- Chapter Books
- Ages 9–12
- Adventure
The Way To Impossible Island
A companion to The Wild Way Home: Dara, born with a serious heart condition, dreams of rowing out to the impossible island in the bay – until a girl in animal skins with a pet wolf appears, seemingly straight from the Stone Age. A windswept sea adventure about daring to do the impossible.
- Best for9–12
- FormatChapter
- Length320 pp
- Read aloud~4 hr30 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Lyrical
- Literary
Tone
- Adventurous
- Warm
- Bittersweet
- Inspirational
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Dara has waited his whole life for the operation that will fix his heart, so he can finally row out to Lathrin Island in the bay – the trip he's always dreamed of doing alone. But when the operation is postponed yet again, something in him snaps, and he sets off anyway. In the boat shed he finds a girl hiding: she wears animal skins, has a real live pet wolf, and is, quite simply, impossible. Could Mothgirl really be from the Stone Age – and what is she searching for on Impossible Island? As Dara and Mothgirl set out together on a wild, windswept sea journey, Dara begins to discover that when you stop worrying about what's impossible, you can do almost anything. A companion to Sophie Kirtley's acclaimed The Wild Way Home, this is a beautifully written adventure about courage, friendship and living fully in a body that doesn't always cooperate – tender, thrilling and quietly triumphant.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
Best for 9–12s reading independently, and a strong read-aloud from around 8. The adventure carries the pace while Dara's heart condition adds emotional depth and gentle disability representation for older readers.
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- Best fit · 9–12
- Read aloud · 8–11
- Independent · 9–12
Prose load
Moderate
Visual support
None
Reluctant-reader friendly
Workable
Read-aloud quality
Strong
Works well for
- Reading aloud
Preview before sharing if a child is sensitive to: illness or disability.
Bedtime suitability
2 / 5 · Better outside bedtime
Sensitive-child
3 / 5 · Mostly fine
Graphic intensity
2 / 5 · Mild
Best for
- Time slip
- Sea adventure
- Disability representation
Avoid if
- Wants light read
Particularly good for children who are…
- Illness in family
- Hospital stay
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
A girl in animal skins with a pet wolf turning up out of the Stone Age, and a windswept row out to a forbidden island, make for a thrilling adventure. Dara's determination to do the thing everyone says he can't is enormously satisfying.
- Adventure and freedom
- Proving yourself
- Surviving danger
- Animal companions
Why parents love it
Kirtley's companion to The Wild Way Home pairs a gripping sea-and-Stone-Age adventure with a warm, honest portrait of a boy living with a heart condition. It celebrates courage and self-belief without ever being preachy, and reads beautifully aloud.
- Great writing
- Conversation starter
About the author
Sophie Kirtley.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
More like this…
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