Isle of Ever is Jen Calonita’s newest middle grade novel, a story grounded in the history of Long Island’s North Fork. On today’s episode, Jen discusses growing up on Long Island and spending many summers at her grandparents’ house in Mattituck. It was here, in between trips to 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.

We also talk about her love of reading and of middle grade and young adult fiction.

Further Resources

• Jen Calonita
• Isle of Ever (Sourcebooks)
• Long Beach Bar ‘Bug’ Light 
• Preston’s 
• Greenport Carousel (temporarily closed)
• Sweet Valley High (Good Reads)
• Steven Kellogg
• Music:
  • Intro music: https://homegrownstringband.com/
  • Outro music: Capering by Blue Dot Sessions CC BY-NC 4.0