Book Reviews and More: Shipwreck - Gordon Korman

Friday, 27 June 2025

Shipwreck - Gordon Korman - Island Series Book 1

Shipwreck

Island Series Book 1

Gordon Korman

Scholastic Canada

ISBN 9781546131809

eISBN 9780545630740

ASIN B00CFTA1RQ

Shipwreck - Gordon Korman - Island Series Book 1 Rebranded

This book was originally published in 2001 and went through a rebranding in 2025, I really love the rebranded covers, but the eBook editions still have the old covers. According to Goodreads there are 37 editions of the first volume in this series, including editions in English, French, Japanese, Spanish and Turkish. My introduction to Korman’s works was the 39 Clues back in 2009. Since then I have read 63 of his books including this volume. I am over half way thorough his canon, and have completed all the stand alone books and am now just working my way through the remaining series. Not counting omnibus editions I believe that as of the summer of 2025 Korman has published 109 books. With each that I read I am entertained and often challenged, and I am always entertained. I do plan on trying to read them all. My son, who is 17 often, reads these books to me or with me, and he still loves them.

A description of this volume states:

“An action-packed survival suspense from bestselling and award-winning author Gordon Korman.

Six kids. One shipwreck. One desert island. They didn't want to be on the boat in the first place. They were sent there as punishment, or as a character-building experience. Now the adults are gone, and the quest for survival has begun.”

Each chapter title is a date and time in military time with no year. For example: Sunday, July 9, 2140 hours. This is a first story in a trilogy. It sets of our main characters: Luke, J.J. Will, Lyssa, Charla, and Ian and for the most part their backstory on why they had been sent away for the summer to be at sea, and not with their family or friends. From the beginning there is some conflict with the youths, and none of them like the first mate. The captain seems to have a good heart. Each of the youths appears to be in some way running from something, even from themselves.

It is a story in the adventure survival genre, and it is one that is well written. Much like the book Holes by Louis Sachar, some of the kids deserve to be there, some do not, and some we wonder about their back story. When things go sideways it happens quick, and heads downhill fast. The event from the tilt e of the book, happens about two-thirds of the way through, And the rest of this first story is the youths trying to survive.

This series is published as three short works, it is also published in an omnibus edition with all three stories in 1 volume. But what I like about the shorter versions, is they are great for the classroom, or reluctant readers. This volume is short, grabs your attention, draws you in, after the accident it is survival adventure that leads directly into the next volume.

This story is another great read from Korman’s pen.

I still have about 40 books from series left to read to have completed the canon of Korman’s works. I am grateful I finally gave this a read it is an excellent start to a series!