This was such a cool read! The story is full of adventure and mystery, but it also makes you think about the environment. It has this way of making you think about the environmental issues without feeling too heavy so it's perfect for yonger readers. The world-building is really well done, and the characters are easy to relate to. It’s a fun read that has a lot of heart and leaves you feeling inspired!

An unforeseen discovery. A perilous journey. An exhilarating adventure that will redefine her future. Jane lives on a garbage-strewn island, scavenging through heaps of waste and contending with menacing robots. Despite this, she treasures her home, the only world she’s ever known, from her fondest memories to the foggy details of her past she can't fully recall. But everything shifts when a doll emerges from the latest refuse. Unlike the usual trash, this doll is pristine, and its tag reads, “Please return to Gloria Thatcher.”

Believing it’s a mistake, Jane is determined to return the doll to its rightful owner. The challenge? No one has ever left the island, thanks to the oppressive robots guarding the Docks—a perilous area shrouded in mystery. Will Jane find a way to the Lands of Luxury? Will she unravel the secrets of her own past? Join Jane, Rodney, and Timothy in this thrilling adventure, where they learn the value of adversity and the profound joy of sharing life’s greatest treasure—our friends and family.

"Please Return to the Lands of Luxury" is the first installment in this captivating series. Follow Jane and her companions as they explore a distant world unlike their own, filled with action, heart, and timeless themes.

This was a gorgeous, adventurous, and cute book filled with lovely themes of friendship, bravery, doing what is right, and finding your place in the world.

This was a well-paced book, and I enjoyed the audiobook version, and the narrator told the story really well.

I enjoyed the world-building and the way it was vividly descriptive and combined dystopian and realism. Jane was such a gorgeous character, and the supporting characters really added to the story as well and I enjoyed the banter between them.

I liked this book, but I think younger people would like this book even more.
I think it is great as an audiobook! The narrator does a great job.

The story didn't really get me hooked to be totally honest, but I liked how everything was described.

I liked the ambience of this book.

I read this book sometime ago as an audiobook, and neglected to add a review. This was a younger books, and I would normally read, but since I teach sixth grade, it also was very enjoyable. I would recommend it for upper elementary to early middle grade.

The main character, Jane, is plucky and determined, and although she lives on an island of trash, and there are scary robots that are trying to kill them, she takes it upon herself to attempt to return a doll that she found in the trash piles. It includes a name, and she decides it’s up to her to reunite it with its owner.

There is plenty to consider about corporate greed, and the handling of our precious planet, along with questions of who really matters, and can people be completely overlooked and forgotten in society.

I would definitely recommend this to my students. It’s a good book.

Brief Summary: Jane lives in a landfill. She is accustomed to digging through trash for daily necessities (clothing, food, toys). One day, she stumbles across a brand new doll with a tag that reads, “Please return to Gloria Thatcher.” Jane is determined to go to the Land of Luxury to return the doll. Through the journey, she learns about family, friendships, and various life lessons.

Thoughts: This was an excellent middle school-age read. The characters were realistic and likable. Though this has fantasy elements, it is still written in a way that creates connectivity and believability. The pacing was perfect, and the writing was easy to read. The storyline was engaging and filled with suspense. Life lessons were incorporated subtly throughout. A+ read, VERY well done!

Thank you to Jon Tilton, Blueberry Finch, and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

I enjoyed the narration of the audiobook, the voice was fitting to the character and brought the story to life. I felt some Oliver Twist vibes here and there in places. The story was sweet but there were some odd moments that flapped red flags in my mind while listening. There were times in the book when things happened too fast and were just too easy to be believable.

I listened to Please Return to the Lands of Luxury with my seven. year old, and we both enjoyed the story and are looking forward to hearing more about this world. This book is filled with some mysteries and things to spark curiosity, but I think the authour does a great job of setting the stage, and world building, in a way that isn't always present in books targeting younger readers, so that was exciting to hear. I think the narration fit the story well, though at times was a bit too sweet for me - but my child responded positively.

A great adventure. A book about friendship, discovery, and exploration of different worlds. Enjoyed by both an adult and a 7 year old. I loved that as well as a wonderful adventure it had mystery and lessons about different places and different people and how in general we should all appreciate one another and where we come from.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me an audio copy of this book!

I was really drawn in to the cover of this one, it looks beautiful and promises action and adventure! Whilst it delivered exactly that, it also delivered so much heart! There were times I felt truly choked up whilst listening, the emotions were so real and written so well!

The characters were all brilliant and believable. The kids were plucky and engaging, with their own individual faults and problems to overcome. And Mark, for me as a parent myself, was very relatable in his fears and worries!

I loved the way this story came together, it was so beautiful and a really very enjoyable listen too!

I received a copy of this audiobook through Netgalley. This is my honest review.

This is a story about an island of garbage that is inhabited largely by children, and there's a horrible reason for that. The story is told largely from the perspective of Jane, but it does shift perspectives to a few other major characters at times so we get a broader view of the story. What we don't get, is an explanation of how this island used for dumping garbage became inhabited in the first place, or why the fact that it was inhabited was ignored by the wealthy. Not that I have a hard time imagining a corporation disregarding human life because they found an otherwise convenient location for dumping waste.

This book is geared to an audience significantly younger than myself, but I think it'd be about perfect for my daughter who is 12 now. In spite of that, I felt completely engrossed in the story, and found it rather easy to slip into Jane's shoes as she went on her adventure to the lands of luxury (the mainland) in order to return a doll that had ended up on garbage island.

Overall I give Please Return to the Lands of Luxury 4.63 out of 5 stars.

I got this for my 8 year old daughter. She loved the story and really enjoyed listening to it. She said she would recommend it and gave it five stars. The narrator was easy to listen to as well.

A heartwarming story, and a great debut! This book contains great themes for middle-grade and is sure to be enjoyed by its audience.

I do not usually do audio books so this was a new experience for me and one that I very much enjoyed. The storyline is relatable and you strive for a positive ending for the main character who has to overcome some personal challenges. Many different themes are explored in the narrative which some children will be able to relate to. I will recommend this to others.

*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!

Format: audiobook ~ Narrator: Talon David
Content: 4.5 stars ~ Narration: 4.5 stars

Jane lives in Yarborough Ridge, which is, in fact, an island of trash. One day she finds a doll with a note: »Please return to Gloria Thatcher« and the address to return it to. Jane decides to find the owner, even though the address is in the Lands of Luxury.

Please Return to the Lands of Luxury is such a heartwarming story for kids. It’s a middle-grade dystopian adventure where Jane, Rodney, and Timothy explore a distant land nothing like their own.

As an adult, I was wondering about some details in the story. This is the first book from the series, so maybe this will be further explored.

The narration by Talon David is wonderful. The voice suits the story and this type of book.

Please Return to the Lands of Luxury was a fast paced and exciting book. It is the kind of story that fans of Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix will thoroughly enjoy.

This is the first book in this series, so I suspect Jon Tilton is slowly introducing us to the world he has created. Several big questions are left unanswered by the end, but it leave the reader wanting to know more and eager to read the next book. I know I’ll be looking for the sequel once it comes out.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

#PleaseReturntotheLandsofLuxury #NetGalley

A quick and easy listen. The story itself was simple but intriguing, so kids will definitely love it.

Unfortunately this title was archived before I worked out how to listen to audio books on the app but will definitely keep an eye out for the published book!

This is the first book in a middle grade level dystopian adventure series, Please Return to the Lands of Luxury is a wonderful adventure story with settings, characters and perspectives that middle school kids will identify with. It's a fun book with great plot twists and surprises! It will speak to students about the differences in peoples lives, how friendship and belonging are key to survival, and how much they matter to us! An island of trash is an oasis to Jane and all of her friends that call it home. When she finds a doll, she knows it was loved, and did not belong to her island. In her quest to return it to it's owner, she gets more than she bargained for. The morality in this story make it worth the read, middle grades or not!

What a great, heartbreaking, hopegiving story!

The idea of a lost society buried under trash that the rich know nothing about is not new but this was a great example of how to make it your own. All of the protagonists were very charming and I fell in love with a violet hoodie ;)

Unfortunately, there was no explanation given to how exactly this whole 2 society thing happenened but otherwise a great listening experience which made me laugh as much as it made me sad.

Not only enjoyable by middle grade readers ;)