Reviewed by Rebecca Wells for TeensReadToo.com
On the Island, everything has a name and a place, and if it doesn't, it should. Those things that don't fit into a category, that don't have a purpose, are the Unnameables, and are, by definition, suspect.
Medford Runyuin is dangerously close to being an Unnameable himself. While his fellow Islanders have practical names like Learned and Tanner, which correspond to their professions, his name means nothing at all. He is a foundling, washed ashore in infancy alongside his dead parents.
Medford has always been different. Though his foster father is a carpenter, and he has learned to create Named objects that serve a purpose, he also has a secret. While in the privacy of his workshop, he has carved Useless things, things that serve no purpose, and this is an offense that could result in banishment.
It takes the arrival of a mysterious stranger to the Island to make Medford realize that not all is as it seems on the stodgy Name-heavy Island - and that he is not the only one with secrets and hidden discontent.
Ellen Booraem presents a gem of a tale in THE UNNAMEABLES. The characters are genuine and heartfelt, and the story trips along in a delightful and thought-provoking way. While the book certainly carries a message, it is presented in a lighthearted manner, combining seriousness and humor as it progresses onward.
Readers who enjoyed tales like THE GIVER will fall in love with THE UNNAMEABLES.
On the Island, everything has a name and a place, and if it doesn't, it should. Those things that don't fit into a category, that don't have a purpose, are the Unnameables, and are, by definition, suspect.
Medford Runyuin is dangerously close to being an Unnameable himself. While his fellow Islanders have practical names like Learned and Tanner, which correspond to their professions, his name means nothing at all. He is a foundling, washed ashore in infancy alongside his dead parents.
Medford has always been different. Though his foster father is a carpenter, and he has learned to create Named objects that serve a purpose, he also has a secret. While in the privacy of his workshop, he has carved Useless things, things that serve no purpose, and this is an offense that could result in banishment.
It takes the arrival of a mysterious stranger to the Island to make Medford realize that not all is as it seems on the stodgy Name-heavy Island - and that he is not the only one with secrets and hidden discontent.
Ellen Booraem presents a gem of a tale in THE UNNAMEABLES. The characters are genuine and heartfelt, and the story trips along in a delightful and thought-provoking way. While the book certainly carries a message, it is presented in a lighthearted manner, combining seriousness and humor as it progresses onward.
Readers who enjoyed tales like THE GIVER will fall in love with THE UNNAMEABLES.
