In The Lost Island of Tamarind, Nadia Aguiar takes Maya, Simon and Penny on an adventure that they will never forget. After a terrible storm blows their parents overboard the Pamela Jane, Maya, Simon and Penny find themselves on the mysterious island of Tamarind, an island not on the map. No one has ever left the island, so how will the children? How will they find their parents?

I enjoyed this book because it was well written and had a very interesting plot. I also liked the author's descriptive style. I felt that I could relate to the characters and picture everything very clearly in my head.

In this book, Maya, being the eldest, has to be brave, responsible and look after the others. At some points she gets very stressed and bad-tempered. Throughout the story she is so determined to find her parents and get off the island that she doesn't notice the good things that life has to offer.

I like Simon best because has a playful and adventurous nature and argues a lot with Maya at the beginning of the story. He is also very clever and positive, which helps them get through many of the difficulties they face during the course of their journey.

Penny is a very sweet and smiley baby who helps Maya and Simon keep their spirits up when times are hard. During their adventure, the children meet many people who help them out. Helix is just one of them. He has been on Tamarind all his is life and is a great help, even though Maya doesn't realise it at first.

The book deals very well with the theme of growing up and becoming independent from your parents. It helped me to think about what growing up means to me. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone over the age of 9. I rate this book 9 out of 10.

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