Island of Whispers
Reviews
This is what people have been saying about Island of Whispers:
The Sunday Times (Children's Book of the Week)
"With its silver-sprinkled jacket, this elegiac story, part way between picture book and novella, is perfect for autumn. Milo is the son of a ferryman – a ferryman who must transport the spirits of the dead to an island where they can find freedom and happiness. When Milo takes over his father's job an adventure begins, involving a pursuit, sinister magicians, grotesque birds and benevolent ghosts. With each word carefully and often surprisingly chosen, this gothic fable weaves a frisson-filled spell. The tale is hopeful in the end, imbued with an understanding of the anguish of loss but recognising how kindness can mitigate it. And throughout Emily Gravett's skilful black-and-white and blue-and-grey evocations of places and characters use block colour and a precise style that echoes woodcuts." ~ read more
The Daily Telegraph
"At first glance, Island of Whispers looks like a picture book. But don't be misled, for Frances Hardinge's fabulously eerie stories are not the sort of thing that you read to the very young. In Gullstruck Island (2009), birds unravel people's souls; The Lie Tree (2015), a Victorian murder story, features a tree that feeds on whispered lies. Hardinge is known for her dark, eccentric plots, and Island of Whispers, a short, illustrated fantasy which is aimed at readers aged 12 and over, is no exception.
"The story is set on the 'ragged island' of Merlank, where the souls of the Dead pose a mortal threat to anyone with whom they come into contact. 'Even the sight of them could kill. Anyone unlucky enough to meet the Dead face-to-face and look into their eyes sickened afterwards or died immediately.' To avoid such consequences, all Merlank's ghosts must be taken away by the Ferryman to the island of the ierie tale that nts mortality Broken Tower. It's a treacherous job: 'You had to keep your guard up when ferrying the Dead... Curiosity might drag your gaze to them for one fatal glance.'
"But the Ferryman dies, and it falls to his teenage son Milo to take his father's soul across the water on his beloved boat, Evening Mare, with its phantom-like figurehead of a grey horse. To Milo's father, their ship was 'not a nightmare... Nor yet a daydream. In between and half awake. A dusk-slider. A twilight voyager, sailing the seam between worlds.'
"As Milo sets sail with his cargo of dead passengers, who include the 14-year-old daughter of the grieving Lord of Merlank, he finds more adventure than he had bargained for. Can he see off swarms of deathly moths, headless birds and Merlank's sinister magicians, and ensure that all his ghosts can stay happily ever after on the island of the Broken Tower?
"Hardinge first hit the headlines in 2015 when The Lie Tree won the Costa Book of the Year award; it was only the second time in the prize's 46-year history that a children's book had outdone its adult competitors. But whatever her target audience, Hardinge never talks down to the reader. The brevity of Island of Whispers, which is told in barely 100 pages, coupled with its swift, simple prose, will make it appeal to a wider range of reading abilities than some of her denser, 500-page fantasies such as A Skinful of Shadows (2017) or Unraveller (2022). And the stunning illustrations by Emily Gravett cleverly capture the narrative's haunting mood.
"Yet the book is deceptively multi-layered, combining a teenage coming-of-age story with elements of high fantasy, and difficult themes of death and bereavement. Just don't try it on the under-fives." ~ read more
The Irish Times
"Living up to parental expectations is also a challenge for Milo, hero of the wondrous Frances Hardinge's Island of Whispers (Two Hoots, £14.99), a dark fairytale with stylish illustrations from Emily Gravett. 'His father was right,' Milo thinks, 'you had to keep your guard up when ferrying the Dead. You needed enough alertness to see when they were close, but it was dangerous to be too aware of them. If you let yourself wonder about them, or imagine how they might feel, that left you open.'
"Despite 'his usual wave of frustration and inadequacy' washing over him, Milo has no choice but to take over his father's job and ferry the Dead to the Island of the Broken Tower, all the while trying to outrun those who want to reclaim the souls for themselves. Alongside a beautiful moral – Milo learning that his imagination, his empathy, his kindness is a strength rather than a weakness – there are unsettling details of the kind Hardinge specialises in. Among those who pursue his boat are headless birds, 'mottled like old cheese' and in possession of 'clever, little monkey hands'. Reality becomes uncertain in a swirl of 'falter-moths, grief-wringed'. Gravett's accompanying images manage to be both gentle and sinister as we follow Milo on his quest. This slim, elegant volume, coming in at slightly over one hundred pages, is an ideal gift book for both reluctant teen readers and enthusiastic readers with a penchant for the macabre." ~ read more
Books for Keeps
"Island of Whispers by Frances Hardinge and Emily Gravett is a ghost story, a folk tale, a chase, a lament for the dead, a tribute to the power of stories and a reflection on fate. Full of powerful images – in text and illustration – it should be read and reread." ~ read more
The Sunday Express
"This beautifully illustrated thriller follows young Milo the Ferryman on a perilous journey as he transports the souls of the dead across the sea."
Times Literary Supplement list of some of the best children's books of 2023
"Island of Whispers by Frances Hardinge also deals with parental loss, although the narrative mode here is classic fable, as opposed to the hybrid of fantasy and realism adopted by Womack, Wolstencroft and, to a lesser extent, Rundell. It is the responsibility of the Ferryman to transport the recently deceased to the Island of the Broken Tower, where their souls can ascend to the afterlife. The Lord of Merlank, however, is so stricken by the death of his fourteen-year-old daughter that he refuses to let the Ferryman set sail, trusting instead to the powers of 'dark practitioners' to bring her back to life. In the ensuing struggle the Ferryman is killed. His son, Milo, is forced, much against his natural inclination, to take on his duties, and the book becomes a chase that proceeds at the pace of a dream, as Milo tries to ensure the dead young girl's passage to eternity before her father and his henchmen can stop them. No ordinary ship can sail from mortal seas into 'the strange, uncanny waters' that lead to the tower; it takes a liminal 'dusk-slider', a 'twilight voyager' like the Evening Mare, the vessel Milo has inherited from his father, to sail 'the seam between worlds'; there is an oneiric, Coleridgean strangeness to the scene where Merlank's men build a bridge of human bones to bypass the portal between life and death.
"Island of Whispers is a melancholy, mist-shrouded triumph: with its flocks of hollow, headless, chimeharbouring seafowl and its exquisitely bittersweet denouement at the Broken Tower, Hardinge's book, atmospherically illustrated by Emily Gravett, is less reliant on myth than generative of its own." ~ Nat Segnit, read more
iNews list of the 20 best children's books for Christmas 2023
"In a world where the Dead can linger, it is Milo's father's job to ferry them away. But when his dad dies, Milo becomes the Ferryman. Is it more than he can take? A dazzling coming-of-age story by the Costa-winning author." ~ Marianne Levy, read more
New Statesman's list of the best children's books for Christmas 2023
"Frances Hardinge's Island of Whispers is a creepy tale for 12+. On Merlank Island, the Dead must not be allowed to linger, though the island's mists prevent them from moving on. When Milo unexpectedly inherits his father's job as Ferryman, he must take a perilous journey across the sea, pursued by lords, magicians and a shipload of ghosts. A story about bereavement and coming of age, written by one of our most gifted children's authors and lavishly illustrated by the great Emily Gravett, it deserves prizes." ~ Amanda Craig, read more
The Guardian's roundup of the 'five best YA books of 2023'
"Hardinge’s spare coming-of-age parable is laced with her trademark wisdom and subtlety. A grownup gothic fairytale, somewhere between short story and novella, this is ideal for 11+ readers who enjoy highly illustrated storytelling." ~ Imogen Russell Williams, read more
The Daily Telegraph's best children's books for 2023
"Island of Whispers by Frances Hardinge, meanwhile, looks like a picture book but don't be deceived: this illustrated fantasy, aimed at readers of 12 and over, tells the eerie story of a boy's quest to save an island cursed by the souls of the dead." ~ Emily Bearn, read more
The Daily Mail's year's best books for children 2023
"This is a powerful, stunningly illustrated, gothic fantasy exploring death, grief, destiny and identity from an outstanding author/artist team." ~ Sally Morris, read more
The Big Issue's best children’s and YA books of 2023
"This dark fairytale, about a young boy who loses his father and is then forced to ferry the dead to their final resting place, tackles some dark and serious issues. However, Hardinge never loses sight of the appeal of a strong plot, full of challenge and risk, ensuring that Island of Whispers is a page turner until the end." ~ Jane Graham, read more
Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Using spare, evocative prose, Hardinge weaves a nuanced and affecting tale about grief, compassion, and the importance of living life fully. Gravett (A Song of Gladness) enhances the otherworldly tone with black, white, and light blue illustrations that are by turns bold and ethereal." ~ read more
Kirkus (starred review)
"Accompanying Hardinge's poignant prose, Gravett's pen-and-ink art taps perfectly into the book's tone… A deftly told, bittersweet story of loved ones lost and remembered, tinged with hope and courage." ~ read more
Horn Book Magazine (starred review)
"Gravett's spectacularly misty, atmospheric illustrations, all in shades of indigo, heighten what is most elusive and poignant about Hardinge's story – the sorrow of endings, the significance of last messages, and the inexorability of mortality. Hardinge's own poetic language… brings multiple shimmering layers to both plot and imagery in this melancholic, fantastical tale." ~ Deirdre F. Baker, read more
The New York Times
"This is both a gothic ghost story and a seafaring tale. Hardinge's language is lush and poetic ('unheard words left an uneasy smear across his mind, like the mood of a dream after waking') but never self-indulgent. Everything feels necessary. The story is told in barely 100 pages. And holy moly is it eerie: 'Far above, wheeling through the mist, there was a bird. It was the size of a gull, and a rich, earthy brown. There was something wrong in the way it flew. It did not teeter or tilt the way seabirds do when they ride the wind. … When it alighted on the top of the mast, [Milo] saw that it had no head.' There are three of these undead birds — one brown, one gray, one 'mottled like old cheese'. All have tiny monkey hands instead of feet. One tries to fly into the hold, where the girl's shoes are stored; Milo slams the hatch on it and cuts it in half. There's no blood. Terrifying! And don't get me started on the bridge of bones." ~ Marjorie Ingall, read more
School Library Journal (Best Middle Grade Books 2024)
"In Merlank, the dead must be ferried to the Island of the Broken Tower to move on. Milo’s father is the Ferryman. When he is killed, young Milo must take over his precise and dangerous job. This modern fairy tale, gorgeously illustrated, teaches the importance of letting go." ~ read more
Kirkus Reviews (Best Middle Grade Books of the Year 2024)
"Hardinge treads a delicate line between horror and hope. Milo’s abilities shine through his doubts, even as he faces trial after trial. The result is part fairy tale, part contemplation of life, death, grief, and the comfort that comes when others listen." ~ read more
New York Public Library (Best Books for Kids 2024)
"In this illustrated gothic coming of age tale, there must always be a Ferryman to take the restless dead to the Island of the Broken Tower. But when the unthinkable happens and the task falls to Milo, can he find the courage to do the job that was never meant to be his?" ~ read more
Publishers Weekly (Holiday Gift Guide 2024: Children's & YA)
"Fourteen-year-old Milo sails a ship of souls to the realm of the dead in this elegiac fantasy. On Merlank, the dead linger until Milo’s father, the Ferryman, can deliver them to the Island of the Broken Tower, from which they can ascend to the afterlife. Hardinge weaves a nuanced and affecting tale about grief, compassion, and the importance of living life fully." ~ Caroline Juris, read more
The Horn Book (2024 Fanfare Selection)
"Milo inherits the role of Ferryman and must transport the Dead to their next destination; he comes to realize that listening, recording, and sharing can be part of his job. Spectacularly misty, atmospheric illustrations heighten the elusive, poignant themes of sorrow, mortality, and the significance of last messages in a layered, poetically written fantasy." ~ read more
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