Damselfly by Chandra Prasad

Abstract

Reviewed by: Damselfly by Chandra Prasad Melanie Kirkwood Prasad, Chandra Damselfly. Scholastic, 2018 [272p] ISBN 978-0-545-90792-7 $17.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 9-12 The Drake Rosemont Preparatory Academy’s fencing team’s plane has crashed into an island smack dab in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, killing the pilot and two out of the ten teens. Narrator Sam Mishra follows the survival lead of her athletic friend Mel, a superb outdoorswoman, but soon a struggle for power begins as wealthy queen bee Ritikka Singh seeks control, dividing the group when they need nothing more than to be united. In an increasingly Lord of the Flies scenario where rifts fracture the group and the teens lose the veneer of civilization, one division that Ritikka pushes is racial, insisting that the dark-skinned people have to stick together and that half-Indian Sam pick a side, preferably not the side of “pale” Mel. Adding fuel to the flame, and suspense to the story, are unseen antagonists and unpredictable plot twists that create a layer of mystery that’ll have readers invested until the intriguingly inconclusive end. As the quintessential follower, Sam is more witness than active protagonist; flashbacks to her home and school life help explain her character and the team dynamics. The well-spun survival story, vivid imagery of the lush forest and the all too real descriptions of injuries and casualties overshadow everything else, though—and that’s not a bad thing. Grab this modern Robinsonnade for the kid looking for a fast-paced, heart-stopping tale or for someone who loves the specific details of animal and plant life. Copyright © 2018 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois