# Where the World Ends

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Where_the_World_Ends
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Where_the_World_Ends.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Where_the_World_Ends
> Source revision: 1354629841
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

2017 novel by Geraldine McCaughrean

Where the World Ends Author Geraldine McCaughrean Publisher Usborne Publishing Publication date May 1, 2017 Publication place United Kingdom Awards Carnegie Medal (2018) ISBN 978-1-474-92114-5

***Where the World Ends*** is a 2017 [young adult](/source/Young_adult_literature) novel by British writer [Geraldine McCaughrean](/source/Geraldine_McCaughrean) and illustrated by [Jane Milloy](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jane_Milloy&action=edit&redlink=1). It won the 2018 [Carnegie Medal](/source/Carnegie_Medal_(literary_award)).[1][2]

## Plot summary

*Where the World Ends* is a historical fiction story of survival and resilience. Set in 1727 on the remote [St Kilda](/source/St_Kilda%2C_Scotland) archipelago in northern Scotland, the book follows a group of nine boys and three men who are abandoned on a [sea stack](/source/Sea_stack) while harvesting birds for an annual tradition. When the boat does not return after two weeks, the boys must confront fear, suffering, and death, and decide what makes life worth living.

## Reception

*Where the World Ends* was positively received by critics, including starred reviews from *[Booklist](/source/Booklist)*,[3] *[Kirkus Reviews](/source/Kirkus_Reviews)*,[4] and *[Shelf Awareness](/source/Shelf_Awareness)*.[5]

Reviewing the book, *Booklist*'s Maggie Reagan wrote, "McCaughrean ... slips into the cracks of the human soul, dissecting with compassion the many paths that a person might take when confronted with such a challenge. The design of the book is as austere as its subject ... and, in an afterword, McCaughrean describes the tragic true story that inspired her own. Though this story is desperately sad at times, it glistens, too, propelled by the notion that where there is life, there is always, always hope."[3]

*Kirkus Reviews* called the novel "a masterpiece," highlighting how "McCaughrean takes the bones of a real event, wraps it in immersive, imaginative detail and thoroughly real emotion, and creates an unforgettable tale of human survival.[4]

Writing for *Shelf Awareness*, Emilie Coulter highlighted how *Where the World Ends* "stuns with its dark narrative and haunting visual imagery." She further commended McCaughrean's decision to include "illuminating back matter, like a glossary, and an illustrated list of the birds of 18th-century St. Kilda," which helps readers to "[explore] what happens when the everyday-ordinary turns disastrously extraordinary."[5]

## Awards

*Where the World Ends* is a [Junior Library Guild](/source/Junior_Library_Guild) book.[6] *Booklist* included it on their 2020 "Top 10 Historical Fiction for Youth" list.[7]

Awards for Where the World Ends Year Award Result Ref. 2018 Books Are My Bag Readers' Awards Young Adult Shortlisted [8] Carnegie Medal — Won [1][2] Independent Bookshop Week Book Award Young Adult Won [9] 2020 Michael L. Printz Award — Honor [10]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Yoto2018_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Yoto2018_1-1) ["Geraldine McCaughrean scoops second CILIP Carnegie Medal 30 years after first win and champions triumph of 'literary' fiction"](https://yotocarnegies.co.uk/geraldine-mccaughrean-scoops-second-cilip-carnegie-medal-30-years-after-first-win-and-champions-triumph-of-literary-fiction/). *[The Yoto Carnegies](/source/The_Yoto_Carnegies)*. Retrieved 2023-06-06.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:2_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:2_2-1) Flood, Alison (2018-06-18). ["Carnegie medal winner slams children's book publishers for 'accessible' prose"](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jun/18/carnegie-medal-winner-slams-publishers-easy-reading-geraldine-mccaughrean). *[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian)*. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0261-3077](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0261-3077). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20230319171105/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jun/18/carnegie-medal-winner-slams-publishers-easy-reading-geraldine-mccaughrean) from the original on 19 March 2023. Retrieved 2023-06-06.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_3-1) Reagan, Maggie (2020-03-15). ["Where the World Ends"](https://www.booklistonline.com/Where-the-World-Ends-/pid=9733182). *[Booklist](/source/Booklist)*. Retrieved 2023-06-07.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:1_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:1_4-1) ["Where the World Ends"](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/geraldine-mccaughrean/where-the-world-ends/). *[Kirkus Reviews](/source/Kirkus_Reviews)*. 2019-07-20. Retrieved 2023-06-07.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:3_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:3_5-1) Coulter, Emilie (2020-01-03). ["Where the World Ends"](https://www.shelf-awareness.com/readers-issue.html?issue=880). *[Shelf Awareness](/source/Shelf_Awareness)*. Retrieved 2023-06-07.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Where the World Ends by Geraldine McCaughrean"](https://www.juniorlibraryguild.com/book/landing/detailedview?itemcode=9781250225498J&name=Where_the_World_Ends). *[Junior Library Guild](/source/Junior_Library_Guild)*. Retrieved 2023-06-07.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Smith, Julia (2020-03-15). ["Top 10 Historical Fiction for Youth: 2020"](https://www.booklistonline.com/ProductInfo.aspx?pid=9735525). *[Booklist](/source/Booklist)*. Retrieved 2020-06-07.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["BAMBRA 2018 shortlists announced"](https://www.booksellers.org.uk/industryinfo/industryinfo/latestnews/BAMBRA-2018-shortlists-announced). *The Booksellers Association of the United Kingdom & Ireland Limited*. 2018-05-10. Retrieved 2023-06-07.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Independent Bookshop Week Book Award 2019"](https://indiebookshopweek.org.uk/IBWBookAward). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20190421182847/https://indiebookshopweek.org.uk/IBWBookAward) from the original on 21 April 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Communications and Marketing Office (2020-01-27). [""Dig" wins 2020 Printz Award"](https://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2020/01/dig-wins-2020-printz-award). *[American Library Association](/source/American_Library_Association)*. Retrieved 2023-06-07.

Awards Preceded by Salt to the Sea Carnegie Medal recipient 2018 Succeeded by The Poet X

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Where the World Ends](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Where_the_World_Ends) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Where_the_World_Ends?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.