Series: Isle of Ever series
Published: 2025
Author: Jen Calonita
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy / Mystery / Adventure
Audience: Grades 4–8
Number of Stars: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Goodreads Link: Isle of Ever
Content Warnings: Loss of loved ones, sickness, minor language.
Publisher’s Summary
Bestselling and beloved author Jen Calonita delivers the first in a brand new series featuring a girl who will inherit a mysterious fortune if she can break a centuries-old curse!
Days after her twelfth birthday, Everly “Benny” Benedict learns she’s the heir to a fortune! But to collect the inheritance, she first has to play—and win—a game. Following clues that her ancestor left, Benny must locate a small island that vanished long ago, according to legend.
She has only two weeks to play the game and find the island. If she’s successful, she’ll break a two-hundred-year-old curse. If she fails, the fortune will be forfeited. And if she’s not careful, she’ll cross paths with someone else who is after the island’s secrets, and who will stop at nothing to get them. Because, as it turns out, there’s far more than a fortune at stake.
Review
Isle of Ever by Jen Calonita is an exciting, adventurous middle-grade novel that follows two independent, intelligent girls across dual timelines. One storyline takes place 200 years in the past and follows Evelyn “Sparrow” Terry, while the present-day narrative centers on Everly “Benny” Benedict, a 12-year-old from a financially struggling family that moves often.
Sparrow’s story begins when she and her friends discover a mysterious island filled with hidden treasure and a cursed pirate. During a time of deadly sickness, Sparrow makes a desperate attempt to save her dying friends, a decision that ultimately traps them on the island, never to age. In the present, Benny is given a chance to inherit Sparrow’s estate and fortune—but only if she can solve a complex game filled with clues in an unfamiliar town within two weeks. Along the way, both girls rely on trusted friends to navigate challenges and uncover the truth.
I really enjoyed this book. It strikes a great balance of mystery, adventure, and suspense for upper elementary and middle-grade readers. The dual timelines provide insight into both life 200 years ago and the challenges young people face today. Key themes include friendship, teamwork, and personal growth, as both main characters are forced to make difficult decisions that affect others. I especially appreciated the problem-solving elements as Benny and her friends worked through the clues. I would recommend this book to middle-grade readers who enjoy fantasy, puzzles, and fast-paced adventures.
🎒 Classroom & Curricular Connections
- ELA (Puzzle/Mystery Elements): Benny’s journey is built on logic and clue-finding.
- Activity Idea: Create a “Classroom Mystery Hunt.” Hide clues around the room that lead to a “treasure,” mirroring Benny’s game to find the island. Discuss: What makes a mystery clue “fair”?
- Social Studies (Historical Context): Sparrow’s story is set during a time of sickness (whooping cough).
- Activity Idea: Compare public health and daily life in the early 1800s versus the present. How did the lack of modern medicine change the choices families had to make?
- SEL (Decision Making): Both Sparrow and Benny face choices that impact their friends.
- Activity Idea: Discuss “The Weight of a Decision.” Facilitate a roundtable on: When is it okay to keep a secret to protect someone you love? When is it better to tell the truth?
- Creative Writing (Perspective Switching): * Activity Idea: Ask students to write a short scene where Benny finds an artifact from Sparrow’s time. How would she describe it? How would Sparrow describe the same object?
