The Island at the End of Everything, Kiran Millwood Hargrave
The Island at the End of Everything, Kiran Millwood Hargrave
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The Island at the End of Everything

Author: Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Narrator: Eunice Wong

Unabridged: 5 hr 55 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/11/2022

Categories: Children's Fiction

Synopsis

A poignant story filled with heart-warming courage as a young girl takes on a harrowing journey to be reunited with her motherAmi lives on Culion, an island in the Philippines for people who have leprosy. Her mother is among the infected. Ami loves her home: with its blue seas and lush forests, Culion contains all she knows and loves. But the arrival of malicious government official Mr. Zamora changes her world forever. Islanders untouched by sickness are forced to leave for a neighboring island, where the children are placed in an orphanage. Banished across the sea, Ami is desperate to return to Culion before her mother’s death. She finds a strange and fragile hope in a colony of butterflies. Can they lead her home before it’s too late? Heartrending yet hopeful, celebrated newcomer Kiran Hargrave’s novel is a story about loss, perseverance, and faith.

About Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Kiran Millwood Hargrave is an acclaimed children’s author. Her debut book for children, The Girl of Ink & Stars, sold over 120,000 copies in the United Kingdom alone, winning the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize and British Children’s Book of the Year. Her second book, The Island at the End of Everything, received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, and VOYA. She holds degrees from both Oxford and Cambridge universities.

About Eunice Wong

Eunice Wong is a classically trained actor who works extensively in professional theaters across the United States and in New York City, as well as having appeared on HBO, NBC, ABC, Comedy Central, and in various independent films. Eunice is a graduate of the Juilliard School Drama Division Actor Training Program and has also studied piano and singing at the Royal Conservatory of Music of Toronto. A first-generation Chinese Canadian, born in Toronto to Eric and Eleanor Wong, who immigrated to Canada from Hong Kong, Eunice grew up with her brother Eugene in Toronto and thanks her family for their constant love and support.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Hannah on December 31, 2017

Twelve-year-old Amihan (Ami) Tala lives in a colony of lepers on an island in the Philippines. Ami’s Nanay (mother) is ‘Touched’ while Ami is not. When a malevolent government official arrives to separate the Touched from the Untouched, Ami is banished from the island. Desperate to be reunited with......more

Goodreads review by Dannii on April 25, 2017

Despite the young protagonist, and the similarly-aged audience it is aimed at, this book has a universal appeal due to the themes it focuses on. Written with an almost poetic penmanship, this features the recurring themes of love, loss and friendship. Both the themes and the storytelling unfolded be......more

Goodreads review by Peter on May 06, 2017

Truly a stunning book. Even better than The Girl of Ink and Stars. Kiran's writing is luminous and exquisite. The story is moving and heartfelt, and filled with delicious images and imaginative writing. It is probably my favourite children's book of the year so far. On every single page there was at......more

Goodreads review by Ben on April 15, 2017

Wow, a quite beautiful book. Written so poetically with recurring themes of love, loss and friendship stamped with a butterfly motif. This goes well beyond children's literature: I would / will urge everyone I know to read it. Stunning.......more

Quotes

“Eunice Wong’s melodic narration weaves a tapestry of images from this historical tale…Wong does justice to the author’s descriptions of the lush landscape of the Philippines.” AudioFile

“An incredible story of compassion, love, and daring…and her lyrical writing glides with the grace of a butterfly.” Booklist (starred review)

“Hargrave gives dignity to the colony’s legacy, showcasing the beauty of the island and the strength and love of the residents.” VOYA (starred review)

“Hargrave researched the history of the real island of Culion, and in it she captures the raw feelings of stigma, exile, and loss that came with Hansen’s disease at that time. A heartbreaking and heartwarming must-read.” Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Hargrave’s lush, lyrical prose brings the jungle island to life…A moving look at how prejudice blinds people to the humanity of others. Publishers Weekly

“Her first-person account of the inhuman and cruel treatment of those with leprosy is eye-opening…The novel is abundant with opportunities for classroom use…[and] will attract a wide range of readers.” School Library Journal

“So full of light…Brilliant.” Katherine Rundell, author of The Zebra’s Great Escape

Awards

  • Kirkus Reviews’ Best Books
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