me over to the edge of the grass. “Only one race,” I remind her. “OK!” she says, itching to start. “From here to Monica’s driveway,” Sophia says, pointing her finger at the gravel two lawns away. “Got it,” I assure her. We take our positions. I crouch, poised, like an arrow about to be released from an archer’s bow. My knees are slightly bent and my eyes are on the driveway. Sophia glances at me, and then models herself after my pose. She starts the countdown. “On your mark, get set, go!” she cries. We start. “On your mark, get set, go!” I quickly zoom away, like a tornado whirling. My sandals fly off, but I haven’t time to catch them. The world flies by as my feet leap over the soft green grass. It tickles my toes and scratches my feet. The air rushes by my head. My hair is flying in back of me like a banner. I keep my eyes on the ground so I can dodge the pinecones scattered about by the neighborhood squirrels. A smile leaps across my lips. I’d forgotten how happy running makes me. I reach the gravel and turn around. I’m far ahead of Sophia. A moth flies up from the dirt where I have disturbed it. I’m almost to the finish line and I slow down a bit, not a tornado but a zephyr now. I reach the driveway and stop, hands on knees and panting. Sophia halts beside me. My hair is in disarray and my mouth is smiling, smiling wider than it has smiled for a very long time. “Wanna race again?” I ask. Isabel Sutter, 12Houston, Texas Madeline Helland, 13Claremont, California
Ocean Memories
As the notes take me I try to remember The ocean Mom and Dad stand by me Deeper we go Jumping big waves My parents lifting me up to jump Dolphin fins out in the horizon Laughing then Longing now For the sea to sweep me Off the ocean floor As it did a few years ago If only I could go back Into childhood memories See what I did not savor enough Be there once more And I go there As I fall sound asleep And my dreams carry me back out to sea Eden A. Marish Roehr, 9Venice, California
