Island of the Sun

by Matthew J. Kirby

Overview

Perfect for fans of the Percy Jackson and Seven Wonders series, Island of the Sun is the second book in an epic, fast-paced middle grade adventure trilogy by acclaimed author Matthew J. Kirby.

Eleanor and her friends have shut down the mysterious Concentrator in the Arctic, but their mission is far from over. The earth is still spinning out of its orbit and growing colder by the day. Their only chance is to find the other Concentrators embedded around the world and deactivate them before it’s too late.

But doing so won’t be easy. The Global Energy Trust has branded Eleanor, her mother, and their friends international terrorists and is tracking their every move. The G.E.T. will stop at nothing to harness the power of the Concentrators in order to preserve the select few people its leaders deem worthy, and Eleanor is soon forced to ask herself whether it’s worth risking the lives of the entire human race for a slim chance to save it.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062224927
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/10/2016
Series:	Dark Gravity Sequence Series , #2
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	913,037
Lexile:	740L (what's this?)
File size:	635 KB
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Matthew J. Kirby is the author of the acclaimed middle grade novels The Clockwork Three, Icefall, and The Lost Kingdom, as well as one book in the New York Times bestselling series Infinity Ring. He was born in Utah, but with a father in the military he has lived in many places, including Rhode Island, Maryland, California (twice), and Hawaii. As an undergraduate at Utah State University, he majored in history. He then went on to earn MS and EdS degrees in school psychology. Matthew currently lives in Utah.

Editorial Reviews

A thrilling story sure to keep adventure lovers on the edge of their seats.” — School Library Journal

“This sets up seamlessly for the next installment, and, as with book one, the nonstop action is sure to keep readers enthralled.” — Booklist

From the Publisher

This sets up seamlessly for the next installment, and, as with book one, the nonstop action is sure to keep readers enthralled.

Booklist

This sets up seamlessly for the next installment, and, as with book one, the nonstop action is sure to keep readers enthralled.

Booklist

05/01/2016
Gr 4–6—The intrigue and excitement continue in this dystopian sequel. Twelve-year-old Eleanor and her companions have been branded terrorists by GET (Global Energy Trust) for destroying the energy-producing Arctic Concentrator and must leave the frozen North pronto. Educated by Eleanor's mysterious powers, the group have come to believe that a rogue alien planet is using the strange, twisted contraption to rob Earth of its energy. Their aim is not only to shut down the Arctic machine but to proceed to Peru, Egypt, and the Himalayas, where other concentrators are known to exist. They intend to save the increasingly freezing Earth and all its inhabitants. GET's Preservation Protocol plan is more selective: only a chosen few will be allowed to survive, while millions of others will perish. On the way to Peru, Eleanor is witness to a preview of this possible outcome: Mexico City is awash with refugees living in squalor, while others, protected by armed guards and walls, live a privileged existence. Readers will be carried along in this page-turning tale that ends on a cliffhanger. Kirby keeps the plot moving with hair-raising adventures involving reanimated mummies and underwater temples. VERDICT A thrilling story sure to keep adventure lovers on the edge of their seats.—Diane McCabe, John Muir Elementary, Santa Monica, CA

School Library Journal

2016-02-17
With the all-powerful Global Energy Trust hot on the trail, this sequel to The Arctic Code (2015) finds Eleanor and her ragtag band of allies mounting assaults on more of the alien devices that are rapidly forcing Earth into an ice age by sucking up its "telluric energy." Eluding armed G.E.T. agents as they go, the fugitives leave Alaska's deep freeze behind to fly south toward Lake Titicaca—pausing, in an ironic touch, to gape at Mexico City's massive sprawl of refugees from icy North America. The eldritch Concentrator is buried at a nexus of ley lines deep within submerged Incan ruins, and reaching it so that Eleanor can mentally kill the artificial intelligence that operates it isn't going to be easy. Nor, for that matter, will escaping afterward, as betrayal leaves some group members in G.E.T. hands. Next stop: Luxor, another Concentrator, and another narrow escape. The author shoehorns in so much continuing conflict between Eleanor and her overprotective mother (both white), and also between another scientist and his two biracial sons (black/white), that the story often seems more about parent-child issues than saving the planet. Still, as Eleanor leads the way toward the Himalayas and a possibly climactic attack on the last and most powerful Concentrator, she'll plainly be facing a new cascade of deadly dangers and soul-wrenching choices. A baroque premise fuels a reasonably adventuresome middle volume. (Science fiction/fantasy hybrid. 11-13)

Kirkus Reviews