and my heart told me that I am getting into a reading slump, I wondered which book I should start next which would retain my attention, and Gary Paulsen's book leapt at me. Book arrived over a month late and was not in perfect condition as described. One of Paulsen's finest. This book is one of my favorite's by Gary Paulsen, second only to The Transall Saga! Once again, I wanted to be him! I decided to stop reading this although I got a good amount into it. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Wil isn’t your average teenager. Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is a service we offer sellers that lets them store their products in Amazon's fulfillment centers, and we directly pack, ship, and provide customer service for these products. Another reason why I like this book so much is because I can relate with the 15 year old instead of the 30 year old. By then readers have something in common with the name of the lake ``on which the island lay.'' Scholastic Paperbacks; Reprint Edition (May 27, 2014), Previous page of related Sponsored Products. There's a problem loading this menu right now. Going through a divorce when I was 8 and now still seeing my mom suffer from my abusive stepdad, I understood why Wil would want to go to an island to get away from all the turmoil. Three stuffed animals embark on an epic quest to find a lost friend that takes them from New York City to the heart of the Australian outback. The Island is a 1988 young adult fiction novel written by American writer Gary Paulsen.It tells the story of 14-year-old Wil Neuton, who yearns to find a sense of belonging in the world. I thought Paulsen stretched the believability of his protagonist too far with 'The Hunt' but he really went too far with this book. Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Gary Paulsen paints a compelling and beautiful picture in this novel about a fourteen year old boy named Wil Neuton. This could have been another back-to-nature story, but Newbery Honor writer Paulsen tells Wil's inner journey with a confident lyricism that duplicates Wil's emotional qualities. I felt that the way that Wil tunes in to nature was actually really beautiful and reminiscent of the nature writing workshop by Otterbein University that I went to at Cuyahoga State Park this summer. Gary Paulsen has written more than 175 books and some 200 articles and short stories for children and adults. Likeable characters, deliberate slow paced read. Like ... well, you get the idea. Rate this book. It's a juvenile version of Krakauer's Into the Wild (without the tragic ending)in that Wil is searching for something inside himself. There was a problem loading your book clubs. The kid is a normal boy in all his recollections about his behavior and talents in the city but becomes an immediately proficient artist, writer, meditator, athlete, guru, media presence, fighter, displays a perfect recall memory, and hell, even immediately learns to row a boat, simply by moving to the country. The Island is a place that lays in the exact center of a small lake in Northern Wisconsin. I know that many of my friends didn't like this one, feeling that it felt fake and was boring since nothing happened. Susan is the person who isn’t afraid to say hi to someone that she never has met. Wil meets a girl named Susan and became friends. The Island. Boring summer? It was a little slow and I plan to find a more exciting, action-filled book for my next read. Leben. I read it long ago, so I might not like it so much now, but I really want to read it again one day.