Maria's Island by Victoria Hislop

The absorbing story of the Cretan village of Plaka and the tiny, deserted island of Spinalonga – Greece's former leper colony – is told to us by Maria Petrakis, one of the children in the original version of The Island. She tells us of the ancient and misunderstood disease of leprosy, exploring the themes of stigma, shame and the treatment of those who are different, which are as relevant for children as adults. Gill Smith's rich, full-colour illustrations will transport the reader to the timeless and beautiful Greek landscape and Mediterranean seascape.

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I haven't read The Island, and judging at how much I cried at this children's version, I think I'm unlikely to. Framed as a story from a grandmother, who was there, to her curious granddaughter, this tells the story over some decades of Greece's leper colony, an island called Spinalonga. Any Greek found to have the then-deadly disease was sent to the island, where they lived as normally as possible until they died. No one ever left it, until the forties or fifties when effective treatments were introduced.

The story is written simply enough for children to follow and understand. The words are lovely, but the standout element here is the illustration, and I don't think Victoria will object to me saying that. The pictures are beautiful, colourful and full of real warmth and depth. There's a level of detail in them that astounded me.

I really enjoyed the story, too. Maria is a wonderful narrator, and things move at just the right speed. (Shame on the doctor, though, for promising to help and then vanishing without telling anyone anything!) I think kids will enjoy reading this, and it's a piece of history that shouldn't be forgotten.

Beautiful.

Maria's Islands publishes on the 3rd of June, 2021. I received  a free copy and choose to provide an honest review.