There aren't many authors who address dystopia for such a young audience. When they do, the tend to focus on a single failing, on bad government or cruelty. Simple issues of control are easier for a child to digest and mentally resolve. Tilton does not fall into that trap. This book takes on class disparity, willful ignorance, grief and memory, and the way that bureaucracy discourages individuals from thinking. The book is not without it's faults but is admirable for addressing such big topics in simple, accessible language.

A dystopia somewhat similar to Oliver Twist, this is a unique story of a girl and her friends who live and work in the trash dumped by what they call "The Lands Of Luxury", unable to leave due to the robots that keep them there.

I thought this story was really sweet, there was just some odd moments - when she returns the doll and meets the owner's family who want to adopt her, it started to feel weirdly... predatory? She met them for like a minute.

I'm also not a fan of an adult POV in middle grade / YA, I don't think there's a need for it and I found Marc's POV a little jarring with the rest of the story. I did like that we got to see what was happening in Jane's home through the POV of her friends that she had to leave behind though.

Super cute. That's it. I can't give it anything other than "I loved this book and it was a great family read, that I fully intend on adding to the Book Club TBR."

You get a good set-up and can really feel that build up to the resolution. Nothing that feels completely out of left field pops up and throws things off like several other books I've read. This one presents everything so well thanks to a decent writing style. Awesome characters, especially with Rodney's character development, are so perfect for kids floating in those early teen/tween years.

You get this sort of Iron Giant feel from the cover, but the pages give much more dystopian in a bite size yet EPIC way that works well for kids and adults.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* This book was so awesome! i don't even have all the words! Would totally buy and recommend and reread!

A captivating journey of one child’s adventure from their home to a technologically advanced land, to return what once belonged to someone.

Jane lives on an island she calls home but what is actually an island of trash. She lives alongside her two friends, Rodney and Timothy. One day, they happened upon a doll in excellent condition with a return message if found. Thus Jane embarks on a journey to return the doll to do what’s right and all the while experiences a new world that is both interesting and safe.

I absolutely loved this book. I wish it didn’t end with an open-ending and we got to see a bit more into their future lives but it was an amazing journey nonetheless. The writing is mesmerizing and well paced. There’s never a dull moment and the words captured the essence of the character’s feelings and the situation. There were many times I wanted to skip ahead but not because it was slow or boring. I was so worried for the characters I wanted the best for Jane, Roland and Timothy so wanted to know if they were safe!

This story captures a lot of hard topics seamlessly. It has magically woven in topics such as family, belonging, trust, acceptance, fears, new beginnings, forgiveness, and many more. This was a treasure trove of well executed topics which made me cry, think, understand and laugh.

Overall, this beautiful story is one I will treasure. I recommend everyone to give this book a try. You definitely won’t be disappointed!

I thought this book had a really interesting premise and will definitely appeal to middle grade or reluctant readers of that age range. I found it to be too simplistic at times though and was lacking in character development. The world-building could have also done with some work as I think the Lands of Luxury and Jane's island both had potential to be really interesting settings. I think this book just lacked that expansion of a lot of areas, with a longer page count I think this could've been a really fun book.

I did like what it had to say about remembering those we've lost and about acts of kindness opening up more opportunities.

*2.75 Stars*

I loved this book. I loved how it juxtaposed Yarborough Ridge with The Lands of Luxury, and didn’t shy away from the harsh living situation the kids in Yarborough Ridge are living under. I also appreciate that because it was their home there were still parts that were desirable to experience and return to. I also loved the larger criticism of corporations and the way they abuse the environment and people that occurred in the background. It was subtle enough as to not overshadow the whole story, but present in a way to start helping kids reading it question the ethics of corporations in general. I’d love to see a larger story in the future with Jane and her friends taking on this corporate menace.

The only thing I wasn’t a big fan of was the somewhat unnuanced adoption conversation being had, and the very quick possessiveness Jane’s adopters had of her. Her feelings on adoption weren’t explored at all, and she didn’t have anybody she was familiar with to explore the idea with. It felt like she was trading one experience of being controlled and in the dark about the decisions being made about her life and living situation for another, but this time she gets to live in an environment aspirational to the reader, so it’s okay. In a future installment of this world I’d want to see adoption trauma explored, and Jane’s experience with it and her thoughts surrounding her adoption.

This was a lovely little middle grade novel with a heartwarming message about discovering the true value of things. I adored the found family and the strong female lead with a kind heart and strong moral compass. I also really enjoyed that the adult characters were written as real, flawed people with their own insecurities.

While middle grade novels are usually relatively fast-paced, this moved a bit too quickly for me. There wasn’t any time to sit and absorb the world and the themes while trying to keep up with the “blink or you might miss it” plot. I would have really enjoyed some more development of the supporting characters to add a little emotional weight to their stories

Overall, it was an enjoyable read, which I would recommend to my own kids who are looking for something a little different with a good message.

This book is a must-read! I loved it from start to finish. Categorised as "middle grade", it can easily be read by all age groups. It's action-packed, with a cast of endearing characters, complete with riveting stakes.
Combined with the audiobook, the reading experience was brilliant. The narrator did an amazing job bringing the story to life.
The contrast between the trash land and the lands of luxury allowed for a compelling adventure. At the end, you can receive a short story set in the same universe, but I would love for it to become a full-fledged series with more installments.
A page turner!!

Huge thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this amazing book.
I absolutely adore "Please Return to the Lands of Luxury"! This middle-grade fantasy adventure kept me intrigued all 178 pages of it. The writing is phenomenal and Jon Tilton truly has a gift for transporting his readers to his crazy and insane worlds. I immediately fell in love with all of the characters (especially Jane) and could relate to all of them in some way. At times, I even got a little emotional which just shows how great of a story it is! Overall, this is a fabulous middle-grade novel filled with life lessons, overcoming fears, and doing the right thing. Also, just look at the cover....it's beautiful!! Loved this book so much and can't wait to see what other amazing books Jon comes out with.

I enjoyed this simple yet effective middle grade novel. I enjoyed the found family element and really appreciated the high stakes in the action sequences. Overall it would recommend.

Jane lives on an island of trash.. She is friends with two boys who also live on the island of trash. As a matter of fact, most of the people who live on the island of trash are children. I cringed at the description of the food they eat, what they can find in the trash pile and she lives in a burrow by herself.

Jane finds a doll one day that has writing on it. It says, "Please Return to Gloria Thatcher" and her address. Jane is determined to get the doll to her. The only problem is, the island is watched by robots. She has to figure out how to get past the robots, on a barge, and find Gloria- all without ever being off the island and not knowing where to go.

Her journey is full of adventure, heartbreak, shock, excitement, and soul-searching. She not only learns a world she has never seen, she remembers her past that has been hidden from her by those on the island.

I love this book and plan to share it with my students.
I was given the opportunity to read this book by NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, what an incredible story! Adventurous, touching and truly inspiring. Jane is an admirable and brave main character, who sticks to her instincts and determined to help others, even when her friends disagree with her ideas.
I really loved this book, I was glued to the page the whole time so intrigued to find out what’s going to happen next. I enjoyed discovering this unique world through Jane’s eyes so much and all the adventures!
I highly recommend reading this adorable book to everyone!

Thank you to @netgalley for providing an AudioARC in exchange for my honest review.

The most important details in this text are that the author was captivated by the world-building and yearned to learn more. There are additional books set in the planet or this is the first in a series, and the characters were lifelike. It was great to see young people making poor decisions yet feeling justified in doing so, unlike many authors who depict characters as being so foolish that they have no chance of ever reaching their intended destination.

I received a free arc of this book for an honest review.

This was actually a very fun and surprising read. The world building was incredible and I wanted to know more and more. Apparently this is a book that is supposed to be a series, or there are other books set in this world. I have not looked into the other books or if they are even published yet, but I am definitely going to be reading more.

The characters were very realistic. I actually felt they were real sometimes. It was very nice to have a kid characters actually making bad choices, but feeling like they were justified in a way. A lot of times authors will write it where they are just stupid beyond belief with no possibility of even getting to where they wanted to go. But everyone had a reason.

I felt like things moved very fast in the beginning. We had only just jumped into the book, and I didn’t know anything about anyone or anything, and suddenly we were already off to the Lands of Luxury. And I was also very confused for a while when Rodney and Timothy had POV‘s. It eventually made sense, but I feel like the lead in and the reason why this book existed was not very clearly stated in the beginning. I would’ve liked to know more about Jane as a character and also less about her parents because I felt like she was just a child missing her parents and that was all she was.

But Jane being with Chloe and Marc really made up for all of that because she was just so gosh darn cute.

Though this book was coincidental. The fire happen the same night as she left. I wanted more time for her to get adjusted and also more time with Timothy and Rodney. Also just felt the metal men just missed her too easily.

The bite that she also had with the animal in the truck in the first few chapters had no bearing on the plot whatsoever.

I also felt confused on what exactly her father was doing in the past, and why he died. Like for what reason did he die? Did I miss it? I felt like that backstory could’ve been much more explained. And why is the mother dead or what about the other adults. I can get mystery but too much was left in the open.

Maybe it will be in future books. There is definitely something going on with the corporation and I really liked how realistic that was. Real life is like that. real life you cannot get a hold of a big corporation right away. real life you can’t stop big things that might hurt people in the long run. It can make you feel very helpless.

I thought this book really touched on what the world is really like and also made me want to be in this fake world. and that is why I gave her it stars.

I will read more.

I loved this story! And I’m excited to know there is more coming. This was a completely different take on anything I’ve ever read before. The thought of a world having a place solely for garbage, and there being people who live there, was so unexpected. The thought is somewhat unnerving and icky. But then to add this heartfelt story with meaning and friendship, and seeing these kids look inside themselves to find their strengths, and to see them learning how to trust each other and others…the entire story was marvelous!

Definitely a must read!

It was an easy read, I could see kids as young as fourth grade enjoying this book.

*I received an advanced copy of this book for my honest review.

I received a free ebook copy of this book through Net Galley and Blueberry Finch but my review is my own.

I really loved this sweet book. I was initially drawn to the cover when I saw it on Net Galley and didn’t know what to expect really. The world building was good and I felt immersed quickly. Jane is lovable and brave and sweet and innocent and made for an excellent main character. I also enjoyed Rodney and Timothy and the banter and camaraderie between them throughout the story. The book is filled with so much heart and I definitely teared up in a few places. My one real con )and it’s a small one really) is that the ending felt a bit rushed to me and I was hoping for more about what happened next. I would recommend this book to other middle grade fans.

A great release for Earth Day with a middle-grade dystopia that is also very sweet, with humans celebrating friendship, adoption, and the fear of forgetting lost loved ones.

Jane lives on an island of trash and discovered a doll with a tag that says to return her to a specific address and person. This becomes very important to her associated with her fear of forgetting her parents. She embarks on a fast-paced journey to return the doll, something that becomes more important than her safety.

We get access to other points of view and follow her friends' actions as well as other characters. Everything happens fast, but the author builds tension when it comes to a clock ticking (about forgetting memories or even concentration day aimed to burn the trash (homes).

Although it is a fast and light read and doesn't go deep into developing the world and characters, we get caught in this quick journey and accept the solutions to the problem well (towards a happy ending) We get the sweetness and gentleness of their relationship, the thrill of her journey discovering a new world and the uneasiness of all the garbage dealt with by the machines.

The message gets through. Our children deserve loving families and a home that is not a junkyard.

Great cover and I had the chance to sample the audiobook. I loved the narrates voice. It agreed with the mood of the book. Thank you Netgalley and publishers for this chance to give my honest opinion.

4 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and Blueberry Finch for an advanced copy of this book!

I didn't know about this book prior to reading it, but the cover was so stunning (shoutout to Sylvia Bi) that it caught my attention immediately. I saw that it was a middle grade book and the audiobook was only four hours long, which made me feel even more compelled to pick it up.

I truly had a good time reading this. This book has so much heart in it, from the very first page. I found the main character Jane and her friends very endearing, right from the start. Seeing how much they cared for each other and tried to protect one another in this book was so heartwarming. I really appreciate that while Jane, Timothy, and Rodney are clearly children, they are still shown to be very bright, capable, and brave. I was also pleasantly surprised by the fact that this was a multi-POV book. I liked the POVs that Jon Tilton chose to showcase and think that all of them felt natural and necessary.

I was expecting this to be a middle grade book that read a bit on the younger side, but there were some mature themes depicted, such as grief, the importance of protecting your community, and pushing back against corrupt systems. I think this is a middle grade that even older teens and adults could appreciate, as well as one that doesn't talk down to children in the target demographic.

I also want to point out that Talon David did an impeccable job narrating and portraying each characters' voice.

This was such an impressive debut. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this book and I look forward to reading more from Jon Tilton in the future.

Please Return to the Lands of Luxury is about a girl named Jane who lives with her friends, Timothy and Rodney, on a island made of trash. No one is allowed to leave on the island, and it is guarded by robots whom they call "metal men".
I really enjoyed this book, it was a heartwarming story. Jane was a sweet character who was really set on giving back a doll she found on the trash island. I'm hoping for a sequel!