Tree Castle Island

by Jean Craighead George

Book Overview

After building his own canoe, 14-year-old Jack Hawkins goes to try it out in his beloved Okefenokee Swamp, where an accident tests his survival skills and leads him to a shocking discovery This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0439523389
• ISBN13: 9780439523387
• Release Date: January 2003
• Publisher: Scholastic Inc
• Length: 242 Pages
• Weight: 0.42 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Tree Castle Island By: D22

If you like books about survival then Tree Castle Island by Jean Craighead George if for you. This book is about a boy named Jake that goes into the Ofenkenofee Swamp. The swamp is very vast with many trees, blowup islands, and much wildlife. He goes there to explore, but when a mammoth alligator bites his canoe he gets trapped on an island. On that island he faces many mysteries like an abandoned raft that has fresh fish on it, a dead bear, and porcelain that looks like it has been left behind while Jack tries to survive at the same time. The only tools he has is a machete and a small knife. Will he be able to get off the island? Read the book to find out. This is a great book for people between the ages of 9 and 12. It has great illustrations and a few mysteries. One of the top reasons why I like this book is because there are so many surprises on every page! There is a big secret in the ending that you will never know unless you read the book! I highly recommend Tree Castle Island.

An amazing book

Tree Castle Island was an amazing book! Being a ten year old high school reader has let me read tons of books. A wounderful book about an adventure, nature, and a mystery that will make every child think about their past. The only thing better than this book will have to be a sequel.

Tree Castle Island

Tree Castle Island is a book about a boy whose parents leave him at his Uncle Hamp's house for a couple of weeks. He built a canoe and went on journey to find a Sun Daughter. He came to an Island and heard strange sounds at night. Soon he found a boy exactly like him who was making the sounds. He didn't know if he was dreaming or not. Everything about the boy was exactly the same thing about himself. This would be a great book for someone who likes adventure and mystery.

The Best Jean Craighead George Money Can Buy...

My brother and I read this book a little while ago and loved it. Unlike My Side of the Mountain, Jack makes mistakes and does things that everybody can do and does. I liked his relationship with animals how he had great knowledge of the swamp.

A survival story in the tradition of MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN

I had been waiting a long time for the release of the newest novel by Jean Craighead George for several reasons. One, I have been an avid reader of her books for a long time, two, it had been 3 years since she had published a novel, and three, the new book took place in my homeland of Georgia; to be more exact, the setting is the spectacular Okefenokee Swamp just north of the Georgia-Florida border. I was not disappointed. TREE CASTLE ISLAND is very special. It is an intriguing book that has similarities to some classic adventure stories, while other aspects of it are fresher and broader. In it, we meet a 14-year-old boy, Jack, who loves the outdoors, even though he lives in the big, busy city of Atlanta. It is a treat for Jack to be able to visit his Uncle Hamp while his parents are in Europe. Hamp, too, likes nature and allows Jack to be indepedent. Soon Jack has fashioned a handsome homemade canoe he calls "L'tle Possum", and he sets out to do some exploring in the great habitat surrounding Uncle Hamp's home. In a short time Jack (and the reader, too) has become enchanted with the vast Okefenokee. When an accident damages "L'tle Possum", Jack must learn to fend for himself on an island. Like Sam Gribley from the beloved MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN trilogy, Jack is a strong, industrious teenager. While most kids might give up hope in such a predicament, Jack quickly takes control, turning the island into a liveable home. While on the island, he makes some new animal friends--including a dog named Dizzy who looks strangely familiar--and discovers some bizarre mysteries. There are clues that there is other life hanging around the island besides Jack; it's evident in the strange cries that echo throughout the swamp, the debris scattered around camp, and the odd behavior of Dizzy. Then, one day, Jack meets a kid just like him; looks just like him, acts just like him, and thinks just like him, even has a name (Jake) like his! Slowly the boys come to realize that they must be long-lost twins. Frustrated with his parents for never telling him he was adopted, or that he had an identical brother, Jack decides to remain on the island with Jake. The boys turn their camp into a paradise that any nature lover would envy, complete with a house in the trees, wild animals for companions, and catfish and plants for food. The sights, sounds, and life of the swamp are wonderfully weaved into the plot, and even with such a unique situation, the realistic side of the story is never lost. The book is moderately paced, rising to a gripping climax toward the end. It makes a great read for people who are passionate about the swamplands or who, like me, would enjoy learning more about it. I have lived in Georgia ten years and with TREE CASTLE ISLAND I still learned a great deal about the nearby Okefenokee and the people, wildlife, and legends of this state. That's one of the great things about the books of Jean Craighead George--you learn something, o