Books For Keeps
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Articles
  • Past Issues
  • Latest Issue
  • Authors and Artists
  • Latest News
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
May 1, 2010/in Fiction 14+ Secondary/Adult /by Angie Hill
BfK Rating:
BfK 182 May 2010
Reviewer: David Bennett
ISBN: 978-0192756046
Price: £6.99
Publisher: Dispatch same day for order received before 12 noonGuaranteed packagingNo quibbles returns
Genre: Fiction
Age Range: 14+ Secondary/Adult
Length: 272pp
Buy the Book

Koh Tabu

Author: Ann Kelley

Think Lord of the Flies with females and you’d be close. A group of girl cadets living on an army base in The Gulf of Thailand during the Vietnam War in 1974 become castaways playing out most of the themes and action of Golding’s novel. The girls get saved at the last minute too! Oh, and they have a useless, whisky swilling, smack-head adult in tow.

The plot moves at a fair old pace and there’s plenty of tension. The girls’ resilience and problem-solving is impressively realised; their surroundings and the weather are vividly described; and characters and their psychology are utterly believable. This is especially true of the narrator/diarist, Bonnie, who grows up and appreciates so much more about her relationships, strengths and failings as the ordeal unfolds and finally ends.

Maybe a bit over-long, but all in all a good, engaging read. Good to recommend for comparison to exam classes tackling the famous set text. Be aware that parents might object to some of the language.

Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on WhatsApp
  • Share on Pinterest
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share on Reddit
  • Share by Mail
http://booksforkeeps.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/bfklogo.png 0 0 Angie Hill http://booksforkeeps.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/bfklogo.png Angie Hill2010-05-01 00:00:062022-03-05 11:44:20Koh Tabu

Search for a specific review

Author Search

Search







Generic filters




Filter by Member Types


Book Author

Download BfK Issue Bfk 272 May 2025
Skip to an Issue:

About Us

Launched in 1980, we’ve reviewed hundreds of new children’s books each year and published articles on every aspect of writing for children.

Read More

Follow Us

Latest News

Margaret McDonald and her editors Alice Swan and Ama Badu win the 2025 Branford Boase Award

July 9, 2025

‘The magic of poetry by heart’ Champions of the 2025 National Poetry Speaking Competition Announced

July 8, 2025
IBC

New National Year of Reading launching January 2026

July 8, 2025

Contact Us

Books for Keeps,
30 Winton Avenue,
London,
N11 2AT

Telephone: 0780 789 3369

ISSN: 0143-909X (this is our International Standard Serial Number).

© Copyright 2025 - Books For Keeps | Proudly Built by Lemongrass Media - Web Design Buckinghamshire
Crawlers Big Noisy Book of Animals
Scroll to top