Medford lives on a neat, orderly island called—simply—Island.
Islanders like names that say exactly what a thing (or a person) is or does. Medford Runyuin is different. A foundling, he has a meaningless name that is just one of many reminders that he’s an outsider. He also has a secret that could get him banished from Island forever.
A strange creature is about to arrive on Island, and Medford’s secret will be out before he can blink twice.
A boy and a goatman defy the establishment in a whimsical fantasy about belonging, the dangers of forgetting history, the Usefulness of art, and the importance of wind control.
The novel’s humor and amiable tone make it a highly-accessible but thought-provoking read. --The Horn Book Magazine
Avid readers in middle school and high school will enjoy a tale that combines magic with an almost puritanical culture. --VOYA (5Q4P)
ELLEN BOORAEMworked for two decades as a reporter and editor at small-town weeklies, until she quit her day job to writeThe Unnameables.She lives in Brooklin, Maine.
Chapter One
Cropfodder
A Pumpkyn may remayne Wholesome the Winter through. Gut the Fruit, then cut in Pieces and String it. ’Twill drie lyke Apples.
—A Frugall Compendium of Home Arts and Farme Chores by Capability C. Craft (1680), as Amended and Annotated by the Island Council of Names (1718–1809)
When Medford thought about it later, that day in Hunter’s Moon was a good example of Before.
Before Transition.
Before the Goatman.
Before life changed forever.
Before, before, before.
He and Prudencl
![The Unnameables [Paperback]](/itemImage/2/1/6/3/2_331727.jpg)