island and mushroom adventures

 Kensuke's Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo (Juvenile Fiction)

Grade Level: 3-8. This is a fast-paced adventure you will not be able to put down, so once you settle in to read this make sure you have nothing on your schedule for a couple hours. 

After Michael and his dog, Stella wash up on a deserted island following a sailing accident, they soon realize they are not alone. Kensuke, the only other person on the island, is elderly, speaks Japanese, and is initially cautious and unfriendly. Kensuke, however, does leave food out for Michael and Stella and attempts to warn Michael of dangers. This only confuses and angers Michael, who feels trapped and scared. 

Eventually they became friends and help each other understand their languages and histories. I enjoyed their daily routine and all the tiny but momentous tasks that formed their days and kept them alive. Though I wanted the orangutans to make more appearances in the story, I loved their interactions with Kensuke. Yes, you heard me right. There are orangutans! 

Be prepared for an ending that will completely gut you and keep you up for hours (so maybe don't read this before you go to sleep). I spent longer trying to recover from the ending than I did reading this short book. Michael wants so badly to be reunited with his mom and dad. Kensuke is wrestling with the new knowledge that his family could have survived the bombing of Nagasaki and may have been alive the forty years he spent living on the island. Michael and Kensuke have also become each other’s family during the year Michael lives on the island. Big decisions must be made, and they are bittersweet and heartbreaking. 

One last thing to note. Stella, his loyal dog, comes to no harm during the story.

Mushroom Rain by Laura Zimmermann and illustrated by Jamie Green (Nonfiction Picture Book)

Mushrooms are so fascinating and complex and Zimmermann’s poetic and brief mushroom overview gives the reader just enough information to want more. Included in the back is more information including instructions for making a spore print, an interesting tidbit about Mushroom-Harvesting Ants who eat mushy mushrooms, and an excellent bibliography including where you can learn more about “how spores act as nuclei for raindrops.”