Book Title: Please Return to the Land of Luxury
Author: Jon Tilton
Narrator: Talon David
Publisher: Blueberry Finch, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Member Association
Genre: Middle School, Sci Fi-Fantasy
Pub Date was: March 21, 2023
My Rating: 4.7 Stars

I highly recommend this heartwarming middle school dystopian adventure setting on Trash Island!!

Jane lives on an island of trash, and yes has to go through garbage to survive but it is home to her ~ she lives alone and worries is she ever leaves she won’t remember her parents.
One day as Jane and her friends Timothy and Rodney are going through the trash, Jane finds a doll that is in much better condition than the usual trash items. She was sure no one meant to throw out this doll. There was a note . . . “Please return to Gloria Thatcher at 13 Spring Blossom Way”.
Jane has concerned that Gloria’s doll was thrown out by mistake.
The boys laughed and tell her that everything on the island once belonged to someone from the land of luxury but now they no longer want it.
Jane is not convinced and tries to have one of the metal men (robots serving as trash men) return the doll. The metal man’s reaction is similar to the boys and he throws it back in the trash. Jane is heartbroken and is more determined than ever to return the doll to Gloria,
Aww now the adventure begins.
Story has loveable characters and will surely be enjoyed by children who like sci-fi/fantasy!
In fact, other ages will love this as well. I certainly am not the target audience and loved it. (I am a guidance counselor and enjoy reading a story that I can recommend to students.)

The audiobook narrator Talen David did a wonderful job performing ALL the characters.
Love the cover ~ Jane on trash island in her purple hoodie with the doll

Want to thank NetGalley and Blueberry Finch (Independent Book Publisher)for the pleasure of listening to this early audio edition.
Publishing Release Date was March 21, 2023.

Journey to a new land as Jane leaves her home, garbage-filled Yarborough, to journey to The Lands of Luxury to return a doll marked “Please return to Gloria Thatcher”. Along the way you’ll find Jane’s plans don’t go as intended.

I enjoyed this short audiobook overall. This story certainly reads like a middle grade novel, as intended, but I felt it was a bit to fast at parts of the story. I could have used so more in depth and drawn out explanations of the characters personal histories as well as the lands’ histories. I felt the conflict wasn’t as explained as it could have been and was solved much too quickly for my own liking, but perhaps this is just the right speed and content for its intended middle grade audience.

I enjoyed the messages of family and place and friendship in this story. A good reminder that home isn’t linked to objects but meaning.

Thanks NetGalley for this auidobook ARC to listen to and review.

Initially requested this on Netgalley because of its stunning cover! And it turned out to be such an adorable read! I loved the descriptions and the world-building in the book. Also loved Jane and her determination to get the doll back to Gloria. Loved the found family aspect between Jane Timothy and Rodney and each of their character developments through the book.

I highly recommend this for anyone looking for an adventurous read!

I love the characters. You cant help but fall in love with them. They each have admirable strengths that make the book. I appreciated the life lessons that filled the pages and would make for great discussions with students.

A lovely short listen (just over 4 hours), that packs a lot of love and adventure into a small space!

This made my morning! I was suffering from a huge lack of motivation when I discovered this little gem on Netgalley. The central character is a girl called Jane who lives in a burrow on an island of rubbish, cruel and filthy, but home. But all is called into question as a consequence of finding a beautiful doll unmarred by the dirt and grime and in pristine condition, with the enticing label 'Please return to...' and the story unfolds from there.

The image of this world is really vivid, but there is a lot of depth here, and we don't just get Jane's perspective, there are several, Jane's friends as they search for her after she goes in search of the doll's owner, and the people she meets along the way, as she leaves the world she knows and wanders 'Lands of Luxury'. One of my favourites has to be Mike, his perspective is just gorgeous, but I don't want to spoil it, so I'll say no more. But I highly recommend if you have a few hours and need a bit of adventure and hope!

themes of: friendship, truth, memory, bravery, found family, propaganda, doing what's right, government gaslighting and more! (I told you there was a lot to it!)

An utterly adorable book!
Short and sweet but in a horrifying world where people and children are forgotten or ignored on a landfill island. Go along with young girl, afraid of loosing her memories, to a land of excess. Where she just wants to do the right thing by returning something that HAS TO BE precious.

The simple language really does well and the voice of this book is very in tune with the children. We get to see the world through their eyes.

Besides the fact that this book has one of the most gorgeous covers I have ever seen, this was such a sweet and adventurous story.

We follow Jane who lives on an island of trash that was once loved by others. She loves her island, even when she has to take care of some robots and dig through trash with her friends. But when a doll appears with the words please return to Gloria Thatcher on the tag, everything changes. Jane vows to return the doll but is that even possible if no one has ever left the island before?

Please Return to the Land of Luxury is an exeptionally well written book and while middle grade is not a genre I read, I was pleasantly surprised.

Jane is an adorably loveable and caring character who once she sets her mind on something becomes extremely determined to execute it.

I loved the friendships between all the characters and every message this book shares with it’s readers. We learn to forgive, to love and care and to build trust in this beautifully thought out first book.

My only complaint is that I do not have the next book.

*Thank you so much to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This was such a fun story. I won an audiobook copy of this book in a giveaway and I am so thankful for that because otherwise, I would never have found it. I also gave it a quick listen on NetGalley because I had never listed to an audiobook from them and wanted to see how it worked. This was just such a fun quick read that I think I would have loved it as a child. I was really captivated by the world and was wondering what circumstances lead to the characters all living in a dump. I also just loved the phrasing of the world outside of that dump 'the Lands of Luxury' really puts things in an understandable perspective. I also loved the adventure at the heart of the story, so simple yet captivating. Also, there are giant robots, you can't go wrong with giant robots.

This was a wonderful book for middle grade children. Set in a dystopian world a young girl goes on an adventurous trip to The Land of Luxury from the trash island she has been surviving on. It has great friendships, adventure, and lovable characters. I would definitely recommend this to children who love sci-fi, fantasy, and adventure books. The audiobook has a good narration and pacing.