DAYBREAK ON RAVEN ISLAND

Three middle school social outcasts find hidden clues to an unsolved mystery during a field trip to an abandoned prison.

A school field trip takes a group of seventh graders to an island prison that hasn’t been visited in over 50 years. Three of them—White soccer player Tori, Korean American aspiring horror filmmaker Marvin, and anxious Black science buff Noah—decide to stay behind on Raven Island instead of returning with their class. They investigate a 1972 prison break by three inmates while waiting for the ferry to return the following morning. Also involved in their quest are Ms. Chavez, the owner of the island and daughter of the prison’s last warden; some resident ravens; and a few ghosts that the kids can see—but that are not visible to the host of a ghost-hunting TV show who is also present on the island. Complicating matters is the discovery of a dead body. There is an overall tone of real and imagined horror throughout. The topics of excessively harsh sentencing, inhumane treatment of prisoners, and profiteering by the prison system are woven into the story. The island itself, reluctant to release its secrets or people, is spookily personified: Trees whisper to the three friends, plants attack them, and the passage of time seems to shift. Horror devices and skillful pacing are employed to great effect.

An enjoyable paranormal mystery imbued with social commentary.