Castaway Island
Boy heroA summer storm wrecks the boat and leaves your child alone on an unknown island — with a sarcastic parrot for a guide. Every choice they make decides how they survive, what they find, and how they get home.
$29.00 $39.00 One-time payment · no subscription
- Ages 7–14
- Multiple endings
- Plays on any device
- You approve before we finish
See the hero before you pay. Upload a photo and we’ll show you your child on the cover — free. You only pay if you like it.
This is what it looks like
An example from one of our books. You’ll see your own child’s hero before you pay a cent.
About Castaway Island
A summer storm wrecks the boat and leaves your child alone on an unknown island — with a sarcastic parrot for a guide. Every choice they make decides how they survive, what they find, and how they get home.
In Castaway Island your child doesn't just read an adventure — they live it. Their name and their face become the hero of the story: a castaway who has to survive, find what the island is hiding, and work out their own way home.
What happens in the story
A summer storm capsizes the boat of the not-very-careful Captain Whiskers, and your child washes up alone on an empty shore. Their only companion is Biscuit — a brightly coloured parrot and self-appointed "survival expert", sarcastic, funny, and the closest thing to a guide on this island.
From there the story splits three ways: the green jungle, the rocky caves, or the high hill. Each path has its own tests, finds and dangers — wild boars, a rotting bridge, caves nobody has walked into for years — and each one leads to the moment at the summit where your child decides exactly how to signal for rescue.
What makes this book different
- Personalization that goes past the cover. Your child's name and face run through the illustrations and the text, not just the title page.
- Branching paths with real choices. Over 50 pages of decisions leading to genuinely different endings — from getting home to the funnier "well, that's one way to learn it" endings that send the reader back to try again.
- An inventory that matters. A machete, a rope, coconuts, a canteen of water — what your child picks up changes what they can do later, exactly like in a game.
- Facts worth keeping. "Did you know?" panels woven into the story teach survival sense, island life and water safety without ever sounding like a lesson.
- Humour and warmth. Biscuit keeps the tone light, so even the tense moments stay fun for younger readers.
Who it's for
Written for children from 7 to 14 who love adventure stories and choose-your-own-ending books — and who would rather be in the story than read about someone else. It makes a memorable birthday present, a good start to the school year, or simply a way to get a reluctant reader turning pages.
What your child gets with Castaway Island
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Choices that actually matter
Your child reads a page, decides what happens next, and the story follows them — not the other way round.
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A hero with their face
Drawn from the photo you upload, with their name on the cover and through the story.
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Several different endings
Finish it, then go back and take the other path. The second read is a different story.
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A gift with nothing to wrap
It arrives as a private link by email — nothing to wrap, nothing that can be late in the post.
Ordering takes about a minute
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Upload a photo
One clear photo, plus their name and age.
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Meet the hero
See your child on the cover — free, before paying.
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Approve, then read
Sample illustrations within 24 hours. Once you approve, the book follows within 2–3 days.
The questions parents ask first
Will the hero really look like my child?
You don’t have to take our word for it. Upload a photo and you’ll see your child as the hero before you pay anything. If the hero doesn’t look like them, we’ll redo it. If you’re still not happy, we refund you in full.
Do I have to approve anything?
Yes, and it is the best part of the deal. After you order, we draw two or three sample illustrations with your child in them and put them on your order page within 24 hours. You either approve them, or tell us what to change — we do not finish the book until you are happy. The finished book follows within 2–3 days of your approval.
What kind of photo works best?
Good light, the whole face visible, and the camera more or less straight on. A head-and-shoulders shot of one child beats a group photo taken from across the yard.
What happens to my child’s photo?
It’s used only to create the hero, nothing else. We delete the original photo from our storage once your book is finished. Orders must be placed by a parent or guardian, or with their permission.
How long does it take to create a book?
Ordering takes a couple of minutes: pick a story, upload a photo, and you see your child as the hero right away. Within 24 hours of your order we send you two or three sample illustrations to look at. Once you approve them, the finished book reaches your email within 2–3 days.
What ages are the books for?
Our books are written for children from 7 to 14. The age you enter when you order also tunes the reading level, so the story lands where your child actually reads.
Put your child inside Castaway Island
Upload a photo and meet the hero — free, before you pay a cent.
If the hero doesn’t look like them, we’ll redo it. If you’re still not happy, we refund you in full.
Start with a photo