book cover

Lost on Gibbon Island

by Jess Butterworth, illustrated by Rob Biddulph

Interest age: 9 to 11
Reading age: 9+

Published by Hachette Children’s Group, 2024

  • Adventure
  • Around the world
  • Diaries and journals

About this book

Lark’s mum is an environmental journalist and has dragged the whole family to Cambodia while she investigates a story, meaning Lark is going to miss a big gymnastics competition she’s been training for. But things get even worse when a dolphin-watching trip goes horribly wrong: the boat is attacked and Lark is shipwrecked, alone, on an uninhabited jungle island. 

Surrounded by dangerssnakes, baking sun, jellyfish-infested waters and more – Lark must search for food and water and somehow find a way to stay alive. The only company she has is a baby gibbon. As Lark records her struggle for survival in her waterproof notebook, she begins to question why someone would attack her boat like that, what happened to the other girl who was on the boatand how she’s going to get off the island 

A classic adventure story with a mystery woven through it that has an environmental and animal conservation theme, this is the perfect read for fans of Lauren St John or Nizrana Farook, and anyone who loves stories about righting wrongs and doing what you believe in.  

About the author

Jess spent her childhood between the UK and India, and grew up hearing stories about the Himalayas from her grandmother. She's lived in India and even met with the Dalai Lama. She studied creative writing at Bath Spa and now lives between Louisiana and the UK.

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