Tosh's Island

by Linda Sargent, Joe Brady, Leo Marcell (Illustrator)

Tosh's upbringing feels close to perfect: best friends, mischief and secondary school, just around the next corner. But when chronic illness strikes, it threatens to derail everything she loves.

A heart-rending graphic novel of discovery, adversity, and the overwhelming healing powers of imagination and stories.

Genres: Middle Grade, Historical Fiction, Graphic Novels

279 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2024

Reviews

[:¨·.·¨: `·. izzy ★°*ﾟ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so beautiful. The artwork was gorgeous and the story was so magical, heartwarming and moving.

I think it’s wonderful to see chronic illness representation, especially for younger readers, as it’s something that’s not talked about or understood by a lot of people.

The author note was very touching and I love the messages she gave through her story.

[kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartbreaking, heartwarming and empowering, Tosh’s Island is a beautifully written and illustrated story.

[liz]

Ah, relatable :) a win for the imagination amongst disability!

[I'mogén · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a beautiful story about a young girl coming to terms with a chronic illness and the wonderfully vivid imagination she has. Unfortunately the mixture of the two initially has people doubting her pain... If she can easily make up a magical island, surely she can have phantom pain for a "bit more attention", right? Such a dangerous sentiment that is flippantly thrown around, yet cause such an impact on the individual trying to get a diagnosis/medical support. Tosh's island was a prime example of this, mirroring the author's own experience with early arthritis.


The story was told beautifully in lush illustrations and a beautiful colour palette. I loved the change of art style to a more cartoony illustration style when Tosh was imagining her scenes and playing make believe. Outside of that it was very studio Ghibli vibe, so very tranquil and stunning.


Overall, this was both educational and beautifully told.


Pick it up, give it a go & enjoy!

[NJH · Rating 2 out of 5]

Copy purchased from Gosh Comics in London.

I don't know exactly what I was expecting from this graphic novel, but this wasn't it.

The back description and artwork made the story seem that it would be a bit fantasy based and also be a teenage protagonist. The teenage protagonist was true but the fantasy bit was not. It's a story of a girl who has unexplained pains later revealed to be Still's Disease and her experiences at school and dealing with these pains.

The minor characters/friends felt a bit flat. The French character just randomly having a French word thrown in each sentence in English felt a bit stereotypical, but then he wrote perfect letters in English.

The story flowed (read it in one sitting), I just didn't find it particularly memorable or compelling. Artwork coloring was nice but details varied.

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tosh's life seems to be pretty perfect from the outside, but she tries to hide just how much pain she is in. She doesn't want it to stop her having fun with her friends. Though it's sad to see her best friend branching out with others and she feels left behind. No wonder she leans more and more on her imagination.
This beautifully illustrated graphic novel gave me Anne of Green Gables vibes, though if I'm honest I can't remember if I ever actually read that! It was such a wonderful story, Tosh just so lovely and pure. I was in tears multiple times through the story, sad, angry, happy... ALL the emotions.

https://sabrinasbooktails.blogspot.co...

[Jeffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Linda Sargent's semi-autobiographical graphic novel about growing up with arthritis

[Bee Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully articulated story that I found immensely emotional. Thank you for writing this.

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone who has lived with or supported someone living with chronic illness will find this to be phenomenally written. The illustrations are lush.

[Rachel (Sfogs) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful artwork and a beautiful though sad story.

[BookBairn · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was pretty forgettable and I’d be surprised if a modern audience of children particularly connected to it. It gave classic vibes like Secret Garden but more that it felt dated rather than long-standing. Depicting living with a disability for young people is an important topic showing an outdated version doesn’t feel hugely helpful or supportive.