Nightmare Island

Horror movie–obsessed Serenity Noah, a Black 12-year-old, longs to meet a monster scarier than the ones in her recurring nightmares. But her passions and boisterous personality often make her feel out of place in her soft-spoken family, especially compared to her calm, artistic younger brother Peace. When Peace suddenly develops his own night terrors, her parents blame Serenity’s monster flicks, and plan a trip to a silent retreat on Duppy Island—a locale that Serenity believes harbors malicious spirits—to cure his nightmares without her. Determined not to be left behind, Serenity stows away on the next boat to Duppy Island; once there, she encounters the creatures from her dreams. That’s not the only worrying thing she uncovers, however: the retreat’s shady director seems eager to get her off the island, a forgetting spell has befallen the rest of the adults, and douens—faceless children with backward feet—are haunting the land. Even as she faces fears of her own, Serenity endeavors to save Peace from the island’s horrors. Occasionally awkward worldbuilding dampens the anticipatory atmosphere, but Bourne (Josephine Against the Sea) nevertheless delivers a chilling adventure steeped in Afro-Caribbean mythology that teems with twists, turns, and propulsive action. Ages 8–12. (June)