WILD MAN ISLAND
				Hobbs, Will. 2002. WILD MAN ISLAND. New York: HarperCollinsPublishers.
					“I turned and walked away, and I held my breath. I didn’t look back until I was out of spear-chucking range. When I did, the wild man had vanished” (page 120).
	Leaving his sea kayak trip to visit the place of his dad’s death, Andy Galloway has difficulty getting back to the group. A sudden storm pushes Andy away from his destination and eventually capsizes his kayak. After finding himself freezing and barefoot on Admiralty Island, Andy now has to figure out a way to survive on the bear-filled island. Through a series of events involving spotting a man carrying a spear and seeing a dog running with a pack of wolves, Andy is led to the Wild Man’s lair, which sits at the mouth of a cave. Going inside the cave not only changes Andy’s survival on the island, but helps Andy discover the missing piece his dad, an archeologist, had been searching for before his death.      Admiralty Island, one of Alaska’s A-B-C Islands, is the primary setting for WILD MAN ISLAND. Included in the front of the book is a helpful map which provides insight in understanding and following where Andy began, where he ended, and his route in between. Vivid descriptions of the island allow readers to understand the trials faced by Andy. Seeing as how the majority of the story is on WILD MAN ISLAND, characters are limited to Andy and the Wild Man, whose name we later learn is David. The Wild Man remains a mystery until the end of the story, while Andy’s character is well-developed. Telling the story in first person, Andy allows readers to not only understand his character but also his need to find the place where his dad died and his ability to survive on the island.      Following the adventurous theme, the plot moves quickly in WILD MAN ISLAND. The whole story takes place in a matter of days, and each moment is packed with action. The only time the pace slows a bit is when Andy is thinking about or discussing the archeological impact of the cave and island. Aside from that, everything moves quickly including the finale. The story wraps up a little too perfectly, with everything ending happy-ever-after.      “Neatly tying together strands of the plot involving his archaeologist father's theories about the early exploration and settlement of North America with episodes that involve caving, wildlife, and a huge Newfoundland dog, Hobbs resolves the story's complexities in ways that protect the characters' integrity and, to a large extent, readers' need for credibility” (School Library Journal review). Included at the end of the story is an author’s note which explains how the story was created and suggested further reading. Shoemaker, Joel. 2002. School Library Journal. Cahners Business Information, Inc. Available at http://www.amazon.com                                                  YA Literature Home Page