Middle Grades Pick: The Isle of the Lost

The Isle of the Lost
(A Descendants Novel)
by Melissa De La Cruz
Disney Hyperion
311 pages
2015
ISBN: 30710461306381

Descendants



Famous evil villains from storyland are banished to the Isle of the Lost where their magic no longer works--Jafar, the Evil Queen from Snow White, Maleficent and Cruella de Vil are trapped and have lost their magic.  Maleficent "rules" over this  "kingdom." The banished on  the Isle of the Lost get the old and broken down goods, the no longer wanted trash from Auradon. On the Isle, apples and other fruit are mushy and wormy, their bread  is moldy and their food rotting, their magical brooms no longer fly but are still good just for sweeping. The Evil Queen can no longer practice  evilness, her magical mirror does not work, and even Jay, a prince and son of Jafar, has to resort to petty thievery--stealing a bad apple or a piece of bread--just to keep things fun.

Four kids of the evil banished are growing up trapped and lost. They long for a chance to escape and go to Auradon. Carlos, son of Cruella de Ville, is trying to invent a way to break the dome and escape. Evie and Mal have an ongoing "hatred" for each other stemming back to a feud between their mothers--the Evil Queen vs. Maleficent. Only the Dragon's Eye (Maleficent's magic scepter)  can break the curse and release the isle, but the kids have no clues who or where to find it.

The Isle of the Lost  is filled with snarky remarks and snide banter. De La Cruz is at her best when writing dialog. Readers will  realize that the four main characters are friends although they would never admit it--they are supposed to be evil, remember? Sidekicks make an appearance: there are drawfs, mice, Dalmatians, and fairies.

Short chapters make this an easy read for reluctant readers. The book allows for the four main characters to be fleshed out and explains their back story: Why are they on the Isle of the Lost? How can they get out? Why them? Who chose them? How can they escape?

As the series goes forward I would hope that the adventure becomes bigger and more thrilling. Overall this is a good pick for children grade 4-up. Any Disney fan will love this book.  Descendants is now a Disney movie and television show. Visit Descendants for more!

Recommended grade 4-up and all fans of Disney.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

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