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Ember and the Island of Lost Creatures

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

From Treasure in the Lake's Jason Pamment comes a story of friendship and self-discovery, in a gorgeously illustrated world perfect for fans of Hilda and Over the Garden Wall.

Fitting in can be hard, especially when you're as small as Ember, a tiny boy living alone in a city of giants.

But Ember's luck changes when he meets Lua, a kindly sea turtle, who escorts him across the ocean to a school for little creatures on a wondrous island. ­Here, Ember learns that first days can be hard, too—especially when they involve bizarre, fantastical cave-dwellers, ferocious storms, and classmates that, from the very start, aren't at all interested in making friends.

As he struggles to adapt to this new world, Ember finds himself at the heart of an otherworldly mystery, facing a strange monster from the deep that threatens everything he holds dear. On the surface, Ember's classmates may seem of little help, but any good student of nature knows appearances can be deceiving—and friendship can come from the most unexpected of places.

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    • Kirkus

      June 1, 2023
      Ember feels like an outsider at his new school for the orphaned and solitary. Ember is a tiny humanoid with light-brown skin and a mop of black hair who doesn't remember anything from before he lived in an attic in a city where everything was giant-sized. He longed for friendship, but when he ventured out to try to make a connection, he was accidentally swept into a storm drain and out to a beach. There, sea turtle Lua found and adopted him. Lua brings Ember to the far-off island where she once went to school. The other young creatures Ember meets there include Ana, a salamander, and Viggo, a pugnacious, blue-tongued lizard. Ember keeps a journal with observations and drawings and is both devastated and humiliated when some classmates read it and mock him. Ember's sweetness seems to attract other creatures--a luminous tentacle, sea urchins reminiscent of the soot sprites in My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away, and a smiling rock Ember dubs Boulder. Lessons at school involve intriguing discussions of camouflage and mimicry and introductions to the unique denizens of the island and surrounding sea. Clear, lovely graphics, rich colors, and intriguing perspectives provide detailed, cinematic depictions of the island world and the young ones' adventures. Ember's fierce determination to connect and his empathetic inclination to regard other creatures as benign afford him an impressive kind of courage when he and his classmates encounter the sea monster of his nightmares. An enchanting, absorbing adventure. (Graphic fiction. 8-12)

      COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • School Library Journal

      Starred review from June 1, 2023

      Gr 4 Up-A tiny boy named Ember lives alone in a city of giants, where he tries and fails to make friends. One day he meets a sea turtle named Lua, who offers to take him across the ocean to a very special school for creatures his size. When Ember arrives at the island, he is amazed by all of his fellow classmates, even though they're not impressed by him. The students gradually learn to understand the unusual island residents, but first they must be brave enough to take some risks and let their defenses down. The colorful illustrations in this story are magical, ethereal, luminous, and even cinematic. Readers will be fascinated by the story overall, but Pamment's artwork makes this book a truly immersive experience. VERDICT For readers who are ready for a breathtaking, emotional, and heartfelt adventure.-Andrea Lipinski

      Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Books+Publishing

      May 9, 2023
      Jason Pamment follows up his stellar debut graphic novel, Treasure in the Lake, with the stunningly unique Ember and the Island of Lost Creatures. Tiny Ember is the size of an insect. All alone in the world, he dreams of going to school and making friends. He meets a kind sea turtle who offers to take him to a special island, a school for little creatures like him. Ember soon discovers that although he loves learning about the strange flora and fauna of his new home, being the new kid is harder than he thought. When strange things start occurring, however, it is Ember’s capacity for empathy and clever resourcefulness that save the day. Young readers will easily relate to Ember’s attempts to fit in at a new school as he navigates a new environment, new friendships, and classroom bullies. Pamment’s professional background as an animator is wholly apparent; every panel is a richly imagined work of art, and the island itself feels like a character in its own right. Ember’s class of tiny creatures includes the real and fantastical alike—from a blue-tongued lizard, a dung beetle and a salamander to a very friendly boulder—each with their own distinct personality. Whimsical and poignant, Ember and the Island of Lost Creatures will delight readers young and old.

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