Echo Island

I am often asked if there are any clean books for older high school boys, told from a male perspective, and full of action. Sadly, there are few on the market. While beautiful princess covers and female dominated fantasy novels top the bestsellers list, the action and adventure boy category is severely lacking. There are plenty of fantastic classics available, but I’m speaking to recent contemporary novels. My boys quit reading in high school, partly because they were too busy with sports and schoolwork, but also because few books held their interest. I recently searched for an action-packed thriller involving strong male characters and found Echo Island by Jarod C. Wilson. To my surprise, it was not at all what I had expected.

The first half of Echo Island involves the mystery of four high school boys who return from a camping trip to find everyone in their town missing. Their families, friends, and pets have completely vanished. The boys theorize many scenarios in which this is possible, but none seem to make sense. Friends since childhood, the boys have very distinct personalities and handle stress differently. I enjoyed the realistic banter of the boys’ conversations and how each character made vastly different choices when faced with the unknown. I was drawn into the mystery, trying to think what could have happened to their town. Suddenly, they discover they are not alone. They meet Beatrice, who is fleeing the wrath of her father. The friends are thrust into battle (quite literally) with a lunatic father who will stop at nothing to get his daughter back. Violence, suspense, and a bit of romance. Sounds like the perfect male book, right?

Then everything changed.

What began as a suspense novel turned into Greek mythology meets Christian theology. Think Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson meets C.S. Lewis and you get the idea. It wasn’t what I was expecting, but it certainly gave me a lot to consider.

What I Appreciated

• Wilson presented faith in a non-preachy way. It was so slight, I had to ask myself, is this Christian? In my opinion, it made for a good read as most teen boys would not find it offensive or pushy.
• Wilson did not shy away from struggles teens face today, such as drinking alcohol and searching for faith.

Positive Values

• One of the central themes in Echo Island is the choices we make affect who we become. This is especially important for teenage boys who believe they are invincible at this age. I appreciated the author tackling this tough topic yet showing the reality of what boys face today.
• Another theme centers on one’s ability to change at any time. Regardless of our choices, change is possible. One boy asked the guide if it was too late to change his ways. The guide responded, “The question is do you want to? If you want to change, you can be sure the Author has written that too. He has written the desire into you.”

Echo Island could generate some great discussion in a classroom setting or between parents and teens. Christian high school teachers could use Echo Island as a class read to meet the mythology standard while presenting faith. Although I didn’t care for nor did I truly understand the ending, other reviewers found it mind-blowing. If you and your teen enjoy myths, legends, and deep perspective, this could be a great option for your high schoolers.

               I’d love to hear from you! What books do you recommend for older high school boys?