"Memory magic, mystery, dragon door portals and environmentalism — this conclusion to a fantastical futuristic Caribbean-set duology sees a gifted girl search for the truth."
March 2024 Book of the Month
Rooted in real-life environmental concerns, and wrapped up as a dazzling futuristic fantasy set around the Caribbean’s ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao), Alake Pilgrim’s Zo and the Invisible Island is a marvel of Middle Grade fiction.
Picking up where the first book in the duology left off, after Zo and her friend Adri had “survived being lost in the forest for days” in Trinidad, and after they’d uncovered the mysterious Council that “that experimented on animals, and kids like us”, Zo is desperate to discover the truth, not least because Adri “had chosen to go back to the Council and their tests, for the sake of his captured parents.”
Soon enough, Zo, with her special power of falling into other people’s memories, discovers Dragon Door portals to Dragon Mouth Island and its sinister facility for gifted children — a place where the Council trains and tests gifted children, to sell them off to the highest bidder.
The group of gifted children Zo meets are from around the Caribbean region and together encounter all manner of perils while witnessing shocking environmental destruction. For example, when they’re attacked by giant lionfish, we discover how this invasive species is doing untold damage to Caribbean reef systems. Meanwhile, Bonaire’s beautiful salt flats are resplendent with flamingos that turn out to be “animatronic animals for surveillance and security”, while the island’s fringe reefs — one of the world’s oldest marine reserves — are under serious threat.
Into this, Zo meets Adri (but his memory’s been wiped and he has no idea who she is), and discovers a sinister laboratory. Driven by bravery and enormous generosity of heart, “small, but mighty” Zo puts her friend first as peril mounts, making this an excellent edge-of-your-seat adventure that also explores themes of friendship and environmentalism.
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Zo's adventure continues when she goes to the Council's secret school. A really exciting read full of thrills and perils for Zo and her friends.
This is a book about an eleven year old girl named Zo. Zo has the incredible power to dip into people's memories.
When Zo falls out of bed one morning, she discovers a telescope in a hidden space underneath her bed. The telescope has the command "Look into the Dragon's Mouth" written on the side, so Zo uses the telescope to look to Dragonmouth Island.
As she looks through the scope her eye gets stuck and she suddenly gets sucked on to the Island where the Council lives.... Read Full Review
Gripping adventure story.
Gripping adventure story, I especially liked the world and character building in the book.... Read Full Review
A good book though I would advise reading the first one before this. Although it can be a standalone book it can be hard to get the background and learn the characters without having to go back and re-read parts. Once into it though there's mystery, adventure and even mythology.
Although this book can be read as a standalone book it is really a 2nd book of a series and I feel it would be a lot quicker and easier to get into if we’d read them in order. There is a lot of things to get used to and characters to learn in the beginning which we found a little confusing at times.
Once your into the book and with a little patience though it is a good story and does have adventure, mystery and some mythology thrown in. It has part that really make you think and parts that really use the imagination.... Read Full Review
