Tree Castle Island By Jean Craighead George. Fourteen-year-old Jack sets out in a handmade canoe for the legendary Okefenokee Swamp. But after several idyllic days of exploring, he's hit with some bad luck. He can't find his way home and he runs into a hungry alligator who takes a bite out of his canoe so he pulls up to a remote island. PB. 424 pgs.