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Tamarind #1
The Lost Island of Tamarind
Maya Nelson isn't your typical thirteen-year-old. She's spent her whole life living on the sea with her marine biologist parents, her younger brother, Simon, and baby sister, Penny. Maya used to love living on a sailboat, but lately, everything feels terribly claustrophobic. Maya longs to go to school on land. To make friends. To lead a normal life. But when a violent storm hits and Maya's parents are washed overboard, life becomes anything but normal. The children manage to steer the boat toward a mysterious island, to a place that doesn't exist on a map.
Welcome to Tamarind, where fish can fly, pirates patrol the waters, jaguars lurk, the islanders are at war, and an evil, child-stealing enchantress rules the jungle.
Maya never imagined she'd have to face so many dangers. But then, who could have imagined a place like Tamarind. . . .?
In her stunning first novel, Nadia Aguiar presents a heart-pounding adventure tale about a haunting, fantastical island cut off from the outside world.
Welcome to Tamarind, where fish can fly, pirates patrol the waters, jaguars lurk, the islanders are at war, and an evil, child-stealing enchantress rules the jungle.
Maya never imagined she'd have to face so many dangers. But then, who could have imagined a place like Tamarind. . . .?
In her stunning first novel, Nadia Aguiar presents a heart-pounding adventure tale about a haunting, fantastical island cut off from the outside world.
438 pages, Hardcover
First published March 2, 2009
71 people are currently reading
952 people want to read
About the author
Nadia Aguiar
20 books68 followersThe tiny Atlantic island of Bermuda where I was born and raised inspired my trilogy about Tamarind, a magical island where jaguars roam and volcanoes rumble. Join Maya, Simon, and Penny on their exciting adventures escaping pirates, hiding in a treetop village high in the cloud forest, zipping down an ice slide through a glacier, venturing into an eerie, vanishing village, and tracking the fearsome and elusive mandrill through the jungle.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 189 reviews
September 2, 2021
I found this book when I was around 11 in a library and was completely in awe and now re-read it every year. The world Nadia Aguiar creates is so intricate. Stunning descriptions. It is very simple but very beautiful.
December 18, 2009
I found this adventure a very pleasant viney green escape from the fierce winter weather outside.
There were some gaps in description and faint plot points which needled me a bit or broke my suspension of disbelief (the main character's blisters are pointed out often, but I had no picture of what kind of shoes or socks she is even wearing, if any...and where was her backpack all this time? Why the pan?...) but I found the overall story is imaginative and satisfyingly rich in adventure.
There were some gaps in description and faint plot points which needled me a bit or broke my suspension of disbelief (the main character's blisters are pointed out often, but I had no picture of what kind of shoes or socks she is even wearing, if any...and where was her backpack all this time? Why the pan?...) but I found the overall story is imaginative and satisfyingly rich in adventure.
February 8, 2011
Maya is the oldest of three children who live with their parents on the ship the Pamela Jane, but has reached the age where she desperately wants a normal life on shore, maybe living with her Grandmother in Bermuda. In a storm, their parents are washed overboard, the the ship comes across a mysterious island that appears on no maps, and which matches tales their father has told them over the years.
Maya, Simon and Penny go ashore to search for their missing parents. With the help of Helix, a boy Maya's age who is rather savage, they face pirates, carnivorous vines, a jaguar-riding woman who steals children for her mines, and a war between the north and south that has ravaged island society, and a peaceful revolution trying to end the war. Oh yeah, and mermaids, giants, and a mysterious glowing element x.
I enjoyed the book, but had some quibbles. After spending nearly 400 pages on the search for the parents, in only 50 pages the parents are found, the war is stopped, they get away from the island and go home to Bermuda. The whole question about the organization that Maya's parents work for that is hunting for element x (Ophalla) is never resolved, and they leave open the question of how the Grandmother knew stories about Tamarind.
Also, if it's so difficult to get to or from the island (the storms that washed the parents overboard and the like), how is it that the island has cars, not to mention guns for the soldiers?
Still, all in all I enjoyed the book, and someday I will hunt down the sequel to see if we ever get those answers to the questions I had at the end.
Maya, Simon and Penny go ashore to search for their missing parents. With the help of Helix, a boy Maya's age who is rather savage, they face pirates, carnivorous vines, a jaguar-riding woman who steals children for her mines, and a war between the north and south that has ravaged island society, and a peaceful revolution trying to end the war. Oh yeah, and mermaids, giants, and a mysterious glowing element x.
I enjoyed the book, but had some quibbles. After spending nearly 400 pages on the search for the parents, in only 50 pages the parents are found, the war is stopped, they get away from the island and go home to Bermuda. The whole question about the organization that Maya's parents work for that is hunting for element x (Ophalla) is never resolved, and they leave open the question of how the Grandmother knew stories about Tamarind.
Also, if it's so difficult to get to or from the island (the storms that washed the parents overboard and the like), how is it that the island has cars, not to mention guns for the soldiers?
Still, all in all I enjoyed the book, and someday I will hunt down the sequel to see if we ever get those answers to the questions I had at the end.
April 28, 2010
I loved this book. It is about a girl Maya, and her two younger siblings called Simon and Penny. She lives on a boat with them and her parents. A storm washes them overboard and they find themselves on an amazing island called Tamarind, which is in the middle of a civil war. Maya and her siblings have one main goal: Find their Parents. But tamarind is a big place, and dangerous for many reasons: Pirates, Soldiers, A child-napper who rides a jaguar, and many other dangers. The book is about Maya, Simon, and Penny trying to find their parents and growing up on the way.
August 18, 2016
It was awesome.
January 2, 2023
2.5 stars
Nothing wrong with it, exactly, just nothing spectacular. Wasn't very exciting, but not exactly boring either. Just meh. Maya isn't a very engaging narrator.
Nothing wrong with it, exactly, just nothing spectacular. Wasn't very exciting, but not exactly boring either. Just meh. Maya isn't a very engaging narrator.
August 29, 2022
Certainly a fast-moving book, with the children flying out of various frying pans into fires. I felt worried for them at times, frustrated at times, and suspended belief more than once. All-in-all, quite an adventure.
March 2, 2020
I really didn’t like it very much. The overall story and climax is very slow. Wouldn’t recommend for projects for school or other things.
August 16, 2024
I loved it so much and the story brought me so many different emotions and it was wonderful
January 2, 2009
Posted to my Livejournal in October 2008:
Equal parts adventure, mystery, fantasy, and survival story, this first novel is quite accomplished. Maya, 13 years old, has lived her entire life on the Pamela Jane with her marine biologist parents and two siblings. After a violent storm, the parents go missing, and the kids manage to steer the boat to an unknown island. It turns out to be Tamarind, a place that features heavily in their father's stories (which they thought he was making up), and while looking for their parents, they quickly run into all sorts of dangers, including man-eating vines and a child-stealing woman who rides a jaguar. This book reminded me a lot of Kenneth Oppel's Airborn, but for a younger audience -- it has a mysterious island not seen on any map, a scientific mystery, resourceful and plucky characters forced to contend with a dangerous environment, and pirates, among other similarities.
Equal parts adventure, mystery, fantasy, and survival story, this first novel is quite accomplished. Maya, 13 years old, has lived her entire life on the Pamela Jane with her marine biologist parents and two siblings. After a violent storm, the parents go missing, and the kids manage to steer the boat to an unknown island. It turns out to be Tamarind, a place that features heavily in their father's stories (which they thought he was making up), and while looking for their parents, they quickly run into all sorts of dangers, including man-eating vines and a child-stealing woman who rides a jaguar. This book reminded me a lot of Kenneth Oppel's Airborn, but for a younger audience -- it has a mysterious island not seen on any map, a scientific mystery, resourceful and plucky characters forced to contend with a dangerous environment, and pirates, among other similarities.
April 7, 2014
This book gave my summer a more colourful, brighter exotic feel. The Lost Island of Tamarind deserves to be a lot more famous than it is.
Maya (13), Simon (9) and Penny (10 months) live on a boat with their parents who are marine biologists. The children's parents are currently contributing to the Red Coral project which the children are allowed to know little about. When their parents get thrown overboard in a storm, the children try to find land but instead come across the magical island of Tamarind in search for their parents who had managed to take the lifeboat. Personally, my favourite bit is when they are in the cloud forest as it is such a lovely place and there are events that make your heart pound. Full of adventure, wonderful landscape, absorbing plots and unravelling mysteries and suspicions, this is the best book I've ever read and one I'll keep for life.
Maya (13), Simon (9) and Penny (10 months) live on a boat with their parents who are marine biologists. The children's parents are currently contributing to the Red Coral project which the children are allowed to know little about. When their parents get thrown overboard in a storm, the children try to find land but instead come across the magical island of Tamarind in search for their parents who had managed to take the lifeboat. Personally, my favourite bit is when they are in the cloud forest as it is such a lovely place and there are events that make your heart pound. Full of adventure, wonderful landscape, absorbing plots and unravelling mysteries and suspicions, this is the best book I've ever read and one I'll keep for life.
August 3, 2010
Wow. I have to say that I can't believe I stumbled upon this book in the young adult section. This was one of the most well written, original and interesting stories I have ever read. It seems like a lot of fantasy books remind me of other fantasy books I have read in the past, however with this book it was not the case. I was interested the entire time and read until my eyes were droopy.Ofcourse this may not be the case with others who read this book, but I am really glad I picked up this book on a whim.
January 30, 2010
This book was absolutly fantastic.It definatly satisfied my thirst for descriptive writing.The way the whole mystical island was described was perfect for creating beautiful visions of paradise. Although i cannot help to wonder if there is a 2nd book because it seems unfinished ..if any knows of a second book please message me . It would be a great help !
November 20, 2008
Read this book if you like your adventure with an extra shot of adventure! It whips its brave-but-believable girl protagonist right along, conjuring brilliant marvels at every turn, and it almost always makes sense. Let's hear it for the Columbia MFA program!
March 27, 2024
It was so lovely to revisit this after reading it as a child! It was one of my favourite books growing up and revelling in the nostalgia of it was so comforting. The world that Aguiar creates is so magical, I found it completely captivating even now, reading it again as an adult. It’s also easy to see how Aguiar uses Ophalla as a metaphor for the natural resources such as crude oil that we are depleting so relentlessly, with no regard for the precious habitats and ecosystems we are destroying along the way within our own world. I also never knew that this is the first book in a series of three! I may nourish my inner child and continue the series so I can experience the magic of Tamarind all over again:) thank you again to Muni for buying it for me!
September 10, 2018
Not a bad storyline, but I got a little bored in the middle.
January 18, 2020
**4.5
August 13, 2025
This book exceeded my expectations by 1000%. It took me forever to get started in the beginning because for me it was a little slow, but when it started picking up and moving, I devoured that like a wolf devours its prey! It was so good, and I can't wait to read the next one!
May 25, 2018
Such a cute action packed story. I would be terrified to go through all this as a 14 yr old with a younger brother and an INFANT sister. so good though!
November 16, 2020
I love this book! I'm not usually into fantasy, but this book was perfect! I love the characters and the story. I hope that I can find more books like this one.
November 4, 2012
Reviewed by Allison Fraclose for TeensReadToo.com
Thirteen-year-old Maya Nelson would like nothing more than to live on land, go to school, and sit at an actual table to eat a meal once in a while. Her outgoing younger brother, Simon, may be fine with living on a boat and traveling the world with their marine biologist parents, but lately, Maya's grown tired of having no privacy and none of the normal things kids should have.
Her situation has only gotten worse since Penny was born, making the small boat even more cramped. But Maya has a plan: after they drop off the new round of wildlife samples at the Marine Station, they'll be heading to Bermuda to visit Grandma Pearl, and Maya has made her parents promise to talk to her grandmother about letting Maya stay on land for awhile - at least long enough to go to school and make some friends for the first time in her life.
But then their boat, the Pamela Jane, hits a terrible storm, and Maya's parents are swept overboard. Now with damaged instruments, no radio contact, and no sense of where they are, Maya and Simon somehow manage to land the Pamela Jane on an island and immediately begin to look for help.
However, no sooner have they wrapped up Penny, gathered some supplies, and stepped off the boat do they realize that they've ended up in a place like no other.
Deadly jungle creatures, pirates patrolling the waters, and a witch who steals children are not the only things plaguing the hidden island of Tamarind, but Maya and her siblings will have to band together and draw on every ounce of strength they have if they ever want to find their parents...and avoid staying on the island for a long, long time.
With dynamic and incredibly resourceful main characters coupled with an intriguing storyline that spreads beyond the boundaries of the page, this book is bound to captivate any young reader who loves a good adventure. It holds its own among other popular tales of castaways, with a bit of magic and mystery mixed in.
Thirteen-year-old Maya Nelson would like nothing more than to live on land, go to school, and sit at an actual table to eat a meal once in a while. Her outgoing younger brother, Simon, may be fine with living on a boat and traveling the world with their marine biologist parents, but lately, Maya's grown tired of having no privacy and none of the normal things kids should have.
Her situation has only gotten worse since Penny was born, making the small boat even more cramped. But Maya has a plan: after they drop off the new round of wildlife samples at the Marine Station, they'll be heading to Bermuda to visit Grandma Pearl, and Maya has made her parents promise to talk to her grandmother about letting Maya stay on land for awhile - at least long enough to go to school and make some friends for the first time in her life.
But then their boat, the Pamela Jane, hits a terrible storm, and Maya's parents are swept overboard. Now with damaged instruments, no radio contact, and no sense of where they are, Maya and Simon somehow manage to land the Pamela Jane on an island and immediately begin to look for help.
However, no sooner have they wrapped up Penny, gathered some supplies, and stepped off the boat do they realize that they've ended up in a place like no other.
Deadly jungle creatures, pirates patrolling the waters, and a witch who steals children are not the only things plaguing the hidden island of Tamarind, but Maya and her siblings will have to band together and draw on every ounce of strength they have if they ever want to find their parents...and avoid staying on the island for a long, long time.
With dynamic and incredibly resourceful main characters coupled with an intriguing storyline that spreads beyond the boundaries of the page, this book is bound to captivate any young reader who loves a good adventure. It holds its own among other popular tales of castaways, with a bit of magic and mystery mixed in.
July 30, 2018
Recommend this to your homeschoolers! Though it's not your usual homeschool story, as the home and the school are on a sailboat! Maya wants off of life at sea, and the Pamela Jane, the family's sailboat, however Simon, her younger brother, couldn't imagine living anywhere else and doesn't understand why Maya feels that way. How could she want to break up their family and leave Mami, Papi, baby Penny, and him?
Strange creatures are appearing in the ocean, and the children's parents think it may all be connected, but to what? Ancient stories, shipwrecks, and warnings about trouble coming seem mysterious and far away, yet their parents' determination to find out the truth brings danger to the whole family.
I've always loved stories about islands and mysterious places and hidden treasure; this contained all of that and more! The characters go on a journey--both literal and figurative--and the destination is full of strange twists and amazing turns. Maya makes impulsive choices throughout the whole book--which made me want to scream in frustration sometimes--seriously, did she not see what she was doing?! ARRRRGHHH!
All in all a very exciting read, and now I'm reading the second one.
Strange creatures are appearing in the ocean, and the children's parents think it may all be connected, but to what? Ancient stories, shipwrecks, and warnings about trouble coming seem mysterious and far away, yet their parents' determination to find out the truth brings danger to the whole family.
I've always loved stories about islands and mysterious places and hidden treasure; this contained all of that and more! The characters go on a journey--both literal and figurative--and the destination is full of strange twists and amazing turns. Maya makes impulsive choices throughout the whole book--which made me want to scream in frustration sometimes--seriously, did she not see what she was doing?! ARRRRGHHH!
All in all a very exciting read, and now I'm reading the second one.
August 23, 2013
As I read through this book, I made notes in a notebook. I uploaded a few of them as statuses, and I'm sure you can judge from that what I thought about this book.
First point that gets repeated over and over and over in my notes--Maya, you're an idiot. Everything screams for you to trust Helix, and you don't trust him. Everything screams for you not to trust the guy with the skulls in a bag (especially the fact that he carries around skulls in a bag) and you take the path he points out. What is with you, girl?
Of course, that's just a few examples--I don't want to bore you.
First point that gets repeated over and over and over in my notes--Maya, you're an idiot. Everything screams for you to trust Helix, and you don't trust him. Everything screams for you not to trust the guy with the skulls in a bag (especially the fact that he carries around skulls in a bag) and you take the path he points out. What is with you, girl?
Of course, that's just a few examples--I don't want to bore you.
January 16, 2009
In stark contrast to Tried by War, which I read simultaneously, this book is a light and fun read. It's a book that I would have loved in 6th grade. Lots of action, a wonderful story, and an entire new world created around a lost island in Bermuda. I liked it. And would recommend it to anyone who wants to read another "Harry Potter" type book.
January 23, 2018
This book was one of those books I would take with me if I were to live on a desert island for like a month. There was so much content, but not too overpowering, so many characters and such a great storyline that I’ve already read the second one before I write this review. I totally recommend it to anyone who loves fantasy and adventure!
June 5, 2013
I really loved this book. It had a wonderful setting, complex characters, and I story I will remember for a long time. It was also very fun to read! It was a mixture between Swiss Family Robinson and Indiana Jones.
August 7, 2020
2.5 stars.
This book started well enough, but it felt like the author ran out of plausible ideas and just went for the purely fantastical, relying on far too much coincidence and not enough on the realm of possible, let alone likely.
How did a big enough rain come at just the moment the children ended up on the ark that had been there for how long by then?
How did three children, a baby, and an adult women fit in a single barrel?
How did they happen to end up on exactly the same salt island where the dad had given up?
How did an river just happen to go underwater and end up back at a separate island?
Not to mention just how malleable distances seemed to be on this island. Four days' walk is about the same as four days' drive, but it's also about the same as four days' sailing on a large ship...but then it's only a few hours' trip in an unpropelled barrel and similarly only about a day's trip when walking and pushing a man in a wheelbarrow, but finally it's only about three big breaths' worth (three minutes?) in an underground river to travel the longest distance of all.
I enjoyed the story overall, but it just kept getting more and more unbelievable, and not in the same way as the intentional fantasy elements that create the premise of the story.
This book started well enough, but it felt like the author ran out of plausible ideas and just went for the purely fantastical, relying on far too much coincidence and not enough on the realm of possible, let alone likely.
How did a big enough rain come at just the moment the children ended up on the ark that had been there for how long by then?
How did three children, a baby, and an adult women fit in a single barrel?
How did they happen to end up on exactly the same salt island where the dad had given up?
How did an river just happen to go underwater and end up back at a separate island?
Not to mention just how malleable distances seemed to be on this island. Four days' walk is about the same as four days' drive, but it's also about the same as four days' sailing on a large ship...but then it's only a few hours' trip in an unpropelled barrel and similarly only about a day's trip when walking and pushing a man in a wheelbarrow, but finally it's only about three big breaths' worth (three minutes?) in an underground river to travel the longest distance of all.
I enjoyed the story overall, but it just kept getting more and more unbelievable, and not in the same way as the intentional fantasy elements that create the premise of the story.
June 24, 2021
I picked this book up when I just happened to be in a very nostalgic mood for Disneyland, Adventureland, Peter Pan, etc. The writing was pretty strong and I did enjoy reading this story. This book is a fun read but the story and worldbuilding do feel a little shallow to me. The plot structure once they land on the island is, "Meet some random people, something dramatic happens, then leave without totally resolving the situation you were once in." I left the book with a lot of unanswered questions. Like what was the power Evondra was going to call from the ophalla opera? What happened to Netti? Was the Cloud Forest Village okay? How did Rodrigo know about the Four Palms? Is there some reason the pirates are so incredibly desperate to find the Pamela Jones? Did a thirteen-year-old seriously end a war that had lasted for a generation? Some of this stuff is kind of half-explained in a way that was pretty unsatisfying as an adult reader. The book is a little long for a middle grade read and I think it would have been stronger with either less stuff and more focus, or at the very least some tighter worldbuilding and resolutions.
Still pretty good for an obscure middle grade book.
Still pretty good for an obscure middle grade book.
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February 28, 2020This book starts with a girl named Maya, who lives on a boat with her family; her younger brother Simon, her baby sister Penny, and her marine-biologist parents. She becomes bored with staying on the ship (Pamela Jane) and wants to become a regular kid, going to school on land with a friend. Then one day her boat flips from a storm to a place called Tamarind. Where almost no one has been to or came out of. However, not knowing this Maya and her siblings get separated from her parents. While on the look for her parents, she meets many new people both good and bad and most importantly a friend, they guide her through the adventure.
This book has been enjoyable because I am a huge fantasy fan. This seemed like a mix of Peter Pan and Lost, which both are one of my favorite books. However, this book didn't get to the resolution as quickly as I thought it would be, which would make sense because it is a series book. The author seems to have a gentle soul; the characters that have supposedly died came back triumphantly, the war ends, and Maya's family go back to the 'outside'
This book has been enjoyable because I am a huge fantasy fan. This seemed like a mix of Peter Pan and Lost, which both are one of my favorite books. However, this book didn't get to the resolution as quickly as I thought it would be, which would make sense because it is a series book. The author seems to have a gentle soul; the characters that have supposedly died came back triumphantly, the war ends, and Maya's family go back to the 'outside'
May 7, 2018
Maya simon and penny have spent their life on the sea in the ship the pamala jane. Maya hates being trapped on the boat and wants to live with her grandma on land. Things take a turn for the worse when their ship wrecks ashore. My first thought was swiss family robinson anyone? This book was so much more than that. Mayas father has been telling them stories about a "fictional" island except they learn first hand its very real when their ship wrecks on the shore. Tamirand is hard to find and hard to escape from. If the dangers lurking in the jungle arent bad enough there is a child napper a civil war and soldiers to avoid. Maya must take care of her siblings while trying to find their parents. The magic that the island posseses. The characters maya and her siblings are lovable with other characters like helix and valarie this book was awesome. I loved the mermaids and the pirates. It was a very enjoyable book and I can't wait to read more.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 189 reviews