Orphan Island (2017) by Laurel Snyder is a middle-grade novel in the magical realism genre. The story is set on a remote, magical island that is home to nine children but no adults. Once a year, a magic boat appears, bringing a new toddler, and the oldest child must leave. The oldest child remaining on the island becomes the toddler’s caretaker. The novel’s protagonist is Jinny, the new “Elder” of the island. She loves her “Care” (toddler), Ess, and doesn’t want to leave her—but through a complex maturation process, Jinny learns that some things are more important than what she wants.

This guide refers to the paperback edition published by Walden Pond Press in 2018.

Plot Summary

The yearly boat arrives on the island, bringing the new toddler, Ess, which means that it’s time for the oldest child, Deen, to leave. Deen was the best friend of Jinny, the protagonist, so she’s upset that he’s leaving and almost forgets that the new child is her direct responsibility. The island folklore warns that the sky will fall if more than nine children remain on the island at once. The island’s other children go to bed early that night, as they always do when there’s a “changing.” Jinny and Ess get acquainted and then go to sleep in the cabin they’ll now share. Before leaving, Deen taught Jinny various “Elder Lessons” about how to look after a young child (her “Care”) and lead the group. Jinny will now pass these types of lessons along to Ben, the second-oldest child besides Jinny. Other than the boat that comes once a year, the children have no contact with the outside world and no way to leave. They don’t know why they’re there and can’t remember anything from before they arrived—except for the youngest children, who sometimes, upon first arriving, talk about “Mama” or other people they knew before coming to the island.

In the morning, Jinny gives Ess a tour of their island community, which has cabins (one per kid, with the exception of the Elder and Care), an outdoor kitchen, a book cabin, a storage cabin, and a “wishing” cabin (like a bathroom). Ben cooks breakfast (cooking is his special job), and Ess meets the others (from oldest to youngest, Ben, Joon, Oz, Eevie, Jak, Nat, and Sam). The kids each contribute to running the community through assigned chores such as fishing, gathering honey or chicken eggs, picking vegetables and fruits, cleaning, cooking, educating the others, fetching water or firewood, and the like. Jinny takes Ess to get new clothes that match everyone else’s and to get rid of her shoes. All new kids must undergo this initiation ritual; the shoes are left in a pile as a shrine. Ess doesn’t want to give up her shoes, but Jinny gives her a bracelet made out of the laces to appease her. Ess then calls the bracelet “Mama” and wears it always. Ben is confused about why Jinny didn’t take him along for this initiation process for his first lesson; Jinny claims lessons aren’t needed (even though she personally feels unprepared even with the lessons).

The island is magical and safe and has abundant food and natural resources. However, supplies like clothes, dishes, and books are limited, and the kids don’t know how to make more. Each evening after dinner, the kids gather around a campfire (or “fire circle”), and the Elder reads aloud to the others. As the Elder, Jinny must teach Ess how to swim, cook, and read, but she struggles with swimming lessons and effectively gives up. Joon then teaches Ess to swim. The same thing happens with reading and fishing. After 200-plus days, Ess is nearly self-sufficient.

Soon, the boat comes for Jinny, but she’s not ready: She hasn’t given Ben any Elder Lessons, nor has she explained to Ess that she must leave, and she believes that Ess still “needs” her to stay. Therefore, she stays, breaking the rule and causing everyone to worry. The boat won’t leave without her, but Jinny beaches it and takes the new boy, Loo, to her cabin along with Ess. The two children share Jinny’s bed, and she uses cushions from the book cabin to sleep on. She finds a letter written by Abbie Ellis (whose name is in all the books) to her mother. Apparently, Abbie was another child once on the island, and her mom knew she was there. In the letter, Abbie asks her mom to send the boat for her early because she doesn’t want to live on the island; she misses her family too much. Jinny thinks this letter is dangerous and shares it with no one.

Unlike Ess, Loo is a handful, and Jinny dislikes him. The island begins changing: Different snakes appear, the clouds change, food becomes less plentiful, and the winds no longer magically protect people or objects from falling off cliffs. Eventually, it even snows. Jinny begins menstruating and misinterprets this as another piece of bad island magic that she caused. Ben and others try to convince her to leave, but she doesn’t want to until Loo is bitten by a rattlesnake. Finally, Jinny decides she must leave with him in hopes of finding medicine. She bids farewell to the group and spends extra time with Ess, who now understands that Jinny must leave and will probably be okay on her own. Jinny then gets in the boat with Loo, and they leave, not knowing where the boat will take them.