The Lost Island of Tamarind by Nadia Aguiar: Review by Jacob I.

I read The Lost Island Of Tamarind by Nadia Aguiar.

This is an adventure story, It's about Maya and Simon Nelson on their way to Bermuda, where she hopes to stay behind with her Granny Pearl. The Pamela Jane the family boat runs into rough weather. Mami and Papi are swept overboard, leaving the children to sail on alone. The shore where they landed is not on any map. To reach Tamarind from the Outside, as the inhabitants call our world, sailors have to cross a magical blue line in a storm-tossed region near the Equator. Only a very few Outsiders have ever made it through, and even fewer of those got home again.

Over the course of the book Maya and Simon search for their parents and a way home. With help from a boy named Helix,a tribe of cloud-forest orchid farmers and a troupe of giants and mermaids, the children face mighty rivers, pirates, jungle beasts, soldiers fighting a civil war, the child-snatching Lady Who Rides the Jaguar.

The book’s magic lies in its amazing plot. The author uses her knack for realistic details comparing them to the magical parts. Invisible palm trees guard a cave with a lake of healing water: “They could hear the palm fronds rustling now, a sound distinct from the rustling of the breeze through the grass. Although the palms could not be seen, the light beneath them was green and golden and played in dappled shadows over their upturned faces.” The Lost Island of Tamarind has a gentle spirit, combining its dangers with warmth.

I thought it was a great book and you will too.