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Summary

Community summary are the opinions of contributing users. These summary do not represent the opinions of Alameda County Library.
At the beginning of the Second World War, a group of British boys on a flight overseas crash-land on a deserted island, bringing nothing with them but the clothes on their backs and the wisdom of their young minds. Which, unfortunately, is usually less than sufficient. Luckily, the island is bountiful with animals, fruit-bearing trees, clean water, wood for shelters, and kindling for fire. But here's the issue: there are no adults present. At first, Ralph, one of the oldest of the boys, is declared chief by popular vote, and starts to delegate younger children to complete much-needed tasks on the island. But very soon, an opposition is established by Jack, the obvious and manipulative leader of a cohort separate from Ralphs. Conflict very quickly arises between the two. It turns into an unsanctioned power struggle where the winner is only determined by the other children, many of whom just want to play and eat freely. The beginnings of a shaky but pragmatic endeavor to survive turns into a bid for total control. As the boys become more and more war-like and primitive, other, younger boys start to disappear without any mention of their whereabouts. When more and more start to die, the boys are forced to reckon with the destruction they've caused, and change, for better or for worse.