Searching for Sky by Jillian Cantor (3-Jul-2014) Paperback

by Jillian Cantor

Sky and River have always lived on Island, the only world they've ever known. Until the day River spots a boat. Across Ocean, in a place called California, Sky is separated from River and forced to live with a grandmother she's just met. Here the rules for survival are different. People rely on strange things like cars and cell phones. They keep secrets from one another. And without River, nothing makes sense. Sky yearns for her old life where she was strong and capable, not lost and confused. She must find River so they can return to Island, but the truth behind how they ended up there in the first place will come as the biggest shock of all.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Science Fiction, Dystopia

Paperback

First published May 13, 2014

About the author

Jillian Cantor is the USA Today and internationally bestselling author of fifteen novels for teens and adults, which have been chosen for LibraryReads, Indie Next, Amazon Best of the Month, and have been translated into 15 languages. Born and raised in a suburb of Philadelphia, Cantor currently lives in Arizona with her husband and two sons.

Reviews

[Dear Faye · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book broke my heart to a million pieces.

There are books that touch you, and there are books that shake your core, move you to tears, and leave you philosophizing about the meaning of life. Searching for Sky is one of the latter. To be honest, I did not expect much from this novel at the beginning, thinking it was another Contemporary with the same generic characters and generic plotline, but I was naive as by the time I turned the last page, I was a sobbing, ugly wreck with my face covered with tears and snot.

Obviously, I woke up with swollen eyes because I cried myself to sleep.

AND THAT HASN'T HAPPENED TO ME FOR A LONG TIME.

Searching for Sky was a refreshing read, an experience that I will likely not forget for years to come. 14 years ago, Sky, together with her mother and a man named Helmut and his son, River, found themselves trapped in an isolated island following an accident. They have learned to live and survive with with they had. When her mother and Helmut were found dead one morning, they even had to rely on themselves even more, making do with the little traps and fish they make. Then one day, they see a boat. River wants to go back, back to a place they never knew, a place Sky doesn't want to go. However, she eventually agrees, and this jumpstarts a journey they were completely unprepared for.

Let me start this by saying this was a beautiful read for me. Even though the prose was initially quite simple, as Sky didn't have much vocabulary due to their being isolated from civilization,it was deep and delivered insights and thoughts in a profound manner. I really got to know Sky as a person - all her fears and doubts and frustrations - and absorbed these emotions as if they were mine as well. I may have gotten a migraine from the narration at first, but later on this didn't frustrate me as much as I was so involved in her plight. She was so confused and lost in this new world, that all she wanted to have was to have her home back, to be with River again, to be in the world she knew.

And I understood. I understood so much. And every time I think of the helplessness they both felt, brought on by the new environment and the revelations they discovered about their parents and how they came to the island, I can't help but be broken a little more deep inside. My heart shattered for these two lost and confused souls. Around them people were worrying about this and that; were making a big deal of things like money, of a past they don't remember, of individuals they never met, when they all wanted was to go back to their own paradise, back to their own island where they were strong and capable and not vulnerable to external forces they didn't understand.

They had a hard time, and I had a hard time with them, too. It was so frustrating for me to read how people like Sky's grandmother expected her to understand so many things all at once when they didn't even try to understand her and River. I found myself getting even more and more involved with the characters, to the point when Sky cried, I cried with her; when River felt helpless and alone, I felt that loneliness, too; and when they expressed to each other how they wish they can go back and turn back time, I felt that same defeat.

I really don't know how to describe any more of the experience I had when I plowed through this book. It was a sad read, but it was beautiful in its sadness and pain. It made me think about a lot of things, especially with regards to what is really important in our short life. Is it money? Is it the food we put in our plate and eat everyday? Is it the soft beds we sleep in? Or is it the people, the memories? Is it the comfort we find in the arms of people we love? Is it the security we feel when we are close to them? It's amazing what two people who society may deem as "uneducated" and "unknowing" due to their lack of street knowledge can teach to someone like me, to us. Perhaps ignorance to these material things is bliss after all?

I'd liken this book to something like Leah Raeder's Unteachable , where the melancholy in the narrator words makes the story all the more bewitching . All in all, the author has woven a tale that's largely sad and painful, but it's these factors that make it fascinating and beautiful as well.

Recommendation: Read with a box of tissues ready. Don't end up like me - swollen eyes and all!

[Lisbeth Avery {Domus Libri} · Rating 1 out of 5]

Searching for Sky is an incredibly unrealistic portrayal of a girl lived away from all civilization and brought back into the US. I'm not exactly an 'expert' in psychology or anything like that but even I could tell exactly how stupid Cantor's take on this 'reverse dystopia'.

I feel like all Sky's psychologists and doctors failed to do their job. This is a girl who was raised on an island almost all her life. She had no idea what a toilet was or even a door. There were no buildings on her island. Her psychologists didn't do a single thing to help her adjust to her new world. They didn't even tell her what a door was for gods sake. She spent quite a few pages calling it a 'coming in place' instead of a door.

If you take a look at When We Wake, Tegan's rehabilitation and introduction to the new futuristic society is slow and gradual but comprehensive. The doctors basically told her that "Here you go we've got different things here off the island. Here's a toilet. Figure out how to use it. Have fun, lmao."

That's not how anyone would do it and it completely ruined any immersion for me. I just felt like I was yanked out of the story every time Sky doesn't understand a concept. Do you really think no one would explain to her the concept of using money in exchange for goods, or even just bartering?? No one would just expect Sky to handle everything on her own!

Sky's characterization was incredibly weak. Her entire character was based off of the fact that she is from an island and knows nothing. Basically every page somehow talks about how 'Ohh! Poor Sky! She doesn't know anything!" I understand how hard it is to go from one environment to a radically different environment, and especially without any real help but having that as her only character trait isn't going to make me feel anything for Sky, regardless of her situation.

Her romantic relationship with her, for all practical purposes, step-brother was mildly disturbing and not romantic at all. I definitely viewed their relationship as more fraternal rather than romantic. Their parents were an item and it seemed like they were raised more as siblings than friends so when their relationship turned romantic I checked out.

Overall, the book wasn't impressive and I regret the time I spent on it. I definitely don't recommend it - nor am I planning on reading any other books by the author.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Review copy provided by Netgalley, in exchange for a honest review.*



I really expected something BIG from Searching For Sky. A reverse dystopia is really hard to find and read about these days and they usually end up really pleasing. I wish something BIGGER would've occurred in Searching For Sky, and I overall wouldn't recommend it.

So here we are with Sky and River, who have been best friends since birth. They have lived on Island, an small island in the Pacific Ocean, which is the only place they've ever known, and have been fighting for survival since the outrageous accident 14 years ago. One day, River spots a boat which brings them back to California, the place where they both where born and the place they both left. Sky is forced to live with her grandmother and realizes that things are different in the real world. She doesn't know why they went to the Island, but all she wants is for her and River to go back and spend the rest of their lives there.



This started off as a sweet dystopian novel that will definitely get somewhere. As we got closer and closer to the stage where Sky began to learn about the real world, I was out. Was the author trying to create a protagonist with potential of becoming likeable and a true hero, or a protagonist acting like a bitchy two year old, whining and not knowing anything? Because I really feel like the second thing was really coming out of Sky, and that just made me want to quit.

I didn't quit reading this book. The author created a really interesting storyline/problem/situation, and I really wanted to find out what would happen in the end. How can I leave this book with this huge massive problem stuck in my head? Of course I wouldn't leave it like that.

The truth really wasn't that surprising, something more suspenseful in this situation would've been better.

Like I mentioned above, I hated Sky. I hate her so, so much. She is probably one of the WORST protagonists I've ever read about.



Don't get me started with her again because I just can't talk about her anymore.

I felt so bad for River, the male protagonist. The poor guy had to deal with that stupid beotch and risked his life for her for dumb reasons. He deserved someone better, someone who would've given him a better life after surviving in an island for 14 straight years.

I really wouldn't recommend this novel that much. If you're looking for a good plot, then this is a good book for you. because the plot was good. But the characters and ending were absolutely hideous, and that means a lot in the book reviewing process. :(

"I promise."

[Evie · Rating 5 out of 5]

So.Many.Feels.
This book deserves more than 5 stars. It deserved to be read, re-read, and then recommended to all your friends and family members. It deserves to be cherished.

The story is brilliant, powerful, unique and completely heart breaking. The characters are so real and convincing, you'll be bawling your eyes out. Most of all, this is an important book that carries many messages that will stay with you.

I'll be writing a full-length review soon, but for now - go buy it and read it ASAP. You seriously won't regret.

[Jeann (Happy Indulgence) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review appears on Happy Indulgence. Check it out for more reviews!

Searching for Sky contains an intriguing ‘reverse dystopia’ concept, where a girl who has lived on an island her whole life is rescued and returned to civilization, and everything is new to her. While it was explored with beautiful writing and creativity, what I didn’t expect was how much it was going to punch me in the gut with feels.

Searching for Sky is undoubtedly the saddest book I’ve ever read. The psychological damage and trauma both Sky and River experienced upon removal from their home on the island was explored fully. This shit is intense and no glossed over Jungle Book, and I had to put the book down at several points during the story because it was just so sad. It reminded me of taking animals out of their natural habitat and putting them in a cage or a zoo, which struck home just how difficult it would be.

When Sky and River are ‘saved’ and returned to civilization, the stark contrast between our modern world and the island was done extremely well. Sky doesn’t know anything aside from what’s on the island, so she refers to everything as wood, leaves, rabbit pelts or coconuts. She has no idea what everything else is and refers to the toilet as the Bathroom Tree and bandages as leaves. Getting off the island is only the beginning, as she needs to be taught the very basics of living in our modern world, such as using the toilet, washing her hands, and using utensils to eat. She could not read or understand the words people were saying, and it was like a child waking up as a teenager, and is assigned a therapist and a teacher who frustratingly don’t understand her circumstances at all. I mean, how do they expect her to read when she doesn’t even know what half the objects are around the house?!

And that’s only the beginning, because the whole back story as to why she was raised on an island with River and why her mum and his dad were together is completely gut wrenching, disturbing and tragic. While watching Sky adapting to the world with her grandmother and her new friend Ben was difficult enough, then we will see the disturbing fate of River as a son of a criminal and it is oh so terrible.

The beauty in Searching for Sky is that it explores some of our follies of human nature in depth. How people are judged by association. How they may only sympathise with your circumstances, but not really seek to understand them fully. How people’s fates may be entirely out of their control and be subject to the cruel ways of life. It is a thought provoking book that I would recommend to everyone, in the way that it makes us think.

Searching for Sky is one of the most unique books that I’ve read, but also one of the saddest. The exploration of an island girl and boy returning to civilization was done fantastically and realistically. The things that will happen in Searching for Sky are confronting, heavy and will completely rip your heart out, and will affect you in a profound way.

Thank you to Bloomsbury Australia for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Gretchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is there going to be a sequel? Please please please tell me yes!!
I loved this book. I had no problems with this book, actually! None! This book was very well written and I couldn't put it down!!! Even though this book shattered my heart into a bajilion pieces and then taped them together only to throw it on the floor and stomp on it until it was dust, I would re read and recommend this book in a freaking heartbeat! Team River all the way! Me right now:



Before you go judging this book, you might want to think about how hard it would be to write from the perspective of a person who knows nothing but hunting and gathering.
If you are on the edge about reading this book, read it. I guarantee that you wont be disappointed. 100%. Made my top 3. Wow. I found nothing wrong with this book. Like at all. Except the fact thAT RIVER DIES!!!! And the ending with their symbol in the sand! I am slowly dying on the inside. READ THE BOOK!

[Kelly (Diva Booknerd) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3½ Stars
http://www.divabooknerd.com/2014/07/s...
I was excited to start Searching for Sky, having seen so many positive and emotional reviews, but I'm not quite sure it lived up to the hype for me. It was certainly emotional and heart wrenching in places, but I felt a strange disconnection to the characters. Sky and River are friends who are on the cusp of falling into a relationship, even though they were raised almost as siblings. Where Sky is the dependable one, the provider, his father Helmut had always described River as a dreamer. The storyline begins with both parents gone and life on the island continues. The two teens live in a comfortable routine, still following Helmut's rules to keep them safe. But River begins to remember his previous life, memories that his father had always dismissed. So when he sees a boat off the coast, he starts a fire on the beach and alerts those on board to their whereabouts. He wants to leave, and is willing to leave Sky behind. She wants to stay, but gives in as to not remain behind alone. And their new lives begin.

Their naive innocence to everyday life we take for granted is quite bizarre. From the boat that escorts them from the island, to the hospital they are taken to, to using the toilet which they continue to call Toilet Tree. I found it fascinating, like toddlers exploring their new world. But just when the reader begins to invest in the characters, it felt as though River was torn away, and in his place was Ben, the young man that lives next door to Sky's grandmother. I would have liked to have seen River's point of view in his absence, as the reader is left guessing to where he is. Ben is a lovely character, he's introduced into Sky's life to help her find a sense of normalcy. He's quickly smitten with her, and we see glimpses of his interest through the sketches he does of the Island Girl. He seems to be a character that is always waiting in the wings whenever the storyline needs him, and at Sky's grandmothers whim while Sky refuses to adjust to life away from the only home she's ever known, she's desperate to return to the Island and River is never far from her thoughts.

When she finally does find River again, his new life is heartbreaking and I couldn't help but feel sadness towards what he has endured and continues to do so. His life isn't the safe and secure existence that Sky has been brought home to, and he has no one for support or to confide in. The reasoning behind their Island life isn't what I had expected, and sadly River bares the brunt of the media witch hunt. It wasn't until then that I felt an attachment to River, and would have felt a greater connection to the story if his journey in California had been shared with the reader.

Sky's journey wasn't as engaging as I would have thought, she wasn't taught the simple aspects of everyday living, but seemingly picked it up on her own. Considering her grandmother has hired a team of professionals to ease her back into living, we really only get a sense of one psychologist who is determined to force Sky into a false confession but admitting she'd been abused on the Island, which never actually happened. I really enjoyed it up until they both returned to California, then seemed to lose that enchantment which felt as though it left when River briefly exited the storyline. I liked it and wanted to love it, but Sky's character just made it too difficult to connect. The majority of young adult contemporary readers will adore Searching For Sky, no doubt. Just make sure you have your tissues handy.

[Libby May · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just got done reading two or three suspense murder novels. And then I read this childrens fiction and cry real tears.
Well done. I love it so much. It's like a better/different version of Music of the Dolphins.

[Law · Rating 3 out of 5]

Representation: Implied biracial (half Pacific Islander and half white) character
Trigger warnings: Hospitalisation of a child and death and murder of a partner from a gun shot and other people in the past mentioned, gun violence, blood, grief and loss depiction, physical assault and injury, near-death experience
Score: Six out of ten.
I own this book. Find this review on The StoryGraph.

Well that was a bizarre book. I got Searching for Sky by Jillian Cantor from a library giveaway, and I glanced at the blurb, which made it seem intriguing, but I headed in with low expectations considering the equally low ratings. When I closed the final page, it was only okay, and could've been better.

It starts with River (who has no last name) and Sky, living on a place called Island some distance away from American Samoa in the Pacific Ocean (which they call Ocean) in the opening pages. Everything looks typical until they end up in California, which is new to them. I liked the concept of people arriving at a new place, but the execution had so many flaws I didn't know where to begin. The pacing was slow for a story under 300 pages, which made me disconnect from it at times, and Cantor didn't write the characters well, so I didn't feel any chemistry between Sky and River. Sky only had two attributes: she wasn't afraid to hunt and new to California and River's only trait is the unwillingness to hunt.

The writing style was strange, substituting some words like bathroom tree instead of toilet, which disengaged me from Searching for Sky. Perhaps avoiding word replacement would've improved the reading experience. The flashback of the time Sky found it easy to swim but River didn't was filler and the narrative could do without it, and so was the mystery behind the deaths of some characters in the past. The worldbuilding was lacklustre since it mentioned 'the accident' without going into detail. Putting more detail and answering worldbuilding questions would've made Searching for Sky more enjoyable. The conclusion was unrealistic as some people suddenly appeared and killed River, finishing the fictional work on a low note.

[StarMan]

[Adult reader, juvenile fiction.]

VERDICT: Passing grade (for young readers only), but no actual stars assigned. Kid-me would probably have given it a B grade.

As an adult reader, I found much of what happens after the kids leave the island to be ridiculously unrealistic or absurd (as in: that's not how actual humans would behave/respond/counsel/teach or otherwise respond in such situations--much less trained professionals or the authorities.). See some 1 to 2 star reviews from other GR readers for details.

But as a pure juvenile fictional adventure with some serious aspects, I suppose it suffices. Sky is not an unsympathetic character, and her story is memorable--even if I found any suspension of disbelief impossible here.

BONUS POINTS: It's one of those less-common juvenile endings, where not everything is sunshine & kittens.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

---

Sky and River grows up on an island with no recollection of how they arrived there. They were told they arrived on a boat, but Sky’s mum and River’s dad, Helmut, refuses to go into detail about their lives off island. All Sky knows is that they came from a place called California, and that the people there are evil and skeletons. Sky doesn’t understand what that means, but she knows she doesn’t ever want to return to California, not even when her mum and Helmut dies.

Sky is the rational one, and River is the dreamer. River remembers snippets of his old life because he’s older and he remembers there’s a mother back in California that loves him. River wants to get off island, and one day he spots a boat in the distance that ends up rescuing them.

Searching for Sky is considered a reverse dystopian, in the sense that instead of living in a ruined society, River and Sky returns to reality and has to assimilate into a life they’d long forgotten about. This novel is about survival, family, love and the impact people’s actions can have on others. It is a beautifully written book that I highly recommend to everyone.

Back in California, Sky and River is separated as Sky’s grandmother takes her away to live with her. She’s presented with a group of experts that’s there to ‘cure’ her, and attempt to teach her how to be ‘normal’. It was emotionally draining for me to read about everyone trying to force Sky into being someone she’s not, and she expressed it perfectly with her anger towards everyone referring to her as ‘Megan’, the girl that she once was. I was frustrated along with Sky as everyone around her kept secrets about her past, believing she was too weak to handle the truth. And worst of all, River was removed from her life with barely a goodbye. Having spent her entire life with River, I could almost feel her pain as she had to endure this new and daunting world without the one person she thought would always be by her side.

I really enjoyed the character development in Sky. She had to learn to assimilate herself into a world much more complicated than her life on island, and she begins to understand that there truly is evil in this new place. She does slowly manage to adapt, but at the back of her mind, she continues to long for her island home and devises ways to go back there once she finds River again.

It’s not really a surprise that Sky and River does manage to find each other. What I don’t understand…is how. In a sad yet stalkerish way, River manages to figure out where Sky is staying with her grandmother and keeps an eye on her by living close by. In a cave. Near the beach. He explains that because he’s 18, the authorities let him go off by himself because he has not immediate family, and his aunt refuses to take him in. Um, wtf?! As a citizen of the US, who grew up on an island, I found it highly unbelievable that they would release him into such a different environment without even teaching him the basics of survival within a city. They literally just let him go like a bird, and said flyyyy my pretty. Not to mention how the heck did he manage to find Sky again in such a big city?!

It’s also not really surprising that Sky and River share a very strong bond with each other. Having known each other all their lives, they were definitely best friends. However, while I loved how close their bond was, I couldn’t help but find it weird that they grew to love each other romantically. Sky had explained that Helmut was basically her dad, while her own mother acted as River’s own mother on the island. They were brought up as siblings…so yes, it did creep me out a little that although they weren’t related, they ended up romantically involved. Psychologically speaking, even though you’re not related, having grown up with someone like a sibling means that romantic tendencies should not even arise once they’re older. I don’t know…did anyone else feel this was weird?

But regardless of those negative points, the story of Sky and River was very captivating. I’ve never read a ‘reverse dystopian’ before, so it was interesting to see how people that grew up with so much freedom adapted to a world where we’re all chained down by money and technology. The contrast between Sky’s adaptation and River, who was offered no education, was heartbreaking. Similar to Sky, we begin to feel sorry for how lost River becomes and how mistreated he is for his past.

The ending honestly broke me to pieces. I cannot even explain how many tissues I used as I sobbed my way through the last few chapters. Jillian Cantor really does a beautiful job describing the feeling of loss and heartache – my used tissues can be a testament to it.

Overall, Searching for Sky was a beautiful and eye-opening read. It is a multi-faceted story about family, loss, friendship and love. It is also about letting go of the past, and moving forward. This is a worthwhile read for all contemporary lovers, and for people that want to check out a ‘reverse dystopian’. Highly recommend you to keep a box of tissues nearby if you’re a crier like me!

Thank you to Bloomsbury Australia for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Eugenia (Genie In A Book) · Rating 5 out of 5]

*This review also appears on the blog Chasm of Books*

I haven't read a book so unique in its concept and delivery, or utterly picturesque in its entirety like Searching for Sky in a long while. Jillian Cantor's nuanced story of two characters on the Island and their prospective journeys once they are forced to face the outside world in all its hostility and abstruseness is completely captivating, and pulls you in like the waves of the ocean she so skilfully describes. Sky and River's bond is tested in unfamiliar world, where harrowing events from their pasts come to the surface and eventually begin to change everything which they had ever known. It is a book which is so difficult to place into one singular category or genre, because its voice is such a different one which stands out and makes it a piece that stays with you after the last page.

Sky, her mother, River and Helmut all knew Island as their home for so long, and life was simple. Fire Pit, Shelter, Falls...it was enough to live with and it was safe. However, once River spots a boat that comes to rescue them from their current existence, life takes on a whole new position. Back in California, Sky has no idea of what the contrived modern world is all about. Left to search for River to try and convince him to take them back to Island, she learns some disturbing pieces of information along the way which have the potential to shatter her illusions of her perceived paradise. Full of mystery and exploration of intense relationships, Sky's journey of self discovery and awareness of the world around her is fascinating.

That's all I want, just to hear the whisper of the ocean, to feel the water against my toes, dancing there, a memory of what once was. There is still so much I don't know, I don't understand. But what I do know is this: the ocean heals and it soothes. The water is home.

From learning about what life was at 'Island' and then moving across 'Ocean' to the present, I felt like I was experiencing exactly what the characters were. From the very beginning, this book strikes you as something completely unique. Through the flashbacks that we get to see later on, we begin to really understand the smaller intricacies of Sky and River's life and the consequences of the actions from their parents. I found this novel so hard to put down because I was constantly wondering what could unfold next and where these big revelations would come to light. At some points I was surprised by some of the twists and turns which appeared, and by the end, although there was definitely reason for sadness, everything felt complete. Everything in the writing was beautifully expressed, and through weaving in aspects of Sky's past at the island into her own thoughts and experiences at her grandmother's house I felt that I really got to know her as a character.

What was most interesting was seeing how Sky adjusted to this strange society of ours after living in the wilderness for so long. Seeing normal things like cars as she does (Car Caves), grills (Fire Pit) and others made her an interesting person to read about. She still has feelings like any other human being, but her confusion and unbridled innocence is clear. Everything from her complex relationship with her grandmother, to her irrevocable bond with River and budding friendship with neighbour Ben felt realistic and well developed. Learning about her past and some of the atrocities which had occurred at the hands of the people she thought she once knew makes the story suspenseful and intriguing. A vault of dark truths awaited her, and when the unthinkable happened, I felt the pain with her as she came to terms with reality.

CONCLUSION

Searching for Sky is beautifully written and encapsulated everything which I hoped it would be. Filled with some unexpected exposés and a quirky narrative voice, if you want something which will blow anything average out of the water, then this one is for you.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Huge thank you to the publisher for letting me read an advanced copy of this. I'm writing this honest review to say thank you!

What can I say about this book. It's beautiful and heartbreaking. Hopeful and crushing. Bittersweet. I read this book in a day and it was so easy to get caught up in the story. I was able to put it down to do things and then picked it up again and fall right back into what was happening.

Sky and River live on Island, alone, where they hunt and fish and swim and they are happy. Their mother and father are both dead, but they are surviving. Just barely. They're hungry. Sky, the practical one who is good at everything, is trying hard to take care of them while River, the dreamer, is looking out across Ocean, wondering what's out there.

Then a boat arrives and Sky and River are taken back to where they came from: modern day California. Sky and River do not live on a utopian island in a world where life is simple. Sky wakes up in a hospital, is shunned by River, and swept away into a fantastical world that scares the hell out of her.

This is a story about a girl who goes from essentially past to present. From a rustic lifestyle to a modern one. And she is so scared. She understood her home, her place, and her relationships on Island. She does not understand anything in her new life. And with River gone, her heart is shattered. In his place is a woman whom Sky doesn't know or have any connection to other than blood (her grandmother) some strangers who are trying to tell her how to 'be normal' and a boy who is kind to her. But none of these people know how to connect with her, and at times I became SO frustrated because they were not even thinking about how to handle Sky.

I felt so bad for Sky through all of this. As I've said in past reviews, I know how it is to enter a new culture and not understand it. I could totally sympathize with her, and I wanted to shout at her teacher and therapist SO MUCH. And then her poor Grandmother, who just wanted to love her so badly and regain what she had lost when Sky's mother disappeared... I felt so bad for her too because she really has no idea how to deal with Sky. And that dynamic was also so heartbreaking.

I can't really say more without spoiling the book, but everything with how they ended up on the island, Sky's mother's past, and River wow... it was all so much. So sad, and after I finished reading this book I just felt a mix of hope and sorrow and it was just incredibly bittersweet.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a beautifully written book with amazing insights. Sky's perspective on life was refreshing and even though it was simplistic, it was not simple. She may not have book smarts, but she certainly has wisdom.

The ending left me a little puzzled. Is there supposed to be a sequel? I wonder even though it felt like Sky's story had been told. I would be interested in reading more about Sky as she adjusts further to the modern world. Her innocence is refreshing and honest.

I wanted to shake Sky's grandmother several times. It was really annoying that everyone kept calling Sky, Megan. She had already been traumatized enough. You would think her therapist would have suggested that everyone call her Sky like she wanted. There were other things the grandmother did that was completely motivated by selfishness on her part. It was almost as if Sky needed to do all of the changing to fit it without any concessions on the grandmother's side. I would hope that a professional would have pointed out areas where the grandmother could have made the transition smoother.

I will definitely be looking for more books from this author. I would recommend this book to lovers of coming of age tales. Sky's story is beautifully told and will be enjoyed by people who like character driven fiction.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley for an arc of this title.

Searching for Sky was a very fast read. It was good enough if you didn't expect too much of it. The author really did a fantastic job trying to see our world through the eyes of a girl who grew up on an island and knew no other technology.

There were a few things I didn't understand:
Bathroom Tree: Why "Bathroom Tree"? It neither has a bath nor is it a room. I think it would be better as "Toilet Tree" or "Necessary Tree" or "Private Tree". Bathroom tree just doesn't sound right.

Sky's mother: why would she be okay with being with Helmut after he POISONED HER HUSBAND? I understand that a "tragedy" led her and Sky's father to the commune, but there was nothing to reconcile us to the fact that she stuck with Helmut even after the poisoning. The author wants us to like Sky's mother, but she's either selfish or a total idiot.

The apples: Would people really look at a photo of a 4 year old holding a basket of poisoned apples and hold it against him 15 years later that the apples were poisoned and meant for killing people??? C'mon. People would have some sympathy. HE WAS FOUR at the time! Ugh. Including Grandma. Jeez.

And author: not okay that you killed River. NOT OKAY.

[Skye (Skye's Scribblings) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Check out all my reviews at Skye's Scribblings!

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Rating: Teen (a few words of language, kissing, thematic elements)
Told: First Person Singular (Sky), Present Tense
Format Read: ARC (from publisher)

Three Words: Powerful. Emotional. Amazing.

Writing: Uncomplicated and emotional. Sky's voice drew me right in, had me feeling what she felt - her love my love, her ache my ache. There was a lot of capitalization in the beginning (Island, Ocean, Bathroom Tree) which I really liked, everything called just what it was. And when Sky eventually learned this wasn't how "normal" people considered things and began dropping them, it chronicled her evolution of becoming a more "normal" person.

The reader is left to interpret the meaning and relevance of a lot of things on their own through information supplied via quick flashbacks and passing comments, which was a great way to go about giving us what we needed to know - especially when Sky didn't understand the relevance of most of it herself. This book is an excellent example of "show, don't tell," and except for the very last scene (I needed to be told, darn it!) I really enjoyed the approach.

Setting: We begin on Island - plain, simple, small. There's not much to it and we get the feel of that, of the monotonous but peaceful routine that Sky and River follow each day to survive. Jillian does a beautiful job of giving us a true feel of their quiet life, so when we make the shift to the "real world" we feel bombarded right along with Sky, everything loud, busy, moving too fast. Sky's view of and reactions to the real world through her "Island filter" were fascinating and occasionally quite comical, and I really enjoyed the unique description.

Story: This story is a "what if" scenario that really makes you think about what "normal" really is, and how much stock we put in it. The book's official summary (above) describes the simple but emotionally charged story well. Sky was wrenched from the peaceful life she loved and forced into the chaotic life she was supposed to have lived, and her struggle to understand and adapt among strangers without losing her true self was fascinating and engrossing. The "truth behind how they ended up there [on Island] in the first place" was handled extremely well, kept to the background and fed to us, as it was to Sky, in snippets, leaving the reader to put the pieces together on their own to see the whole picture and come to their own conclusions. The last four chapters had me reading through a veil of tears, and while I'm still a bit frustrated with the ending (and still debating with myself what exactly it means), it was a powerful and emotional and amazing story that never let me go until the very last word and still has me thinking about it long after it's over.

Characters: Sky's innocent and Island-filtered view of the world was refreshing and fun. She made me look at everything in a new light, and consider words in whole new contexts (I get "re-tired" a lot, too ;). Her emotions were simple, direct, raw, and blatantly honest, which made them easy to relate to and felt so much deeper because she felt things with her whole being. Despite her fear she was strong and persevered, adapting as much as she had to in the face of her uncontrollable situation but still fighting for what she really wanted. Even though I have nothing in common with her, I felt for her and with her, and she is now one of my all-time favorite characters.

River was a sweetie and although I occasionally mistrusted him I couldn't help wanting to take him in and look after him. The world mistreated him for something that wasn't his fault, and I despised the world for it. Just thinking about it still makes me seethe. And the fact that I can totally see the world reacting that way if the situation presented itself in real life just makes my anger worse. Let's move on. I despised the grandmother right from the start, even more than I despised the world. I know she meant well, but she went about everything the wrong way, and brought practically nothing but heartbreak and hatred into Sky's life. I was okay with the way Sky handled her feelings for the woman in the end, but if it had been me ... yeah, let's just move on.

Romantic Relationship: The small bit of a romance we get doesn't come until nearly the end of the book, and there isn't much of it. What little there is, however, is deep and slow grown and rather beautiful.

Series: This is a standalone, although the ending was left open to interpretation (which was a little frustrating for a bow-tie gal like me). Jillian says she wants to write a sequel someday, which I'm on the fence about - Sky's story is so amazing I want more, but even with the open ending it's a great standalone (and we need more standalones right now!). If they decide to do a sequel, though, I'm sold.

Conclusion: I rarely read Contemporary (it's just not my genre), but Sky drew me in with her raw emotion and unique view of the world and I loved every word. Searching for Sky is an amazing and powerful book that I highly recommend to anyone and everyone, no matter your usual reading tastes.

[Christina (A Reader of Fictions)]

I didn't make it one chapter. This writing style and kind of story are very much not for me. Nope nope nope.

[Terri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Y’all, I don’t even know. This book was kind of good and also annoyed the living heck out of me.

Sky and River are two teenagers who live on an uncharted island in the Pacific, where they and their respective parental figures crashed and apparently everyone else but the four of them died. Helmut and Petal (River’s dad and Sky’s mom) renamed them and taught them to take care of themselves, and they’re living a life of simple isolation. Then the parents die and it’s a little shady, and they get rescued.

So Sky goes back to California, where everyone calls her Megan and tries to teach her what cars and TV are and she doesn’t care. That goes about as well as you’d expect because Sky just wants to find River and go back to the island. Sky isn’t interested in the shallow pursuits of modern society like television, she doesn’t understand why people lie to one another, and no one will tell her what’s going on because they’re afraid she’ll have a meltdown. Because Sky is unhappy for 95% of the book, and it doesn’t get better, one really wonders what we’re supposed to have learned here. Modern society is shallow? Okay, we already knew that. There’s this whole subplot about how Helmut was a cult leader who poisoned a bunch of his followers by having River feed them poisoned apples (channeling his inner Snow White’s evil stepmother) and that he probably took the poisonous mushrooms on purpose, thereby killing himself and Petal, but River was suspicious and didn’t let Sky or himself eat them, so they didn’t die. Now everyone thinks River is a murderer even though he was like FOUR when that happened, and he’s gone into hiding from the paparazzi, and is living like a hobo on the beach.

The plot, as you can tell, is kind of a mess but the style was what really irritated me more than anything else. Sky refers to everything as a proper noun and I swear, it was like she was about to burst out into song like Pocahontas and start singing about the riverbend. The ocean is “Ocean” as in “I walked to Ocean” or “I missed Ocean.” I get that the author was going for a “Sky is one with nature” thing but it didn’t work and every time she referred to Ocean, Beach, Bathroom Tree, etc. I just wanted to shake her. It took me out of the story a bunch of times, though it seems small, because it just read like the author was trying too hard to make this novel poignant and thoughtful.

The other thing is the ship. (Like the romantic ship, not the ship that rescues them.) River/Lucas pretty much disappears once they get to California, and no one will let Sky/Megan see him. Sky isn’t searching for herself; she’s searching for LUCAS, so the title is also just alliterating for no reason. (Sky knows exactly who she is, so it’s also not referring to any kind of self-discovery because Sky takes no crap.) But anyway, Sky wants River back and eventually she finds him and they decide to try to go back to their island. And then the author freaking kills River/Lucas off, and you find out that the sweet neighbor Sky/Megan has been hanging out with was getting paid by her grandmother to teach her how to be a teenager, and since I wasn’t really shipping them anyway, I didn’t even CARE. Cantor blew a death cannonball right through my ship and now Sky/Megan has to stay in California and learn to use forks and it is just pretty darn depressing.

So to sum up: Searching for Sky is pretty weird, the writing bugged me, Cantor sinks the sweetest, most innocent little ship in the world, and then the book is over and I’m depressed and so is Sky.

This review for "Searching for Sky" first appeared on StarlightBookReviews.com.

[Anna Carolyn McCormally · Rating 5 out of 5]

Billed as a “reverse dystopia”, Searching for Sky by Jillian Cantor is a story of discovering the real world–the opposite of high fantasy’s alternate universe, it’s about how our world would look to someone who had never experienced it.

Raised on an island in the Pacific by her mother with just one other man and her son, Sky doesn’t know any life other than what she knows on Island and no family but her mother, Helmut, and Helmut’s son River. But when her mother and Helmut die, Sky and River are left alone and then “rescued”– brought back to the society their parents left when they came to Island. The transition is painful, and Sky’s discovery of how she ended up on Island in the first place is equally painful: a heart-wrenching uncovering of themes that cut very deep and comment well on issues not frequently written about for teens.

I think the obvious comparison here is Emma Donoghue’s Room, a book not aimed specifically to teens–and I was grateful for this slightly less gritty story to explore similar themes. Ms. Cantor’s style in Searching for Sky even echoes Room a little–Sky knows only Island, Ocean, Grassy Hill, Bathroom Tree. She doesn’t know why one would wear clothes or drive in a car or need to exchange money for fish when you could just catch one yourself.

The trick of showing the reader her own lifestyle is well-executed here, as are Sky’s relationships with her therapist, her well-meaning but emotionally clumsy grandmother, the teenage boy next door who is Sky’s link to social normalcy. I saw Sky exactly as the “team of professionals” hired by her grandmother to help her saw her–socially and emotionally underdeveloped, in need of help. But Sky herself also convinced me that Sky didn’t need help at all–she just needed to be back on Island living the life she loved, the only life she’d ever known, the life she’d been taken from without her consent.

I had this double-vision throughout the book, torn about what I wanted for Sky, other than for none of this to have ever happened for her. This aspect of the narrative combined with the slow discovery of Sky, River, and their parents’ pasts made this book impossible to put down.

If I have a complaint it’s that Searching for Sky has one too many “reveals”–while the action definitely comes to a head in a climactic scene, the story of what happened before Sky’s mother took her to island unfolds in one too many small segments. This results in some fake-out-endings–I kept thinking we were done and settling down emotionally, only to learn that wait, there’s more! I also wanted Sky to get a better therapist–but that’s not a complaint about the book so much as a complaint about Sky’s grandmother…which I think goes to show that this book sucked me in and hit me hard!

4/5 for characters–Sky’s narrative is wonderful. Her grandmother was unbelievably dense at times.

5/5 for world-building–I really saw modern-day America as Sky saw it.

5/5 for themes–like I said, issues that are not frequently addressed in fiction but ripe with potential. Loved it.

4/5 for writing–just a few clumsy things that irked me. I thought the pacing of the background-story reveals could have been improved, and there was a lot of “Sky doesn’t know how to use a toilet, this is the silly way she used the toilet,” “Sky doesn’t know what cow’s milk tasted like, here’s the silly thing she thought about cow’s milk.” Of course, those things also made the story convincing, and it’s difficult to know which worked for me and which didn’t–all I can say is that some seemed relevant, some seemed extreme.

Searching for Sky by Jillian Cantor–4.5/5. I would recommend this book to pretty much anybody over the age of 14.

[Becca ♡ PrettyLittleMemoirs · Rating 5 out of 5]

As reviewed on Pretty Little Memoirs. With thanks to Bloomsbury Childrens for the ARC.
*Contains minor references to the plot*

Sky and River have lived on Island for as long as they can remember, and it's the only place that each of them can call home. They call it "Island", where they have adapted to their limited resources not knowing any different, like "Bathroom Tree", "Falls" and "Ocean", everything had a certain name for them. They live there alone after Sky's Mother and River's Father were found dead, and had to survive by themselves, only counting on each other.
River sees a boat one day when he's catching fish for him and Sky, but they aren't certain what a boat even is. They soon find that the people on the boat arrive at the Island to take them home - even though Sky has no idea where that place even is - to a place called California. There, things are very different. Sky is separated from River and meets her grandmother who immediately tries to connect her to a new way of living by getting a team of experts to teach her everything someone of her teenage-age should know and do.
Being set in Sky's POV, nothing was limited at all by not being able to get inside her head and emotions. I instantly connected with her, through sympathy and compassion for her confusion and brand new eyes at California, a place she didn't even know existed. Things in the real world are painstakingly difficult to grasp and day after day, Sky - who's been told that her name isn't even her own - feels lost by association in her new life. All she knows is Island, and even though she tries and learns new things every day, she just wants to be reunited with River.
It was tragic what happened in Sky's life, and as she learns the startling new information about where she came from, who her Mother and River's Father; Helmut, really were, Sky can't help but try and grip the good memories tighter. All she knew was that with the help of her grandmother's neighbour; Ben, she needed to find River. She had to go back to Island.
Searching For Sky really made me feel for the characters, in a way that I could picture Sky vividly in this world that felt so dystopian to her. I felt so bad for River, and although selfish at times, I felt remorse for Sky's grandmother who so desperately just wanted for her to feel at home. After all, she had lost two people she loved and never thought she would see again.
Overall, Searching For Sky is a book filled with the qualities in a book I love; an impeccable plot, an ending to make you tear up, characters I empathized and a story that won't leave my mind.
Searching for Sky definitely made my favourites list for this year - an exceptional and impressive five-star novel.

As reviewed on Pretty Little Memoirs. With thanks to Bloomsbury Childrens for the ARC.

[Farrah · Rating 5 out of 5]

An emotional, heart-breaking, gem of a read, Searching for Sky was a fantastic YA read. This book was just wonderful. This compelling book of a girl struggling to learn about modern life was heart-breakingly lovely and a truly enjoyable read.

Sky was a lovely heroine. She was a very realistic character. She was a girl, raised in a paleolithic lifestyle, suddenly dropped into the modern world. She wasn't perfect. She struggled, lashed out, and resented the confusing new world she was stuck in. But, she was also strong, clever, and more resilient than people gave her credit for. I liked how her assimilation into the modern world was portrayed. It wasn't easy, it wasn't overnight, and it required a lot of turbulent emotions and struggle. Things that seem normal to the everyday person were totally alien to her and it wasn't going to be easy for her to learn about them. I liked how that wasn't glossed over and was shown so realistically. And, seeing her struggles made me more engaged in her character. She was wonderful and I really liked her.

River was also great. In contrast to Sky, he wanted to return to the modern world because, unlike her, he had early memories of living there. Problem was, while he wanted the modern world, the modern world didn't want him, because something that happened in his past, while he still lived in California. I felt so bad for the poor guy. He was so sweet, a genuinely kind soul, but he was blamed for the crimes of another. His situation just broke my heart, not to mention what happened at the end. I absolutely adored him character.

The romance was light, since Sky and River spend most of the book apart. But, even when they were apart, they were always thinking of each other. They already had a deep bond, after growing up so closely and it was only natural that it began to shift to something more. But, fate wasn't easy on them...

The plot was fast paced and I was hooked the entire way through. I loved how the emotions in this book were portrayed so brilliantly and I felt each one. The secrets hidden in the past were totally shocking and I never suspected the truth behind Sky and River's lives on the island. I loved the story and the ending was heart-wrenching, a bittersweet conclusion with both hope and grief. It was certainly an ending to remember.

Searching for Sky was a heart-breakingly lovely, deeply emotional, and utterly engaging read. I absolutely loved this book. Full of deep emotions and shocking secrets, it grabbed hold of my emotions and didn't let go, keeping me totally drawn into Sky's world. YA lovers, this book is a must read.

*I received a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This sounds really interesting, right? And the beginning was pretty interesting. But from the time Sky and River leave Island and venture into our world, something so completely different from their own, I was bored. There's something wrong with that. The meat of the book is what bored me. What should have been so fascinating--exploring a world that's so familiar to me through Sky's head--almost made me put down the book. It's a good idea and mindset that I was intrigued by, but there's no tension, nothing to pull me in and keep me riveted.

Even Sky, who could have been heartbreakingly sympathetic because she left Island because of her trust in River, who quickly left her behind, and who is struggling to understand the what and why of everything, really isn't especially sympathetic. And that's largely because I couldn't find a reason to care about her. She's pushed and pulled in all kinds of directions, but never seems to speak for herself, content to wallow in how much she misses River. But, if she's the practical one, the intelligent one, the one who takes action, why can't Sky take a little action now? Why isn't she proactive? Or even just fighting a little bit harder for what she wants?

So, when you don't feel anything for the characters and you're bored, how do you continue reading a book? You skim. And that's what I did for the entire second half. Not only did I enjoy myself marginally more than I had been, but I don't think I missed a thing in doing so. The big revelations, the reasons why River, Sky, Helmut, and Petal were on the island, were really not so huge. They brought in an interesting dynamic, especially given how Sky viewed Helmut, but more could have been done with it too.

All in all, there's a lot of wasted potential in Searching for Sky. It brings in a lot of really good ideas, but never capitalizes on them. For me, that led to a very lackluster read.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

You can find this review and many more fun things on my blog: Paper Cuts.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this one seriously surprised me. I had absolutely no expectations going in, except that the cover was beautiful. This was one where the cover matched the story perfectly.

Meet Sky and River. Two kids who were raised on a place called Island for almost their entire lives. With only her mother and his father, the four of them survived for years on their little paradise. Not knowing any different, Sky believed that there was no other way of life. Even after their two parental figures 'go out to the ocean', River and Sky proceed to survive by themselves. When one day, a boat arrives and sends everything they ever knew into chaos.

Searching For Sky is told from the point of view of Sky. With little education and no knowledge of the real world, you're instantly drowning along with her as she struggles to play catch up. Living with her grandmother in California, everything is foreign. And not having River with her has her feeling extremely alone.

Sky is basically a child, having to learn words for everything and have them make sense in her mind. Her struggle was heavy and I felt for her. The author did an amazing job at making you feel everything Sky was going for. And when she finally finds River, I loved watching the two of them interact. River was this force that always had control over Sky, but she was always the stronger one, and that comes across in the way she tries to adapt versus the way River does. Honestly, River's story is heartbreaking.

Why I couldn't give this one five stars had to do with the way Sky's grandmother tried to 'help' her. All of the psychologists that were brought in didn't seem to understand that in all essence Sky was a child. There was so much emphasis on acting normal and being normal. I just felt like that wasn't how the situation would have been handled. There would have been more compassion and trying to understand.

But honestly, that was my only qualm. This story tugged at my heart strings and brought tears to my eyes. I definitely recommend this one.

I received an e-copy of this novel from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would definitely recommend Jillian Cantor's Searching for Sky. I found it impossible to put down. Sky and River live together on an island, or, perhaps I should say THE ISLAND. Sky and River have been raised on the island. Sky does not remember life BEFORE the island. River, who was around four or five, does remember a few things about life in California. Both remember Helmut and Petal who died after eating mushrooms. Helmut was River's father; Petal was Sky's mother. Though these two have been raised as brother and sister, before Petal's death, she told her daughter that soon--very soon--she would start having all these feelings and desires for River, and that would be a good thing. The novel opens on Sky's sixteenth birthday. These opening chapters give readers an idea of what life is like on the island for two isolated teenagers; they have survival skills to a certain degree. But the two are rescued and returned to California. Sky's world is about to crumble. It will get worse before it gets better.

Sky does NOT want to be rescued. Sky does NOT want to live in California with other people, in a society that she thinks her mother despised. She does not like feeling ashamed and scared and confused and frustrated and angry. Life has suddenly become too much, too overwhelming. Because she has no memories of life before--she was under the age of two when she arrived on the island--she doesn't understand the most simplest, basic things that everyone takes for granted: forks, plates, toilets and sinks, pencils and paper. She'll need to learn EVERYTHING if she's to function in this strange, new world that readers are oh-so-familiar with. And that might not be the hardest part to accept: there are facts about her mother and Helmut that will challenge her incredibly.

I found Sky's story to be very compelling. I would definitely recommend this one.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s all they ever needed, their life was so simple but something was pulling River. Sky and River, I was jealous of their lifestyle, alone on Island, going about their daily tasks just looking out for each and making do with what they had. For fourteen years, they knew no different, and the earth provided for them and what it didn’t, they didn’t need. When River came back after seeing the boat, I knew their life would change. There’s no Bathroom Tree on boat, and the large boxes identifying themselves as beds were just a small glimpse of the changes these teens would face as they make their way into the strange world we call California. The simplicity of their ways gave way to complications and I was overwhelmed myself at everything that was changing so fast for these two teens. As River fades away, Sky’s world opened up and she fought the complicated world that surrounded her. Her mind is set on Island and she longs to return to it but she needs River to complete the journey. Grandma enlists the help of her neighbor Ben who is torn at his responsibilities. The implications of a cute, naïve, sixteen-year girl in the hands of another male teen, I had lots of scenarios going in my own head. Sky wants River but something is happening to Ben and his feelings towards Sky. Being confused and with the constant pressure on her to conform to be “normal”, I was hoping she wouldn’t change to fit someone else’s image. The future is uncertain but her past will always remain with her. The ending just wrecked me, I should have stopped reading around page 200 but I had to know. They had it all, their life was so simple; they had each other, the Island, a friendship and a lifetime of tomorrows, they left that behind to get a boat to see what California had to offer.
Definitely a must read book!

[Stephanie A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, that one hurt a lot. Loss and more loss, a story of breaking down and rebuilding but never regaining what once was.

Full review: "Rescued" after nearly a lifetime of living on a deserted island with her parents and a boy unrelated to her who is somewhere between a brother and pending love interest, Sky speaks English but is lacking so much vocabulary and all understanding of civilization that she's "like a two year old trapped in a sixteen-year-old's body."

Bit by bit, we flash back to days on the island, leading up to what happened to her parents, along with trickle-down bits from the news to explain why they were on the island in the first place. My heart went out to her at every scary and confusing new turn even as I kept turning pages, desperate to know what Helmut's deal was. The fact that she was separated from River so long is really what gave the story its devastating kick, even though it would have been interesting to see them navigate this world together, too. Failing that, I would happily read a whole mirror story from River's perspective, Beth Pfeffer's The Dead and the Gone style.

In retrospect, I still don't understand why River wouldn't have received the same type of care and treatment, as opposed to "oh you're already 18? LOL BYE," nor why the public would hate him when he was last seen at the age of 4. But that's not a major qualm.

There probably won't be a sequel, much as I dream, but I like to imagine that one day, at least, Sky will miraculously find her pink shell bracelet.

[Autumn · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Searching For Sky' is a book where the main character Sky is trying to find who she is and who she used to be, because her whole world just changed. Sky and River where best friends from the beggining, then one day both their lives changed, people started calling them Megan and Lucas, and had them sperated from each other. Sky felt so dumb for not knowing anything at all even who she was and who she was becoming. She changes a lot in this book and you can tell by the way Jillian Cantor wrote her thoughts. Sky has all these people coming into her life to make her become "normal." She starts hating people which she never has before. She meets this guy Ben a guy who just hangs out with Sky to help her out in this new world. Then later in the book you find out a secret he's been hiding. Closer to the end of the book Sky and River reunite and make a plan to go back, go back to where they know they can belong. The next thing you know everything goes wrong from there. Sky knows she will have to get by even though it will be really tough. Cantor wrote this book to make you want to keep reading and find out whats going to happen next. This is a really good book and if you like big endings or twist endings even predictable endings this is the book for you. Jillian did an awesome job with this book.

[Malachi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Searching for SkyIf you want to read this book you should I highly recommend it.This book is good for anyone. As you read you will have to make inferences very oftenly.While you progress through the book you and the character will learn important information or clues.Some parts of the story, for some will be considered "romantic". The main character Sky is in love with River. After their parents died they were alone on the island until a boat comes and picks them up.Sky and River are then seperated.As you read you will find that Sky And River aren't their actual names. If you want to know their names just read through it.The whole book has tension and suspence on each page.As you read the farther into the book you read the more suspence. At the end is the biggest twist in the book.The ending which is bad since the book is not a series or continued leaves you many questions but in all it is the book to read if you want to relax. Searching for Sky

[Adele Broadbent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sky and River are happy living on Island. They fish in Ocean, wash in Falls, love Rocks and Beach, even if they are hungry sometimes. Sky doesn’t remember anything before Island. She doesn’t remember arriving there in a storm when she was two, or any of the other people who didn’t survive the sinking of their boat. But Helmut and her mother have shown them how to live on the island with their traps and fishing spears.
They have been on their own for a year after their parents died and one day River sees a boat....
Life changes dramatically for them both and they are pulled apart. I loved reading about the total confusion from Sky's point of view, where she doesn't even know what a door is, or what steps are called.
Great read.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Searching for Sky is a book about a girl named Sky and her stepbrother River who had lived on an island most of their life. Sky's mother and River's father passed away 2 years ago. One day, a boat arrives at the island and takes the step siblings away to live in California. Sky is forced to live with her grandmother a few blocks away from the ocean. Sky feels lost, away from River and her home. This is the story of how Sky (now Megan) finds her way in this new world.
I personally enjoyed this book very much. I thought it was very interesting and showed people how complicated and confusing our world really is. It made me want to live on an island like Sky and River. Once I started reading this, I could not put it down. I definetly recommend this to people who like sad books.