[.ca] Dr.Franklin's Island (ISBN 1858813964)

From Amazon.com:
"When something terrifically terrible happens to you, I think your brain doesn't get it, for quite a while. You go on trying to see the world the way it was, even when common sense should tell you that everything has changed forever." Semirah Garson is certain that nothing could ever be more horrific than what she has just lived through: a plane crash in the middle of the ocean followed by the shocking discovery that she and the other survivors are stranded on an apparently deserted island with no Target or Taco Bell in sight. But she's wrong. Because no matter how hard it is for Semi, Arnie, and Miranda to bear the sun, snakes, and fading hope of rescue, it's nothing compared to what Dr. Franklin has in store for them. It's his private island they've had the misfortune to land on. And it's his private hell they'll have to endure. Dr. Franklin is too old to test his theories of animal gene therapy on himself. He needs resilient teenage bodies that have already proven they can handle great trauma. Semi's always wondered what it might be like to breathe underwater. She just never imagined she'd know firsthand.... Veteran science fiction author Ann Halam has taken the framework of H.G. Wells's classic evolution parable The Island of Dr. Moreau and crafted an exquisitely wrought 21st-century update that plays on all our modern fears of test-tube clones and misguided medical ethics. Haunting, bold, and heartily recommended. (Ages 13 and older) --Jennifer Hubert

What can I say?:
This book was the first decent book I have read in a long while. The voice is refreshing and perfected. The characters dealed out by a Vegas champ. The most disturbing part of this novel is that it frustrates the reader who is trying to know and help the characters--even as the characters are losing themselves. It also exposes deep questions like: How strong are we alone? and What is it like to be next in line? I would not hesitate to recommend this book to man or beast.

This is a great book. Just read it.:
Written By: Ann Halam Cover Art By: Danilo Ducak Published: 2002 Published By: Random House Pages: 246 Extras: None Summary: The palm-fringed beaches on a tiny tropical island hide a terrible secret. Beyond the azure waters and white sand is Dr. Franklin's "hospital." Miranda, Semi, and Arnie, survivors of a plane crash are about to become the doctor's next victims. He's been waiting for them. They're perfect subjects for his experiments in genetic engineering. Cover Art Review: It's pretty but boring. It does have something to do with the book, but you have to read the book. Overall: 6 (1-10) Pretty, but boring. Book Review: If you're a girl, don't run from this book. Its not a guy's book. And guys, its not a girl's book. This a great book. I finished it in one day. Not because its short. Its just so good. It moved slowly. Your half-way into the book before the main plot starts. At the same time, it moved fast and slow. Slow doesn't mean boring though. Halam takes her time. She makes you like these chacters. In a way, it was like I was on the island with them. So when what happens, finally happens, you feel the same pain they feel. You know their joy, their fear, their pain. You're heart soars every time they break out, then breaks when they are recaptured. Everything they go through, you go through. Everything. Rarely, if ever, do I feel this feeling in a YA book. There is no happy ending, but there is an ending and one you'll be happy with. Really, it's the only way it could end/ Overall: 10 (1-10) This is a great book. Just read it. Reviewer's Note: This book does have a plane exploding, and details about a few of the bodies that show up. There's nothing too graphic, just disturbing.

Awesome Book!!!:
Wonderful writing, and an amazing story -- this book will carry you away to another world. Once you start it, it won't let go-- truly a "can't put it down" book.