Semi, Miranda, and Arnie are part of a group of 50 British Young Conservationists on their way to a wildlife conservation station deep in the rain forests of Ecuador. After a terrifying mid-air disaster and subsequent crash, these three are the sole survivors, stranded together on a deserted tropical island. Or so they think. Semi, Miranda, and Arnie stumble into the hands of Dr. Franklin, a mad scientist who s been waiting for them, eager to use them as specimens for his experiments in genetic engineering. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

A plane crash strands three survivors on a remote island where a mad scientist and his terrified employees plan to start performing trans-species genetic-engineering experiments on the trio. PW wrote in a starred review, "A nightmarish thriller of white-knuckle intensity." Ages 12-up. (Oct.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Gr 5 Up-Taking off from H.G. Wells's classic story, The Island of Dr. Moreau, British author Ann Halam adds genetic engineering, environmental activism, and an air of disaster to this terrifying science fiction adventure involving three teens. Narrator Emilia Fox's rather delicate but edgy British-accented voice captures the personalities of the three English characters as she lends a flat, American cadence to the voice of Dr. Franklin. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Gr. 6^-10. Jules Verne meets contemporary teen fiction in this fantastical tale of survival and genetic mutation. When a plane full of British teens selected to take part in a wildlife conservation trip makes a crash ocean landing near a deserted tropical isle, only three teens survive. With no adults and no resources, the three manage to create shelter and find food while trying to summon help. Eventually they discover that the island is actually a research station, run by maverick scientist Dr. Franklin, who is attempting to create a superhuman breed that can mutate at will from creature to human. Dr. Franklin promptly locks them up and proceeds to inject them with various DNA to begin their mutations to fish, bird, and snake. The initial survival scenes, while not as gripping as Gary Paulsen's, are nonetheless a good pull into the sf story, and the appealing first-person narrative ably communicates the teens' concern with appearance and conformity even in the midst of crisis. --Debbie Carton From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.