Where the World Ends

By Geraldine McCaughrean

In the summer of 1727, a group of men and boys from St Kilda are put ashore on a remote sea stac to harvest birds for food. No one returns to collect them. Why? Surely nothing but the end of the world can explain why they have been abandoned to endure storms, starvation and terror. And how can they survive, imprisoned on every side by the ocean?

Inspired by a true event, this is a breathtaking story of nine boys and the courage it takes to survive against the odds, from three-time winner of the Whitbread/Costa Children's Book Award Geraldine McCaughrean.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Usborne Publishing Ltd
• Release date: Feb 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9781474936521

Geraldine McCaughrean

Geraldine McCaughrean is an acclaimed novelist and writer of evocative retellings of legends, myths and historical material. She has written more than 160 books, published in 61 countries and and her work has been translated into over 45 languages. Probably best known for her official sequel, Peter Pan in Scarlet, she is also a three-time recipient of the Whitbread/Costa Children's Book Award and a Carnegie Medal winner. "McCaughrean is one of the greatest living children's authors." - The Bookseller

Reviews for Where the World Ends

[ayoshina-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This wasn't for me despite being a fan of the author descriptive writing style. I was left bored and disinterested in the story, and more often than not, found myself zoning out and not really paying attention to what was happening. Unfortunately this was a miss for me but I definitely consider giving this another try in the future.

[electrascaife · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In 1727, a group of boys and three men set off from Hirta for the yearly bird hunt on Warrior Stac, this time, though, the boat doesn't come back for them after the usual couple of weeks. Loosely based on true events, this YA novel and Printz Honor Book tells the story of how the boys (and three adults) learned to survive as the weeks turned into months with no signs of rescue.Think a slightly gentler Lord of the Flies, but with Scottish accents. In other words, it's excellent and I loved it. There's a wide range of characters among the boys (and three adults) and McCaughrean does a great job imagining what their reactions and interactions would be to being stranded for so long. I'm fascinated with the idea that this is based on actual events and I really want to learn more about Hirta's history. Oh, and I highly recommend the audio version - Angus King's accent is beautiful and, of course, perfect for this text.

[lindsay_w_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Ok so maybe a global pandemic wasn’t the best time to read a book called Where the World Ends – or was it. Surprisingly, this pandemic-adjacent survival story set 300 years ago on a rocky island off Scotland, is actually comforting. It’s a reminder of the power of stories to remember the past, to sustain us through tough times, and to help us imagine a future. “He looked inside his skull and found it full to the brim with imaginings that might just sustain him through the bad time ahead.” (68)

[stroudley-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I've been to St Kilda and have see the sea stacs, the sea cliffs and the sheer wild beauty of it all (unlike the author!) . So I could easily visualise the setting of the book, and the sheer impossibility of escape, and the lack of any way to communicate with anyone. I agree that the revealing of 'John' as a girl was an odd development in the plot, but the descriptive writing was first-class as were the everyday details of how St Kildans lived (and continued to do so until the evacuation of the island in 1930). So 5 stars from me...