Elemental Island

Silver medal winner in the 'Middle Grades Fiction' category of the Nautilus Book Awards 2015

Astie has always been different. Her 12th birthday is looming and she still has not decided on her thesis. All the Learners at the Hub picked theirs years ago. If it wasn't for her cousin, Jakob, life would be unbearable on Elemental Island. On the verge of being diagnosed with Social Syndrome, she stumbles upon Danny who has landed in a forbidden flight machine. To protect him, Astie persuades Jakob to tamper with the Overseer's memory. On the run from the Monitors together, Astie calls on her unique qualities to forge a friendship with the stranger and discover his reason for coming to the island. What she finds will shake the foundations of the place she calls home.

Set on a secretive island utopia where science and logic rule, this intriguing novel explores and celebrates differences in people from an alternative perspective. It is engaging reading for children aged 8-13.

Winner of Nautilus Book Award 2016

“This is a great book for people who have Aspergers because it creates characters and a world that feel real and are easy to relate to. It's also just a great book. So buy it!”

The illuminating adventure of a misfit in a world where autism is so ordinary there isn't even a word for it. Elemental Island is thought-provoking, compassionate and recommended for readers of all ages, with or without 'Social Syndrome'. -- David Mitchell, The Reason I Jump and Cloud Atlas
I read many manuscripts, but very occasionally, there is one that totally captivates me and that is the case with Elemental Island. I have absorbed every word with great pleasure, a delicious meal that needs to be savoured and cannot be hurried...The exciting and humorous storyline will captivate the reader and also change and enhance our perception and understanding of the challenges faced by those who have an ASD. Fiction can create a paradigm shift more effectively than facts. -- Tony Attwood, Minds and Hearts Clinic, Brisbane, and author of The Complete Guide to Asperger’s Syndrome
-- Dylan Hamilton, aged 11, blogger, Book Walrus
This quick futuristic tale encourages autistic and neurotypical readers alike to venture beyond their comfort zones. -- Kirkus
This long and meaty sci-fi novel is full of imagination and interest, and its reversal of 'normality' means that readers with Asperger's will be able to relate happily to the majority of people on Elemental Island...a thought-provoking novel with lots to commend it, and it will be of real value to all those who feel themselves to be outsiders. -- HealthyBooks

Kathy Hoopmann has written over twenty books with translations into nineteen languages. Her work sells widely in Australia, the UK, the US and the Middle East. She has won and been shortlisted for many literary awards, including the Children's Book Council of Australia Award, the ALCS Educational Award (UK), the Living Now Award (US) and has five times been awarded a Nautilus Award (US) which is granted to 'books that change the world'. Kathy is best known for her writing on neurodiversity, in fiction and non-fiction. The simplicity, charm and insight of Kathy's books have made them must-haves for children and adults worldwide.

This book has been awarded a silver medal in the Nautilus Awards - Middle Grade Fiction category. These prestigious awards recognise books that change the world. We share this honour with the likes of the Dalai Lama, Desmund Tutu and Malala Yousafzai. Honorees for the Nautilus Awards are selected for their exceptional literary contributions to positive social change through books that inspire and connect our lives as individuals, communities, and global citizens. Astie has always been different. Her 12th birthday is looming and she still has not decided on her thesis. All the Learners at the Hub picked theirs years ago. If it wasnt for her cousin, Jakob, life would be unbearable on Elemental Island. On the verge of being diagnosed with Social Syndrome, she stumbles upon Danny who has landed in a forbidden flight machine. To protect him, Astie persuades Jakob to tamper with the Overseers memory. On the run from the Monitors together, Astie calls on her unique qualities to forge a friendship with the stranger and discover his reason for coming to the island. What she finds will shake the foundations of the place she calls home. Set on a secretive island utopia where science and logic rule, this intriguing novel explores and celebrates differences in people from an alternative perspective. It is engaging reading for children aged 8-14.

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