The Island at the End of Everything: from the bestselling author of The Girl of Ink & Stars

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The Island at the End of Everything by Kiran Millwood Hargrave is a book that I would definitely read again! This book is set in the early 1900s when people didn't accept other people who were different to themselves. Ami and her Nanay live on the island of Culion which is a leper colony, though they prefer to call themselves touched. Although one day a man called Mr Zamora comes to Culion to announce some changes that will change Ami's life forever. Along the way Ami makes some new friends and gets torn away from people that she loves. The author creates very vivid images throughout the stories using similes, metaphors and various other techniques. I love how the author manages to thread the theme of butterflies in to the book; from the beginning of the book where Ami and her Nanay never see any butterflies in their butterfly garden, till the end of the book where butterflies are swarming around the island of Culion. In my opinion, the butterflies are just there for symbolism. They symbolise hope and the beauty that lies within the people of Culion. I would rate this book 5/5 and recommend it to both boys and girls who are interested in history and heart-felt stories.

This book is very different to a lot of her other books but is still at the same quality. Kiran knows how to organise a book and not to go of topic. The chapter name is all about what the chapter is about but written in more depth. I would recommend this author to anyone as I feel that they would be able to enjoy her books. Felicity Wilcox, age 14 - 'A great emotional rollercoaster adventure story...It made you grip the edge of your seat (or bed if you read it at night).' I enjoyed every word of 'The Island at the End of Everything' although I wish the book were longer! It has an original plot, strong characters, and shows not to judge a person by their disability; a book I'd recommend everyone to read! Bella Rix-Clanc, age 10 - 'A happy, sad, exiting and beautiful book. I read it with my mum and we both enjoyed it.' I liked a lot the character relations that are written. The main character has a very good relationship with her mother but every time Amihan tried to talk about the past and her father her mum would close up. The last night together she opens up and tells the story of her father showing that the mother was afraid that Amihan would never know because her mum might die. They both try to hold onto the last moments because they might never see each other again. Amihan thinks "I don't want to fall asleep because when I wake up it will be tomorrow, and Nanay seems to feel the same because she suggested we tell stories" showing that they are trying to hold onto every single moment before it ends.

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This book is written by Kiran Millwood Hargrave. She is a poet, playwright and novelist. Kiran is very young with the success she has had. She is the author of the bestselling book The Girl of Ink and Stars. Millwood was born in London in 1990. She studied at both Cambridge and Oxford Universities.

More than Amihan it is Mariposa (which in Spanish means 'butterfly') who is my favourite character in the book. Despite being a fictional character, I wouldn't mind having her as a role model, particularly as she has an injured hand but comes across as tough and resilient. Hargrave has weaved some very important topics into the novel, such as melancholic issues that relate to death, disabilities, illness, mental health and prejudice. Hargrave has handled all this with care. Therefore, not only is the book gripping but it also raises the reader's awareness of these issues. Major highlights of the book are how Hargraves very effectively (through use of providential and humorous situations) explored the themes in the book. A message from the author: ‘At a time when the world seems to be moving deeper towards intolerance, the message that we should be together but not the same, was at the forefront of my mind when writing this book. It’s easy to label people, and labelling means reducing them to one attribute, which in turn makes it easier to dismiss, dehumanise, and persecute. In The Island at the End of Everything, it is down to Ami, and her friend Mari, to find a way home in a society that tells them they are only children, only girls, and so are not in control of their own lives. But of course, this is far from the truth.’ Amihan and those other children without leave for the orphanage on Coron but soon find out that Mr Zamora [who is running and teaching at the orphanage] has been intercepting their letters home. Soon after the realisation of this, Amihan and her friend Mari devise a plan to escape from the orphanage and return home. I thought that the book was very well written and uses a variety of vocabulary to make you feel sad for Amihan and the other children and their parents. I really liked the book because it was so well written and has a great story and meaning behind it. I would recommend this to girls and boys of around 12 years plus.

Kiran Millwood Hargrave

I particularly enjoyed the ending chapters when Amihan and her amiable companions are eventually reunited. Not only does Hargrave satisfy the reader through answering the questions that she has posed, she manages to end the story in an uplifting and positive manner. Before reading this book, I did not know that Culion Island is a real place. or that it was once the largest colony of lepers in the world. I also liked how words from the Philippines were used throughout out the story, for example Ami clalls her mother Nanay, meaning 'Mother' in the local language. I loved this book. It only tooks me about one to two hour(s) to read as I was so engrossed in the story line and its increadable imagery. The characters had such exspressive and large personalitys it was as if they were real people. The only bad thing about this book is that it isn’t long enough 😜.

I enjoyed the Island atthe End of Everything because it is a really good historical fiction. It is based on an island for lepers and an orphanage. It is fascinating and I simply couldn't put it down. This book wants me to read more of Kiran Hargrave's books because it is such a good read. It describes the cruelty of lepers. It is a good historical fiction and alot of people can learn how lepers were treated from this book. This book also opened my mind. Hello Yellow - 80 Books to Help Children Nurture Good Mental Health and Support With Anxiety and Wellbeing - I did enjoy the book as it gave a point of view of a child in the circumstances presented and how it affected them. Most of the time children are not considered in theses type of situations. Millwood is very good on keeping the book to historical realism with also giving it an easy way to understand it. The book opened my eyes as I did not know how leprosy came about and where it started. The book made me want to find out more about the segregatiMy favourite parts of the book were the imagery of the butterflies throughout the book. It was poignant.