Isle of Ever takes you on a wild, fantastical adventure in both past and present. Benny is a lovable main character and her longing for belonging is palpable. She works on trusting people throughout the book and is making great strides when disaster strikes.

I hope Book 2 is going to be released soon so we can discover what happens to Benny and her friends.

I received an ARC; this is my honest review.

Spoiler alert:

The one thing I didn't like about the book is it ends on a cliffhanger.

I appreciate wanting to create a series, but this felt like half a book. I am not convinced the author even knows where this story is going. I was very disappointed that there was absolutely zero resolution. The story itself was cute even if it wasn't original. There are pieces from The Inheritance Game and Pirates of the Caribbean. I can see how this could be an enjoyable YA book for the 10-12 year olds, but not a series I feel any need to be on the look out for.

Isle of Ever by Jen Calonita is an exhilarating rollercoaster of mystery, adventure, and heart-pounding suspense! Get ready for a ride where the stakes are sky-high, and the clock is ticking. Benny Benedict, an ordinary girl with extraordinary luck, discovers she's the heir to an immense fortune left by a long-lost ancestor, Evelyn Terry. But there's a catch: to unlock the inheritance, Benny must find a long-lost island that’s been missing from maps for centuries. It’s a race against time, with only two weeks to solve clues hidden in Evelyn’s diary, and the tension never lets up!

From the very first page, the adventure grabs you and doesn’t let go. Benny is thrown into a whirlwind of puzzle-solving, secret uncovering, and thrilling twists, as she navigates an impossible quest with everything on the line. The island’s mystery is so tantalizing, you’ll find yourself on the edge of your seat, eager to piece together the clues alongside Benny.

But it’s not just the treasure hunt that makes this story irresistible. The deeper Benny digs into the past, the more she realizes there’s something darker at play—an ancient curse that could change everything. What started as a search for riches quickly becomes a high-stakes battle for her own future, and Benny’s determination to break the curse will have readers rooting for her every step of the way.

With clever puzzles and an intriguing family legacy, Isle of Ever will have you turning pages late into the night. Benny’s relatable struggles, her emotional connection to her mom, and the thrill of uncovering long-buried secrets will make this book impossible to put down. It’s a heart-pounding, twist-filled adventure that proves sometimes the greatest treasure is not what you find—but what you learn along the way.

Isle of Ever is the kind of book that leaves you breathless, energized, and desperate for more!

Life is somewhat complicated for twelve-year-old Everly “Benny” Benedict. Ever since her grandmother’s death, Benny and her mother have moved with frequency, and Benny is tired of always being the new girl at school. One day, a stranger arrives with news that could change Benny and her mother’s lives forever if, that is, Benny can solve a puzzle set forth generations before her birth. Benny loves games, but time is running out for Benny to understand the mysterious clues in her possession, and she must determine if she can trust anyone else to help her on her quest. This engaging middle grade novel is fast paced and built upon the premise of a surprise inheritance that is tangled up with a centuries-old mystery. As a puzzle game, the clues are presented in a way that keeps readers engaged as Benny works to resolve them. And with each new development, readers are given the opportunity to unpack the clues alongside Benny and her friends. Young readers will appreciate the problem solving and relationship building that happen throughout the narrative, even when occasional elements of the plot are predictable in nature. While improbable on its face, this novel is nevertheless enjoyable, and readers root for Benny every step of the way. Fans of stories featuring mystery and adventure will appreciate the design and delivery of this book, which is primed for a sequel. This is a fun addition to library collections for confident middle grade readers.

Jen Calonita's newest middle grade novel "Isle of Ever" is exactly what my middle grade readers need— a fast paced ADVENTURE layered under a clue driven MYSTERY with a twist of MAGIC.

Twelve year old Everly “Benny” Benedict must act fast to locate the mysterious Evelyn Island and its treasures before time runs out! The stakes are high and her family is relying on her.

What sets "Isle of Ever" apart is its design. Embedded letters, newspaper articles, and other interactive elements are sprinkled throughout the book, transforming the reading experience, perfect for keeping middle-grade readers engaged. The chapters are also designed with alternating time periods (past/present), helping the reader solve the mystery and get into the character’s minds.

Calonita's writing has a "just one more chapter" style, and an even bigger “one more book” ending.

Friendships are tested, mysteries are being solved, and a touch of magic adds layers of enchantment in this highly recommend book. Can’t wait for #2!

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Isle of Ever by Jen Calonita is a mixed third and first person-POV Middle Grade speculative mystery. In 1825, Evelyn Terry is called to a mysterious island that holds the secret to living forever and even has a pirate who has lived there for 200 years. In 2025, her descendant, Everly, who goes by Benny, could inherit Everlyn’s estate and the security it would provide as long as she solves the game Evelyn left behind for her. But not only is Benny directly named in this game, but Evelyn gave Benny only until June 12th to solve the puzzles left behind.

The puzzles are all via Evelyn’s letters left behind for Benny. It does take some knowledge of classic literature and how Victorian houses were often constructed to solve a few of them. A young reader who has this knowledge might be able to solve it with the characters, but a reader who doesn’t know will learn some new things along the way, such as when Treasure Island and Robinson Crusoe were published. Because of the dual-timeline aspects and the details from Evelyn’s POV (such as Whooping Cough), I would definitely recommend this to kids who are more interested in history rather than young readers who want books about the future.

A major theme in Benny’s story is the hunt for security. Her mother has struggled to hold down a job Benny’s whole life and Benny doesn’t have a relationship with her father. There’s references to Benny not always having food and having to argue with landlords over rent or her mother not always being responsible. Even during the mystery Benny is solving to keep her new home, her mother is spending more time with a potential new boyfriend rather than helping her daughter. Some kids will probably see themselves in this and it’s important to show all kids the impact of poverty and monetary and food insecurity. It’s not comfortable and I’m sure some people would read the book and feel that Benny’s mother is neglectful rather than this being a characteristic of Middle Grade (so kids can have control of the narrative), but this is how some children live and they also deserve books validating their experiences.

Of the two POVs, I actually would have loved more time with Evelyn. While I did love seeing Benny make friends with Zara and Ryan and slowly open herself up to people her age, I’m fascinated by this time period in American history while England is in the midst of the Regency period. Evelyn and her friends also obviously have a very rich history and I would love to see how Axel became their friend, if he ever was, and how he got close enough to Evelyn that he could ‘call on her’ (more to get information from her) without arousing suspicion from her parents. There’s an interesting story in that dynamic and I hope we learn more in book 2.

I would recommend this to Middle Grade readers who love history, young readers who want a bit of fantasy with their mystery, and those looking for something like The Inheritance Games for younger readers

I liked this book and I think kids in the 9-13ish age range would probably like it as well. It gets off to a quick start and keeps up the fast, engaging pace throughout as Benny and her friends work to solve riddles and win the challenge Benny's ancestor Evelyn left for her. I liked that the journal pages gave it a dual-timeline feel so that you could see what was happening in the past to bring them to this moment.

One thing I didn't like was that there were several curse words in the last 10% of the book that felt unnecessary to a children's story. I also have mixed feelings about the ending. I get why the author chose to leave it on a cliffhanger, but my personal preference is for the story to be a little more wrapped up so that you don't feel frustrated about having to wait for the next book to get any real answers.

Overall I gave it 4 stars. I think it would be good for kids who like action, adventure, solving riddles/mysteries, and kid characters with the independence to run around on their own.

The Isle of Ever is a very captivating story of a 12 year old girl, Benny, finding a mysterious island. Benny had to be careful in trusting characters she comes in contact with. Jen Calonita makes the reader feel the pressure right along with a Benny. Great character development and is sure to engage even reluctant readers.

What started out as tweenagers in the 1850s and a mysterious island links the past present and future. Just when Everly and her mom need a break a letter arrives about a game she needs to win to inherit her history.

Mysteries, clues and puzzles await Everly as well as letter written to her from the past all to lead her to the future.

I was surprised by the not so ending ending but I enjoyed it enough to want to read the next book.

I didn’t expect to like this book as much as I do, but after reading another disappointing, yet similar, time warp story this week, I couldn’t help noticing the superior writing quality in this one.

The story starts off in the 1800s with Sparrow and her friends hurrying to cross a sandbar to a small mysterious island off the coast of Long Island, NY. Cut to the present. Benny is hanging out at the diner where her mom is employed as a waitress when an attorney arrives with a letter claiming Benny is the recipient of a huge inheritance. All she has to do is follow clues left by her ancestor Evelyn Terry (aka Sparrow) and find an island that doesn’t seem to exist. She has two weeks to solve the mystery or the inheritance is null and void.

While living at the estate she stands to inherit, she elicits the help of two new friends, Zara, granddaughter of the historical society director, and Ryan, son of a local restaurant owner. As the first blood orange moon in 200 years approaches, the friends work against time and worsening weather to follow the clues. Interspersed among present chapters are flashbacks to 1825, the year of the last blood moon. These come as journal entries left by Sparrow.

There’s something fun about clue books, especially when they involve a rich family with an inheritance at stake in a quaint seaside town. I’m not usually as thrilled when it involves something supernatural, but Calonita has done a decent job of making a convincing plot. She throws in a bit of adventure vibe with the approaching storm as the kids brave treacherous waters to explore a lighthouse and a flooding basement to find a hidden passage. Benny solves all the clues in time to find the mysterious island, missing kids from 1825, and a very old pirate, but the story is not finished, ending, in fact, on a cliffhanger. There will be a sequel. This one is good enough that I could be convinced to read it.

I received an electronic ARC from SOURCEBOOKS Kids through NetGalley.
Calonita has created another delightful series. Readers meet Benny and her mom as they are struggling to survive. Her mom is fine moving place to place but Benny longs for a permanent home again. They both still miss and are grieving Benny's grandmother as the story begins. Their lives change in a significant way when a lawyer finds them and shares about an inheritance from a distant relative. They have to move to the home on Long Island and Benny has to solve the riddles and play the game set up in the 1800's. Two hundred years later, Benny follows the clues to solve the riddles to find a mysterious island. Along the way, she gains two friends who share the adventure. The end is a cliffhanger leading into book 2. Looking forward to reading the rest of this series.
I appreciate the sense of family - perfect and imperfect, that weaves through this book. All of the characters face challenges that middle grade readers will relate with.

Jen Calonita takes you on a full blown adventure in the Isle of Ever. Without leaving any spoilers, all I can say is that I am ready for the next book! my students will love this!

Thank you netgalley for an arc of Isle of Ever by Jen Calonita

Overall a really good middle grade read that will draw young readers in. The mystery and characters are enchanting, although some parts of the story did not seem to be as well researched.

I got sucked into the Isle of Ever and at the end of book, no spoilers, I was quite annoyed I had to wait for the next book. I loved the treasure hunt and puzzle solving parts of the novel. It's a must read. I really enjoyed it.

Isle Of Ever by @jencalonita

Another AWESOME middle grade read full of treasure hunting, pirates, a secret island, and found family. This one was SO FUN! This book is for the people who love solving riddles and searching for clues. I adored it! That cliffhanger was brutal though. I’m looking forward to finding out what happens!

Thank you to @sourcebookskids and @netgalley for the arc!
Pub date: 3/25/25

The Isle of Ever was delightful and just the right amount of fantasy for this RF reader. I have several students that came to mind as I read Benny’s story, and I will definitely be putting this on my shelves.
I wish there had been a little more time spent on character development, and I’m not buying the fact that Benny’s mom is so nonchalant about the quickly approaching deadline to find the treasure. Perhaps book two will reveal more about the characters.
I enjoyed following along on this first part of Benny’s journey and will be watching for the release of book two!

What an adventure from Jen Calonita! Part fantasy, part mystery, and all the way fun. Be prepared, it ends on a cliffhanger! A must for middle grade collections.

I was drawn to this book because of the cover and description. I enjoyed the plot and character development throughout this story, but I failed to truly connect with the characters and their dynamics. I wasn't truly invested in what happened, and I had to force myself to finish. I don't know if it was just a case of a good book at the wrong time, but this wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

If you’re looking for a book for either a reluctant reader or an adventure lover, this is the perfect pick! It’s action-packed, funny and full of mystery, and is also a quick read. The cliffhanger at the end will leave readers dying to read the next book. The fabulous series opener.

This book was a very cute middle grade book, and very much true to the authors style. It was great to read and the ending was great, can’t wait for the next one.