We have to admit we’re pretty excited about this latest book from NYT best-selling author Mary Alice Monroe and Angela May, both island friends of Dewees Island. Intended for middle grade readers, the novel has themes that will resonate with readers of all ages: the healing power of nature, the strength of intergenerational family relationships, the joy of like-minded friends, the first taste of adventure. One of the things I love about it is that it really describes day-to-day life on the island.
Scenes from the Book
The photo above has an excited island resident showing his advance copy of the book~ he helped with inspiration and resource for the story. When I read the advance copy of the book, it was great to find scenes from our daily existence coming to life on the page. I added video clips to these lines from Chapter 1, and pulled them together into a video. The same quotes are illustrated with stills at the bottom of this page.
Authors to Attend Book Club June 17
Mary Alice and Angela will be here on Dewees for our book club meeting at 6:30 on the 17th of this month at Huyler House. Bring a beverage and a nibble to share easily. I’m interested in getting a head count for planning purposes; please email me if you’re planning on attending. If we are able to put it on Zoom and you’d like an invite, please email me that too. Angela and Mary Alice have a long history of visiting Dewees, and the island shows up in other books of Mary Alice, including Beach House for Rent, Beach House Reunion, and her latest, the Summer of Lost and Found.
Preorder your copies for Delivery
If you are ordering from Buxton Books, and you want your copy delivered to Dewees, use this link. Choose Pick-up as your option (not delivery) and in the notes section, write “Add to Dewees Order.” If you’re not on the island, you can still use that link and you’ll be supporting a local bookstore.
Support Literacy: Help Buxton Books put The Islanders in student hands
Mary Alice, Angela, and our friends at Buxton Books have teamed up to provide summer reading books for children who might not otherwise have that sweet feeling of a new book in their hands at the beginning of a summer.
From June 3 – June 20, you can purchase a copy (or copies) of THE ISLANDERS for a student (or multiple students) to be donated to a CCSD Title One School.
Two options available –
- Purchase a copy of THE ISLANDERS for a student
- Purchase an entire classroom’s supply of THE ISLANDERS
Buxton Books will deliver the books to the teachers after June 20th. For questions, please reach out to Hello@BuxtonBooks.com or call the bookstore at 843-723-1670.
Your generosity will help students at: Haut Gap Middle (Johns Island), Hursey Montessori School (North Charleston), and Simmons Pinckney Middle School (downtown).
Angela on Yonder Blue Films Video About the Maritime Forest
When Yonder Blue Films’ Ben Rowland came to Dewees to work with the Dewees Island Conservancy on a feature about the maritime forest, Angela had a chance to sit down and talk about Dewees Island as the setting for her book and the way she wants to bring attention to living with and protecting our natural resources.
Accolades are Rolling In!
Charleston County Public Library is featuring The Islanders this summer, with a drive-by book signing this Saturday, and some videos of Mary Alice and Angela here on Dewees. CCPL’s historian Nic Butler also came out to do some research featuring this history of the island~ We may show up on his podcast.
THE ISLANDERS is an Amazon Editors’ Pick for Best Books in June for Ages 9-12, and it earned the little orange banner as a #1 New Release and #1 Best Seller on Amazon.
“This is storytelling for young readers at its finest — equal parts summer adventure and environmental suspense. ‘The
Islanders’ is a middle-grade love letter to family, friendship, and the natural world.”
— Kwame Alexander, New York Times bestselling author of “The Crossover”
“Full of authentic real-world themes, middle-grade readers will see themselves in the multi-faceted characters and at
the end will be anxious to begin their own summertime adventures! Highly recommended for adults too.”
— Ron Block, Cuyahoga County Public Library
More Praise for The Islanders
“…comforting beach read about the healing power of friendship and nature.”
Need a daily dose of Dewees? Here are ten accounts on instagram that regularly post about island life:
@bchsailorbum, @postfromdewees, @moonshineondewees, @flipflopsandpearlsfinancial, @deweesrealestate, @deweesislandconservancy, @naturewalkswithjudy, @judyondewees, @terriers.on.dewees, @americanbeachdog
