Spooky Read: Daybreak on Raven Island

No one wants to be on the 7th grade field trip to Raven Island - a remote island that used to host a prison. Tori's missing a soccer game because of poor grades, Martin would rather be filing a movie for a film festival with his best friend who moved away. Noah would rather be anywhere with his mom who died recently. Instead, the three of them are paired together.

They spend the day seeing the old prison, hearing ghost stories, and witness something pretty creepy. They meet the rest of their class by 2 pm to catch the last ferry off the island. But Melvin wants to film something spooky for the movie festival. He knows the island will provide and amazing backdrop. At the last moment, he leaves the ferry. Noah and Tori go with him. Neither are pleased with the situation.  

There's a ghost hunting team on the island - hoping to make an amazing show. Something happened on the island years ago - three prisoners escaped, and the warden died. No one has solved the mystery. But Marvin, Tori, and Noah witnessed a ghostly glimpse of the moment. No one wants them to uncover the truth. Obstacles and spooky moments force them to decide what's important. Are they going to uncover the mystery of the island before it's too late?

My Thoughts: I wouldn't want to spend the night on this island - especially after witnessing all the creepy moments. A great story about finding friends. I loved how the trio came together. I felt badly for each other them as they all were dealing with significant trauma - grief, anger, and feeling alone. My heart went out to Tori's brother who was sent to prison. I really liked the author's note about incarcerated loved ones. Lots of action, danger, and mysterious happenings in this book. Part horror and part mystery, this book will leave readers on the edge of their seat as they try to figure out what happened. 

Cover Thoughts: Spooky

Source: Book sent for review

Library Recommendation: Highly Recommended for your middle grade section.