Isle of Ever, Jen Calonita, and Mentor Texts

Meet our Contributor: Melanie Hundley

Dr. Melanie Hundley is a Professor in the Practice of English Education at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College; her research examines how AI, digital and multimodal composition informs the development of pre-service teachers’ writing pedagogy.  Additionally, she explores the use of AI, digital and social media in young adult literature.  She teaches writing methods courses that focus on AI, digital and multimodal composition and young adult literature courses that explore diversity, culture, and storytelling in young adult texts. She teaches AI and literacy courses including AI and Storytelling. Her current research focus has three strands: AI in writing, AI in Teacher Education, and Verse Novels in Young Adult Literature She is currently the Coordinator of the Secondary Education English Education program in the Department of Teaching and Learning at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College.

Dr. Mellanie Hundley

There is more to say about this post. At the 2026 YAL Summit on the Research and Teaching of Young Adult Literature, Melanie was schedule to have a conversation with Jen Calonita about her books and how to use them as a mentor text. Melanie had prepared an extremely good Power Point presentation illustrating how to use Jen's books as mentor texts. Jen was then going to fill in the discussion with commentary along the way.

Disruption!

Melanie had a serious family medical emergency that took her away from the Summit.
I was asked to step in and lead the discussion useing Melanies wonderful materials. 

The materials were excellent and easy to follow. The one fortune piece of the puzzle was that Jen and I know each other and had done an interview that we posted about a year ago on Dr. Bickmore's YA Wednesday. It is posted below.


There is also a link here to Melanie's materials and again at the end of the post.

This weeks post by Melanie is blog post version of much of the ideas and materials that Melanie planned to present at the Summit. It is our pleasure to provide her the space to share her ideas.

Dr. Steve Bickmore

Jen Calonita

In Conversation with Jen Calonita

Isle of Ever, Jen Calonita, and Mentor Texts
​by Melanie Hundley

If you spend any time around middle grade or high school readers, you start to notice that some books don’t sit on shelves for long. They move from backpack to desk to another reader’s hands with a kind of quiet buzz and excited whispers. I hear, “read this next because…” or “I wasn’t ready for the way that happened…” Jen Calonita’s Isle of Ever is one of those books. Students read it quickly, but more importantly, they talk about it. And when they talk, they start to notice things. That’s where it becomes especially powerful for us as teachers. Beyond its engaging plot and adventurous spirit, Isle of Ever offers something equally valuable for teachers of writing: it works beautifully as a mentor text.

When I look for mentor texts, I’m looking for writing that invites imitation, invites using those craft moves students can see, name, and try. Isle of Ever offers that in so many ways, but three stand out in particular: the way Calonita hooks a reader from the very first line, how she builds character through thought, description, and movement, and how she uses punctuation to shape meaning and tension.

Hooking the Reader from the Start

The opening line of a novel is an invitation and a promise; it creates the moment when a reader decides whether to step fully into a story’s world or to set the book aside. Opening lines create magic. A compelling first sentence doesn’t just introduce plot or character; it creates intrigue, establishes tone, and sparks that magical something that pulls a reader into a story. In that single line, an author can pose a question, hint at conflict, or offer a voice so vivid it demands to be followed, proving that the beginning of a story is often where a reader’s commitment is won.
 
We often tell students that beginnings matter, but it helps when they can see how much they matter. The opening line of a novel is an invitation and a promise. It’s the moment a reader decides to lean in or not.

Calonita opens Isle of Ever with a journal entry, “The tide brought in many things, but this was the first time it brought a person…” (Calonita, p. 1). When I share this line with students, I ask them what they notice. They almost always say the same things: That’s weird. That’s interesting. I want to know more. And that’s exactly the point. The line doesn’t explain; it invites. When students try this structure in their own writing, the results are often striking.
 
For example, one student, writing about Robert Frost, began the essay, “The path has offered many choices, but this was the first time it offered a decision that could not be undone. In “The Road Not Taken,” Robert Frost transforms a quiet moment in a yellow wood into a meditation on choice and individuality. Another student, working on Romeo and Juliet, wrote, “Verona had seen many quarrels and deaths, but this was the first time a feud would cost two families two teens who had fallen in love and married in secret. In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare reveals how inherited conflict and impulsive decisions can lead to irreversible tragedy.” What I appreciate in both examples is that students aren’t just copying a sentence. They’re borrowing a craft move. They’re learning how to create tension right from the start. In each case, the writer borrows not just the rhythm of Calonita’s sentence, but its sense of tension and inevitability.

Building Character Through What Isn’t Said

Calonita also excels at characterization, particularly through what she doesn’t say directly. As readers, we get to know Benny through her actions, thoughts, and dialogue. By closely reading Benny’s words and the way she moves through a scene, we uncover her personality, her worries, and her motivations without ever being told explicitly who she is.

In this passage, Benny processes the idea of an inheritance:

Benny knew what an inheritance was—someone had left her money or a boat or a car (at least that’s how it worked on Lawyered Up), but the question was who? Nobody Benny knew had money, but her mom seemed excited to hear the details, and Sal had said, “Kid, you’re going to be rich.”
Benny wasn’t so sure… (Calonita, p. 19)

When we slow down and read this together, students start to notice how much is happening beneath the surface. It really shows up how much we learn indirectly. Benny references a TV show to make sense of the situation. She asks questions instead of making assumptions. She moves through her space while thinking. None of this is labeled for us, but we understand her anyway. Benny references a TV show to make sense of the situation. She questions rather than assumes. She moves physically through her space while processing uncertainty. All of this builds a character who feels real and grounded. That realization opens the door for students. They begin to see that they don’t have to tell everything—they can let a character’s thoughts and actions do the work.

Students can emulate this layering. One student, inspired by Calonita’s approach, wrote:

Maya knew what auditions were—people stood on a stage, read lines, and somehow got chosen to be the star or some supporting character in a play. At least, that’s how it worked in the shows she watched. But the real question was why she had signed up. Nobody at her old school had ever tried out for plays. At least none of her old friends did. Maya usually stayed quiet in the back row. Still, her mom had squeezed her shoulder that morning and said, “This could be your thing.”

Here, like Benny, Maya reveals herself through her questions, her assumptions, and her movement through a moment of uncertainty. The writing becomes richer not because the student tells us more, but because they show more. A good mentor texts supports the writer without limiting their thinking.

Noticing the Small Things: Punctuation as Craft

One of the most interesting conversations we had around Isle of Ever started with something small: punctuation. A colleague once shared that her students were comfortable with periods and basic commas, but hesitant to try anything more complex. They didn’t want to “get it wrong.” Using mentor texts like Calonita’s gives students permission to experiment; it gives them a model, a visual of what the punctuation looks like in action.

In this passage, Benny recalls something her grandmother told her:
 
Benny felt a prickling on the back of her neck and suddenly remembered something her grandmother used to tell her. Someday, Benny, your ship is going to come in. You’re going to have a bigger adventure than all of us, Guppy. Just you wait. Benny didn’t understand what she meant by that, but now she wondered: Did Grams mean this moment? Did Grams know the prediction? Was it really possible their ancestor Evelyn Terry had been waiting for Benny to be born, play the game, and collect the inheritance? Her? (Calonita, p.25)
​

Students immediately noticed the italics. They noticed the string of questions. They noticed that final, single-word question: Her?  When we talked about it, they realized that punctuation isn’t just about correctness; it’s about meaning. The italics signal a shift in time and voice. What’s happening here is more than stylistic variation. The italics shift us into the past, allowing memory to interrupt the present. The rapid-fire questions mirror Benny’s spiraling thoughts, increasing tension. The punctuation becomes part of the storytelling. The questions show Benny’s uncertainty. The short final question adds weight and emphasis. After that, students began trying these moves themselves. One student wrote:

I felt a weird tingly feeling in my legs as I stood on the soccer field and suddenly remembered what my older brother always tells me. Someday, you’re going to score the winning goal. You’re going to make the whole team yell and cheer. Just wait and see. I never really knew what he meant by that, but now I wonder: Did he mean this game? Did he know this moment was coming? Was it really possible that I was the one who could save our season? Me?
Eri, 12

Here, punctuation isn’t just correct; it’s purposeful. It carries emotion, builds suspense, and deepens the reader’s connection to the moment.

Why Calonita Matters as a Mentor Text

Jen Calonita continues to be one of my go-to authors—not just because her stories captivate readers, but because her writing makes craft visible in ways that are accessible to students. Books like Isle of Ever remind me why mentor texts are such an essential part of writing instruction. When students read like writers, they begin to notice how texts are built. And when they notice, they try.
 
Calonita’s writing is accessible without being simple. It’s engaging without sacrificing craft. Students can step into her work as readers, but they can also step alongside her as writers.Her openings invite imitation. Her characterization encourages inference. Her punctuation choices empower experimentation. And that’s what we want, isn’t it? For students to see that the moves published authors make are not out of reach—that they can try them, play with them, and make them their own.
 
For novice writers, this matters. When students can see how a writer creates tension, reveals character, or builds momentum, they begin to believe that they can do it too. Mentor texts like Isle of Ever don’t just provide examples; they provide entry points. And perhaps most importantly, Calonita’s writing reminds us that strong craft and engaging storytelling are not separate goals. They work together. When students borrow her moves, they aren’t just learning to write better sentences; they’re learning to create meaning, to shape experience, and to invite readers into worlds of their own making. That’s the kind of magic worth passing on.

Here is a link to a Google folder with teaching materials for Calonita’s work:
​ https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1a84pDr2uXN8SmajMGGxhllSzxndLzo08?usp=drive_link

This folder has an abundance of infromation about how to use Calonita's books as mentor texts.

You will find materials for Fairy Godmother, Go the Distance, Isle of Ever, The Curse Breaker, and Tinker Bell.