Dr. Franklin's Island

A favourite ever since i was a kid.

Semirah Garson is a teenager who is NOT perfect. She is shy, a little plump, wears contacts and excells at being a typical nerd. She is one of 50 high school kids to go on a trip to Ecuador's tropical rain forests. However, their plane crashes. She, Miranda and Arnie are the only three survivors. Miranda is a "cool girl" whom Semi is originally terrified of and ends up becoming best friends with. Arnie, a comic book lover and PC gamer is lazy, cynical, oftentimes rude, loves to differ and often unhonest, yet honest for the worst things. One day Arnie disappears, and from there on, things become stranger. Miranda and Semi discover they are not alone on the island, but they are accompanied by a scientist who would like to transform humans into other animals, and Semi and Miranda are just the people to do it. This novel brings up timeless questions and theme without actually saying them too outright. And it will leave you sad, happy and definitely feeling philosiphical. The voice is very honest, and this book is one that can be read time and time and time and time and time again, even if you know the plot inside out. I would love a sequel, yet the ending is such that it may/may not suggest one. "'What are we?' I ask Miranda. 'Are we monsters? Or are we more than human?' She shakes her head. 'I don't know,' she says. 'You're you. I'm me. Let's go.'" "Her eyes closed, and did not open. I sat in Dr. Franklin's motorboat, the blue ocean all around me, the blue sky above. Her voice murmured faintly in my mind - 'Exciting, a great adventure - ' 'Say it, Semi - ' Then I waited, to see what would happen."

Although I read the book over a year and a half ago, I still think about it greatly. Recently finishing reading The island of Dr. Moreau which inspired Dr.F's island. The author filled in the details of the experiments which Wells left out. The book was exciting to read. If you enjoy sci-fi and drama this book is for you.

Trisha Ruby 10/8/04 In the book Dr. Franklin's Island there are two girls that get stranded on an island that they have no clue about. After a couple of months on the island, Dr. Franklin captured them. They were put under careful surveillance to where Dr. Franklin watched them vary carefully. When it was time for them to get changed into the experiments they were split apart and then given an antidote that would change them. Later on in the book they found a way to get changed back into humans and get away from Dr. Franklin and to the mainland where their parents were. In the book Dr. Franklin's Island the main character is Semi. She is very shy and does not like to make friends with people really fast like most people would. Semi is a little plump in the beginning of the book. When she got stranded on the island, after a couple of months she was really skinny. When Dr. Franklin changed her into a creature, he changed her into a huge manta ray. Whenever they got changed back into humans Semi was bald and back to her normal plump size. I liked Dr. Franklin's Island because it made you want to keep on reading until you found out what happened to everybody. The only problem with that was it never let you know until the end of the book. My favorite part of the book was when Semi and Miranda finally got to see their parents after one hundred and forty-five day of being deserted on the island. I would defiantly recommend this book to all of my friends and tell them that they must read it. I give this book an "A"

Written By: Ann HalamCover Art By: Danilo DucakPublished: 2002Published By: Random HousePages: 246Extras: NoneSummary:The palm-fringed beaches on a tiny tropical island hide a terrible secret. Beyond the azure waters and white sand is Dr. Franklin's "hospital."Miranda, Semi, and Arnie, survivors of a plane crash are about to become the doctor's next victims. He's been waiting for them. They're perfect subjects for his experiments in genetic engineering.Cover Art Review:It's pretty but boring. It does have something to do with the book, but you have to read the book.Overall: 6 (1-10) Pretty, but boring.Book Review:If you're a girl, don't run from this book. Its not a guy's book. And guys, its not a girl's book. This a great book. I finished it in one day. Not because its short. Its just so good. It moved slowly. Your half-way into the book before the main plot starts. At the same time, it moved fast and slow. Slow doesn't mean boring though. Halam takes her time. She makes you like these chacters. In a way, it was like I was on the island with them. So when what happens, finally happens, you feel the same pain they feel. You know their joy, their fear, their pain. You're heart soars every time they break out, then breaks when they are recaptured. Everything they go through, you go through. Everything. Rarely, if ever, do I feel this feeling in a YA book. There is no happy ending, but there is an ending and one you'll be happy with. Really, it's the only way it could end/Overall: 10 (1-10) This is a great book. Just read it.Reviewer's Note: This book does have a plane exploding, and details about a few of the bodies that show up. There's nothing too graphic, just disturbing.

This book is what everyone wants to look for on their book shelves. This is an extrordianary book and I usually do not like to read sci-fi books. Who knew genetic transformation could be so scary!