By Doug Naylor (pub. David Fickling Books, 2025)
‘Read it out loud, then,’ Mr Menton prompted. Digs began.
‘My dear Digs, it’s very important you don’t read this note out loud.’
‘Ah, best not to read it out loud, then,’ Mr Menton chortled.
Digs read the rest of the note to himself.You’re about to embark on an incredible adventure. An enterprise so petrifyingly terrifying it would make most boys your age quake in terror if they knew what was ahead of them. Thankfully, you don’t, which is a HUGE bonus.
So reads the first of the mysterious notes Jack Digby receives when a new chapter of his life begins. Having recently lost his mother, step-father, and sister in a plane crash, Digs is being sent to Cyril Snigg’s Correctional Orphanage for Wayward Boys and Girls.
The school is not what he expects; being founded by a privateer, practical maritime lessons are more important than normal school subjects. And its punishment system is severe – the four students with the most demerits (or “lashes”) over 100 get sent to Sin Bin Island for a week!
Rumours and stories swirl around Sin Bin Island. Not just of the various horrors, but of smugglers long ago using it to move contraband and magical items. Surely there’s no such thing as magic though? With their lashes building up, it looks like Digs and his new friends are on track to find out…
Honestly, we’ll never get sick of “unusual schools for kids” stories, as there are so many interesting ways to do them (especially if it’s not the generic “magic-chosen-one-great-evil” etc.). A bit like Shadow Thieves, which we reviewed earlier this year, Sin Bin Island is a book that takes the idea and does something exciting with it.
The first half of the book covers Digs’ arrival at the school, and his lessons, trials, and adventures there. I was surprised at first to see how much of the book is set there, but there’s more than enough to keep the kids busy! It’s a fun balance between general school shenanigans and investigating the mysteries of the school itself.
I loved the selection of subjects that are mentioned – Celestial Navigation, Shipwreck Survival Skills, Art (you know, Advanced Rope Tying). Naylor has obviously put thought into what types of studies you might take at a pirate-themed school, and I hope that we get to see more of the lessons in future books!
It’s at the school that Digs makes new (and old) friends; they’re mostly already an existing group, since he and another student Cav transfer in during the school year. Since only four children get sent to Sin Bin Island, you might assume that the focus would only be on Digs and three others, but that isn’t the case – with half the book taking place before that happens, you get enough time with the full cast to appreciate them.
I really enjoyed the characterisation of the kids. Some children’s books fall into stereotypes, especially with regards to a ‘smart, serious girl’, and the ‘comedy relief-sidekick best friend’, where that makes up their whole personalities. Naylor neatly sidesteps this by making his characters well-rounded and multi-dimensional.
Of the girls, Cav definitely doesn’t fall into the ‘smart girl’ stereotype – if anything, I found her somewhat frustrating at times! Then there’s Amber, who seems at first like she might fit that role, but it turns out that there’s a very good reason why she seems ‘smart’ (though she still doesn’t qualify as overly serious).
As for the best friend, he and Digs have a…complicated history that adds an unexpected dimension to their friendship. All the characters have their own humorous and serious moments, so there’s no reliance on a single person to do the heavy lifting of any one trait.
The second half of the book is set on Sin Bin Island; there are rumours and stories about the island, shared by those students who make it back in (roughly) one piece. Thankfully our ‘Binners’ are resilient and resourceful, but this is certainly not to say that they have an easy time.
We do get a map of Sin Bin Island at the front of the book thanks to illustrator Nik Afia (regular readers will know what big fans we are of maps!), and I was intrigued to see a number of locations on it that we didn’t end up visiting. I can only hope that we’ll see them in future books, as I really want to know how [REDACTED] got its name!
I found the level of ‘danger’ an interesting choice – as a children’s adventure story, risk is expected, but you also know that they’ll make it through. Rather it was the inclusion of a deadly allergy that caught me by surprise, and the way that it comes into play later in the book. That definitely made things feel more dangerous!
The other unexpected feature in the story was the portrayal of grief. Since we’re following Digs, it’s his grief we see the most; the way he thinks about it, and the way it bubbles up unbidden are raw and heart-breaking. Being at an orphanage, we know the others have lost people or been abandoned too. Each has experienced something different, but this knowledge bonds them together, and is shown in a sensitive way.
What I’ve not mentioned directly yet is the humour. Yes this is a funny book – but it’s a “real world” funny, where the humour is found in silly moments, quick-witted comments, sardonic replies. The story and characters might be outlandish at times, but it’s never outright ridiculous, which I for one appreciated.
As a Millennial, I grew up with Naylor’s work on Red Dwarf, so I know how well his type of humour fits together with more serious or touching moments. And I think that sums the book up well – it’s funny, it’s adventurous, but it’s also thought-provoking and heart-warming. Plus it has a mystery that goes beyond this book, leaving you wanting to know more. It’s a strong children’s debut, in a setting that I look forward to revisiting!
If you want to join Digs and friends in their adventures, you can grab a copy of Sin Bin Island at the link below.
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Want to read more adventurous stories? Check out some of our previous reviews here.
