Nadia Aguiar

The lost island of Tamarind was a book my friend recommended to me, she was full of praise but I have to admit that I don’t really see the attraction. This may be because I was a few years above the target audience age.
I found it tedious and so cliché it was unbelievable. I was asking myself when it would end.
A group of siblings find themselves on an island that’s not on any map; they meet many people on their travels. Sound familiar? Ever heard of Narnia!
To be fair to this book, I suppose you could say it was quite unique but surprising? No.
The book was written well but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone over 11.… (mere)

Posted to my Livejournal in October 2008:

Equal parts adventure, mystery, fantasy, and survival story, this first novel is quite accomplished. Maya, 13 years old, has lived her entire life on the Pamela Jane with her marine biologist parents and two siblings. After a violent storm, the parents go missing, and the kids manage to steer the boat to an unknown island. It turns out to be Tamarind, a place that features heavily in their father's stories (which they thought he was making up), and while looking for their parents, they quickly run into all sorts of dangers, including man-eating vines and a child-stealing woman who rides a jaguar. This book reminded me a lot of Kenneth Oppel's Airborn, but for a younger audience -- it has a mysterious island not seen on any map, a scientific mystery, resourceful and plucky characters forced to contend with a dangerous environment, and pirates, among other similarities.… (mere)