ISLE OF EVER, by Jen Calonita, Sourcebooks Young Readers, March 25, 2025, Hardcover, $16.99 (ages 10 and up)
A girl must solve riddles, follow flues, find a secret island and break a 200-year-old curse in Isle of Ever, a middle-grade novel by Jen Calonita.
Two hundred years ago, an island disappeared. Benny has just two weeks to find it.
Everly “Benny” Benedict and her mom have always managed to get by, though they’re broke most of the time. But all that could change. Benny’s just learned she’s the sole heir to the vast fortune of Evelyn Terry, a mysterious ancestor from the 1800s!
There’s a catch, though. First Benny needs to play―and win―a game: following clues that are more than a century old, she must find her way to the tiny island Evelyn wrote about in her diary. It was somewhere off the shoreline of Evelyn’s home town, but according to legend, it vanished long ago and hasn’t appeared on maps for hundreds of years. Yet Benny has only a couple weeks to locate it.
If she’s successful, she’ll collect the inheritance. But what if there’s more than a fortune at stake in this game? What if Benny has to break an ancient curse to win? —Sourcebooks Young Readers
Isle of Ever is the first book in a brand new series from author Jen Calonita (Fairy Tale Reform School). Filled with puzzles, pirates, maps, old newspaper clippings from the 1800s and diary entries, it’s an adventure mystery with a sprinkle of magic.
The story is told mostly from Benny’s point of view, which is interspersed with entries from Evelyn’s private journal. Benny is a strong, independent protagonist that will immediately appeal to readers. Supporting characters are equally as intriguing, although Benny’s mom feels a bit one-note.
Isle of Ever is sure to appeal to fans of mystery, and based on the cliff-hanger ending they’re going to be clamoring for its sequel. This one is lots of fun.
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