Isle of Ever is Jen Calonita’s newest middle grade novel, a story grounded in the history of Long Island’s North Fork. In an episode of the Long Island History Project, Calonita discusses growing up on Long Island and spending many summers at her grandparents’ house in Mattituck, Suffolk County, NY.
It was there, in between trips to nearby Greenport, that she first heard tell of Captain Kidd’s lost treasure. She tried digging up the local beach, came up empty, but the idea buried itself in Jen’s mind.
Now she has worked her experiences into the tale of Benny Benedict, a young girl caught up in a race to solve a puzzle and claim an inheritance. The plot and the clues to the mystery are tied up in Greenport’s history. Jen walks us through the Greenport locales and local legends that made it into the book in one form or another.
During this podcast she also talks about her love of reading and of middle grade and young adult fiction.
Jen Calonita is an award-winning author of the Royal Academy Rebels and Fairy Tale Reform School series who lives on Long Island’s south shore in Merrick, New York.
You can listen to the episode here.
The Long Island History Project is an independent podcast featuring stories and interviews with people passionate about Long Island history. It is hosted by academic librarian Chris Kretz.
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