Fourth grader and game addict, Milton P. Green, is trying transform himself from Bird Brain to SeaHawk, the main character of his hand held adventure game “Isle of Wild”. While his parents work on their divorce, he is shipped off to a remote tropical island to live with Uncle Evan, a researcher working with other scientists to study the flora and fauna on the island. All would have been great except the island does not have electricity, so our screen addicted character has no way to charge his game, but that glitch means he will have the opportunity to make friends with the other kids on the island, and revel in the adventureand discoveries on the island. There is a solid ecological and environment theme, but what I appreciated about the plot was Milton having to step away from the video game, and realize the real life adventure unfolding before him. I will recommend this event driven title, but I preferred the depth of the author's Miraculous.

An epic adventure and mystery featuring an environmental friendly message for middle grade. Readers will love discovering new species with Milton.

Oh there is so much to love about this book. Even in the description, there were things I was intrigued by: Milton and his past, remote islands, and cryptic clues. And even though I knew she wouldn't, Redman didn't disappoint. I love every world she creates, and Milton on Lone Island is included in that.

There were some heavy topics featured, but the book didn't feel heavy. And I really related to Milton and how he messes up sometimes and it's really hard to get over. He likes to lose himself in fictional worlds and doesn't like to face what's going on in life.

But on Lone Island, he finds reality, he finds bravery, he finds truth, and he finds adventure. What a great motto to live by: The Adventure is Now!

The setting was so vivid, I really felt like I was experiencing everything right alongside Milton and Fig. And the puzzles were so clever. Such a fun addition to such a heartfelt story.

The Adventure is now was a fun adventure in exploring nature. I enjoyed the scientific names of plants and animals. The friendships felt authentic and genuine.
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What an absolutely fabulous book. I finished it in one sitting and can't wait to recommend it to everyone. I really like that the words are not always easy to read and pronounce but they are not dumbed down at all as so many things are. I now want to read everything by Jess Redman!

**Thank you publisher and NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review**

I am already a big fan of Jess Redman from The Miraculous and Quintessence, so it's no surprise that I couldn't wait to read The Adventure Is Now. I had high expectations, and Jess did not disappoint once again!

Milton P. Greene isn’t having the best year. In fact he calls it the “Most Totally, Terribly, Horrible, Heinously Rotten Year of All Time.” He is getting bullied, his parents are getting divorced, and he is being sent for the summer to a lonely island with his environmentalist uncle. A lack of electricity forces him outside, as he meets three other island children and they go on an adventure to try and discover the mysteries of the island. Jess puts so much voice into each of her characters that I just could not put this book down.

This book was so much fun to read. I highly recommend for middle grade adventure lovers. I will definitely be adding this to our classroom library!

Milton P. Greene has just had the worse school year imaginable. Everyone is avoiding him because of the embarrassing “Bird Brain Incident”, his best friend (only friend) is avoiding him and his parents are getting a divorce. Not surprising is that the only thing Milton can look forward to is becoming Sea Hawk, brave naturalist explorer who never backs down from danger and rescues endangered wildlife. Oh, but that’s only a game and he couldn’t possibly play all summer, not where his parents are sending him anyway, the Lone Island. There he will spend the summer with his uncle and have the chance to truly have some Sea Hawk adventures.

Overall Thoughts: While I am not usually a big middle grade reader I totally admit this was a cover pick. I have been wanting to read some books that I think a little bo would enjoy (I have a son that I would like to do read-alouds with) and this one seemed perfect. Spoiler alert: it absolutely was. This was super cute and perfect for those kids that love playing video games constantly. I like that we go to seem that he used it as an escape and that, in the end, he learns that Milton P. Greene is just as cool as Sea Hawk.

This is really a book that focuses on friendships and overcoming trivial disagreements at arise when people (kids) have different interest and reservations about meeting new people. It was absolutely cute and totally unbelievable (at lease the island was). It was all fun to read and the adventure Milton and his friends go on will paint a really fun adventure that will surely make you want to go outside and explore nature. There are a lot of big words (scientific names of plants and animals) but I’m sure that some of them are made up for the crazy tings the kids discover on the island.

The friendships are what really made it in and the things they learned about themselves and each other was what propelled the story along. There is the heavy topic of divorce but I don’t think it goes into that too much or too deeply.

Milton P. Greene has had the worst year of his life. All he wants to do for the summer is to escape into in his favorite video game, Isle of Wild, where he can be Sea Hawk instead of Milton. His parents have a different plan for him though. They are getting divorced and want the summer to work out the details, so they are sending him to The Lost Isle to stay with his uncle for the summer.
Milton isn't sure how he feels about the situation, but after some tentative island exploring, he meets 3 other children who are living nearby with their researcher parents. When they discover that the island is in danger, Milton and his fellow explorers go on the adventure of a lifetime to try to save it.
Thank you to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of #TheAdventureIsNow by #JessRedman. I enjoyed every minute of this heartfelt novel about friendship, family, loss, and the joy that can arise from spending time with nature. The world of The Lost Isle is a magical, beautiful place just waiting to be discovered. So, don't delay, read away; after all, The Adventure is Now!

middle grade usually isn't my genre, so i went out on a limb here whilst requesting this read. but let me just say that i do not regret it! this book was fun and full of so much adventure, i really enjoyed it.

Thank. you to the publisher for the e-ARC of this one.

Milton P. "Sea Hawk" Greene is a great protagonist, and I can already think of a number of readers who will devour this adventure-fantasy. Milton's friendship with Fig, and subsequently with Raffi and Gabe is very well done, but I think the real allure of this book is their trek through the jungle. I can't wait for this book to make it's way into classroom libraries.

Milton P. Greene is having the Most Totally, Terribly, Horribly, Heinously Rotten Year of All Time. He appears to have lost his best friend, he’s being bullied at school, his parents are getting a divorce, and now Milton must go spend the summer with his Uncle Evan, an environmentalist researcher, on a deserted island WITHOUT any electricity. If only he could only play his trusty video game, Isle of Wild, then all his problems might drift to the peripheral and allow him to have some fun.

Facing obvious anxiety, once Milton arrives at the remote Lone Island he decides to become someone else as a coping mechanism. The other kids totally buy that his real name is Sea Hawk and he capitalizes on his naturalist skills, using what he’s learned playing his favorite video game. But between him and the other three children living there, will they have the connection, intelligence, and wisdom needed to uncover the secrets of the Lone Island and prevent it from from falling into corrupt hands?

This was a FANTASTIC book from start to finish – the awkward friendship interactions, the struggle to be honest and vulnerable, the vivid and elaborate description of the adventurous island – this exciting story is BEGGING to be read aloud! In fact, I kept thinking what a wonderfully whimsical movie it would make with all these highly imaginative creatures and the unique island environment. Additionally, I just love that cover AND the book includes the field guide from the story, which was fun to read with the story. My thanks to Netgalley, Jess Redman, and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for allowing me an advanced reader’s copy so that I could provide my honest review. I highly recommend The Adventure Is Now for the home, the classroom, and for children’s libraries everywhere!

Milton P. Greene isn’t having the best year. In fact he calls it the “Most Totally, Terribly, Horrible, Heinously Rotten Year of All Time.”

His one best friend is no longer his best friend, especially after the embarrassing Bird Brain incident. Milton’s parents have decided to divorce, and now Mom and Dad are sending him off to live with Uncle Evan on Lone Island somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean for the summer months.

Milton isn’t so sure this is a great idea to be dumped into the care of his Uncle who is a nature researcher on the island. He once wanted to visit but that was back when Milton was going through his nature phase. Now all he cares about is playing his Isle of Wild hand-held video game.

The third person narration spreads out over 70 short chapters. Milton’s quirky vocabulary and personal fears play into every step of the journey. On the island he meets the only other kids—2 brothers and a girl. They don’t start out as friends but soon things begin to change after Milton finds a Lone Island Field Guide written my Dr. Ada Paradis who passed away some time ago and left the guide for someone to find. It contains the island’s enchanted secrets.

It was fun to follow Milton’s growth as he tries to understand and face his fears. The island is in danger of being sold to developers and saving the resources and unique animals are his top priority. The heartfelt ending leaves Milton in tears but you’ll be glad to have spent time with him. Great for nature lovers and those who love a good friendship story.

Milton P. Greene is on the adventure of his lifetime. Forced to a deserted island by his divorcing parents, Milton is down on himself and his friendships. All he wants to do is curl up and play his video game. Unfortunately, a lack of electricity forces him outside, and on an adventure to try and discover the mysteries of the island. Redman's writing is humorous, drawing in the reader and allowing us to feel Milton's angst and indecision. She paints a vivid picture of the island and its mysterious creatures, drawing us in on the adventure of a lifetime. I couldn't put this book down, and now my students are fighting over who can read it next.

I was not convinced by the first few chapters of the book, but I kept reading. Sea Hawk and Fig find the key to the adventure of a lifetime. They are the ones connected to the island and it reaches out to them. We all need a lifeline and a reset. Milton gets his chance and learns more about himself and others in the process.

Such a well done book! I love the cover so very much. The writing is absolutely engaging. Love this book and cannot wait to share it!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are completely my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for the review copy of this book. At this point, Jess Redman could write anything, and I would be on board to read it. The Miraculous and Quintessence were such marvelous books, I was very excited to see she had a new book coming out. The Adventure is Now brings a wonderful new cast of splendid characters. I love it when authors can put such a complete voice into each character, and Jess Redman is a master at this. I love Milton and Fig especially, but Rafi and Gabe are also great!

Milton has spent the last school year on the sidelines. He has no more friends, his parents are separated, and he escapes into his survival video game. During the summer, his parents send him to live with his uncle on Lone Island, where he cannot charge his video game. Will he survive? There are three other children living on the island, will he make friends?

Jess Redman builds a fantastical world in the Lone Island. I trust her wholeheartedly with my reading life!

A book about adventure and friendship and one quirky main character! Milton is having a rough-go at things. His parents are on the brink of divorce, there has been a horrible incident at school that has left him friendless, and all he wants to do is get lost in his hand held video game. There he can be like his hero, Sea Hawk, an adventurer and naturalist explorer, who is not afraid to conquer the great outdoors. When Milton finds out he is being shipped to his Uncle Evan's, who lives on a small and still unexplored island, while it should make Milton excited for his own adventure, just makes Milton want to disappear farther into his game. Once he gets there and his game loses all power since there is no electricity, Milton has to go outdoors. Maybe this summer, he might find some of his own adventure, and some unexpected friends.
Redman has built her own world for readers to explore on this island. Included at the end is the field guide that explains all the flora and fauna Milton and friends explore.

This is a whimsical romp through a fantastical island that has remained a mystery to most people for years and years. Milton reluctantly shows up on the isolated island for the summer after a terrible year to visit his uncle who is a researcher. Throughout the summer he learns to be honest with himself, what friendship looks like, and has a big adventure along the way. This book balances emotional vulnerability, wonderful storytelling, humorous circumstances, and exciting events so wonderfully. So much is packed into this story that you won't want to stop turning the pages.

Note, as with most middle grade books, the parents are not stunning role models and are more than a little oblivious to what is happening in Milton's life.

For fans of the new Jumanji movies and the Magic School Bus.

Content Warning: Divorce, Bullying

I knew from the beginning that Milton P. Greene was going to be a character, both literally and figuratively. Milton had struggled significantly with this year as his parents divorce was finalizing, his best friend abandoned him, and his realization that he was alone, well except for his game Isle of Wild. After a forced trip to his Uncle’s for the summer on a remote island, Milton starts to discover a lot more than just nature. More of himself, what he labels a RESTART.

I love how this book is full of science. It is so important for those students who love science to see themselves in things they read. Nature is huge, and Jess does a great job hitting a love of nature without making you feel like an outsider for enjoying time spent outdoors exploring. (A past time I enjoyed as a kid that I feel is far too avoided anymore). I am also a huge fan of short chapters for middle grade books. My mind just believes that I’m reading so much more and so much faster - even though it’s not the case, but I love how short the chapters are throughout the entire book.

I read this book with my children. What a fantastic and delightful middle-grade read.
Milton P. Green was having a terrible year with his parents about to get divorced, and the Bird Brain incident made him lose all his friends. He spent most of his time playing the video game Isle of Wild, pretending to be Sea Hawk, who goes on quests to save the world.
When Milton’s parents send him to spend the summer with Uncle Evan on remote Lone Island, he wasn’t thrilled at first, but soon he feels that he can actually be like Sea Hawk and save the world. He even introduces himself as Sea Hawk to a few children.
Can Milton make friends? Can he cope with his family situations? Read this adventurous book to find out.
Milton is funny, and most middle-graders will relate to difficulties at home and at school. The mysteries in the flora and fauna of this land are very intriguing and will capture the minds of young readers.
This book will make a great read-aloud at home or in a classroom, and children will immediately fall in love with Milton.
It’s an easy 5/5 stars for us.