Great easy read! Finished in one sitting. I was engaged throughout and was really rooting for Jane! I enjoyed her trying to remember all her memories as a way to tie in all the components of the book.

This is a middle grade story about a young girl named Jane. She lives on an island completely filled with trash. One day she finds a beautiful doll with a tag that says “please return to Gloria Thatcher”. Jane is determined to get the doll back to Gloria and embarks on a grand adventure.

I must say that I really enjoyed this book. The world the characters live in is very interesting (but I must admit I really love dystopian stories!) and I’d love to read more about it. The chapters are rather short, there is always a lot going on and it has some important messages - very suitable for children. For me personally, a little more elaboration on the world, the island and the government (why? how? when?) would have been wonderful. But since this is the first book of a new series - who knows what's still to come! I’m very excited to read what’s next for Jane and her friends.

I really think this will be a wonderful new series for children and I really really really hope that it will be translated to Dutch, so that I can add it to our library and my children can read it as well!

A big thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book as an avanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. This has not affected my review in any way.

The cover to this book really sold me on reading it. It's so colorful and it really sets the story up nicely.
I really enjoyed Jane's story. I love how everything unfolds and I would definitely continue with the series. The world, the systems, all capture the imagination and keep the reader engaged.

While I definitely enjoyed the book as a whole, I did have a few issues.
1. I wasn't the biggest fan of Rodney and Timothy's disagreement towards the end. Or, at least not the way it was resolved. It just felt a bit too shallow. (I think Rodney had every right to be upset. Also, Timothy never seemed to actually be sorry, and the whole thing wrapped up a little too easily for me, especially without any real lessons being learned.)
2. There is a part in Gloria's apartment where she (Gloria) reappears without note (very minor, just wanted to note it).
3. The grown ups overall are a bit one dimensional.

Again, I really did enjoy this, especially once Jane got to Copiacia. I almost wish it had been longer so it could've had more detail and been fleshed out a bit more.

I utterly adored this story. Although short, it felt rather established and I was immediately swept away. I think the tone and voices were both strong, the children actually read as children without feeling one note or too mature. There were a lot of sweet moments and details that I appreciated were included.

I wish that there was a bit more background explained in the beginning, either from a narrator's perspective or prologue, just because I felt a bit confused on how we got to this setting. Which made sense from the children's perspective because they didn't know either, but as a reader it would have been nice to feel a bit more grounded in the world.
It also felt a bit odd that the adults went straight to trying to keep this lost child rather than talking to the authorities and getting her help, but it felt par for the course of this type of story.

I definitely recommend and feel like this would be a wonderful choice for reading aloud :)

What a sweet story. Very short and rather simple, but the message was warm and meaningful. It's about a girl who lives in a junkyard and knows no other life, who decides to return a doll to a girl from a somewhat Utopian world. Despite being given a chance to stay, she doesn't want to, because she's afraid she'll forget the ones she loved who are now gone. This is a story about moving on and the importance of remembering those we love and telling our stories.

I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.

This beautiful book was “altogether grand”! (And that cover! 😍)

From the very first chapter, I had a smile on my face. As someone who doesn’t usually read middle grade fiction, this was a major win, and by the end of the story, I had actually teared up.

Everything about this story was heartwarming & enchanting. The friendship between Jane, Timothy, and Rodney. The banter. The smooth & compelling narration. The adventure. And I loved how the world building was seamless & vividly descriptive without being overwhelming.

Heartfelt themes of friendship, found family, belonging, second chances, and forgiveness are woven in beautifully! Perfect for young readers & grown-ups alike!

It was absolutely worth staying up late to finish this, and I already can’t wait to reread this stunning tale!


*Thank you to NetGalley and Blueberry Finch for the complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a positive review. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.

I really enjoyed this book. The story of Jane was fascinating, and the world the author created was immersive. Jane's journey to the Lands of Luxury had me on the edge of my seat. I loved the idea of returning something that was lost and how items are connected to memories. The ending was a perfect way to tie up the story. I would love to see a follow-up novel, and I believe this a book that my students would love!

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC.

I wasn't expecting this to be as fun, sweet, and heartwarming as it was! I loved our main characters and their mission and I also loved the message of family and friendships. This book put a smile on my face and it was a thrill to read.

I really enjoyed this book!
It was unexpectedly fun and quick to read and I enjoyed every page of it.
Really beautiful underlying messages of memories, family and friendships.
Really really enjoyed it!
The artwork on the front is perfect for the book in my opinion too.

I give 4 stars for this book, great book I’d happily give to my daughter or son to read.

Thank you, Blueberry Finch, for the advance reading copy.

This is such an amazing heartwarming story about three homeless kids, one of them trying their best to get a doll back to its owner thinking it would mean the most to them.

But things wouldn’t turn out as it seemed to be and they have to find their way back home which would turn out to be one of the most dangerous ways they could ever imagine.

This is the story of friendship, meeting new people, kindness and found family.

I just love the writing. Perfect for the reading audience.