Daybreak on Raven Island

By Fleur Bradley

Informational Resources:

Author Information:

Fleur Bradley’s Website: 

http://www.ftbradley.com/

Activities & Resources:

Activities:

Have students write and record a book talk for Daybreak on Raven Island.

BOOK TALK GUIDELINES

Tori, Noah, and Marvin are living a scary story. Write an original scary story:

Teach Your Students How to Write a Scary Story - Keep ‘em Thinking

Alcatraz Prison:

The author was inspired by Alcatraz Prison when writing this book. Investigate the history of Alcatraz Prison and create a presentation using Canva or Google Slides. 

Alcatraz - Kids | Britannica Kids | Homework Help

Alcatraz Island Facts for Kids

Alcatraz Penitentiary Facts for Kids | History, Inmates, Escape Attempts

Characters:

Create a character cube for one of the main characters. Write down five characteristics of the character. Write one fact and the page on which the proof is found on each side of the cube. Draw an illustration on the sixth side. 

Cube Creator | Read Write Think

Ravens:

Learn about ravens and create a presentation on Canva or Google Slides.

Amazing Ravens: Fun Facts & Cool Tricks for Kids! Learn About Ravens | Biology For Kids (3:44)

Raven - Animal Facts for Kids - Characteristics & Pictures

raven - Students | Britannica Kids | Homework Help

MakerSpace Activities:

Make an origami raven (15:53).

How to make an easy Origami Crow (Raven), step by step tutorial

Make an origami soccer ball (9:29).

Paper Ball ⚽️ Origami ⚽️ Paper Craft

Use clues from the book to create a map of Raven Island like the one Bea had.

Create a Map to Tell a Story | Crafts for Kids | PBS KIDS for Parents

Alcatraz Prison is now a tourist destination. Make a Raven Island travel brochure. Make a list of fun things that you could do on Raven Island and then organize them into a travel brochure. 

Travel Brochures: Highlighting the Setting of a Story | Read Write Think

In the book, Noah wants to make his own movie. Make a movie about something you care about.

How to Make a Movie As a Kid (with Pictures) - wikiHow

Tori, Marvin, and Noah had to use their intelligence to figure out the mystery on Raven Island. Use your intelligence to open the Break-Out Box.

https://www.gettingsmart.com/2016/12/04/create-breakout-room-in-your-classroom/

The layout of the prison is described as a giant spider with its long legs stretched in all directions (page 25) and a dead squid with its tentacles splayed out in all directions (page 188). Use these descriptions to draw the prison as you imagine it.

Discussion Questions:

Based on the title and cover of the book, what are some predictions you can make about the story?

What do you think of the book’s title? What other title might you choose?

Raven Island is supposed to be haunted. Do you believe in ghosts? Explain your answer.

In Chapter 3, Marvin talks about wanting to make a movie. If you were going to make a movie, what would you make a movie about?

On page 42, Noah talks about being afraid and writing down everything he is afraid of in a journal. He has twenty pages of things. What are you afraid of? How do you deal with it?

Marvin decided to jump off the ferry and return to Raven Island on page 56.  Would you have followed him as Tori and Noah did? Explain your answer.

Ms. Chavez has chosen to own and live on an island that is only accessible twice a day by boat. What would be the advantages of living there?

Which character in Daybreak on Raven Island do you identify with the most: Marvin, Noah, Tori? Why?

Each of the characters has a secret. Is it okay to keep a secret or tell a lie? Why do you feel that way?

Marvin, Noah, and Tori have many differences. They are not all friends at the beginning of the book. How were they able to become friends?

Marvin, Noah, and Tori have many differences, but they also have some similarities.  List some of those similarities.

Noah had to face his fears on page 93 to climb out a window. Marvin said Noah was braver than he thought he was. Talk about a time when you had to be brave and face your fears.

On page 98, Marvin says he just has to know what happened with the escaped prisoners. It's a mystery he has to solve. What mystery have you encountered that you had to solve? What information did you feel you had to know? 

After Marvin, Noah, and Tori’s secrets come out in Chapter 29, how does their relationship change?

On page 132, Marvin, Noah, and Tori find out there is a real killer on the island with them, not just ghosts. What would you do next?

Why do you think the author included the ravens and Mr. Hitchcock, the cat, throughout the book?

In Chapter 35, Marvin, Noah, and Tori are approached by the ghost of John Bellini.  They have a conversation with him. What would you do?

On page 176, Ms. Chavez says her father was trying to make a difference in the lives of the prisoners on Raven Island. Talk about something important to you, when you tried to make a difference.

In Chapter 40, Marvin, Noah, and Tori talk about Bob’s murder. On page 197, they speculate on who the murderer is. Who do you think murdered Bob and why?

On page 187, Marvin, Noah, and Tori have an important conversation about racism. What are your thoughts on racism?

What is ‘Raven Island’s Secret’? Did you expect it? Explain your answer.

Who murdered Bob? Did you figure it out? Explain your answer.

If you could change one thing in the book, what would it be? Why? 

Why do you think the author wrote this story?

Book Talk Teasers:

Read the reader's theater for Daybreak on Raven Island on the Texas Bluebonnet Award website.

Watch the book trailer for Daybreak on Raven Island on the Texas Bluebonnet Award website.

Read Alikes: 

Arden, Katherine. Small Spaces. "After eleven-year-old Ollie's school bus mysteriously breaks down on a field trip, she has to take a trip through scary woods, and must use all of her wits to survive. She must stick to small spaces"-- Provided by publisher. (Novelist Plus)

West, Jacqueline. Long Lost. Feeling lonely and out of place after her family moves to a new town, eleven-year-old Fiona Crane ventures to the local library, where she finds a gripping mystery novel about a small town, family secrets, and a tragic disappearance. (Novelist Plus)

Turnage, Sheila. Three Times Lucky. Washed ashore as a baby in tiny Tupelo Landing, North Carolina, Mo LoBeau, now eleven, and her best friend Dale turn detective when the amnesiac Colonel, owner of a cafe and co-parent of Mo with his cook, Miss Lana, seems implicated in a murder. (Novelist Plus)

Currie, Lindsay. It Found Us. When her brother's best friend Everett vanishes during a game of hide-and-seek in the cemetery, 12-year-old Hazel Woods must unravel the terrifying clues that started appearing since that night to save Everett before he's gone forever. (Novelist Plus)

Ansari, Rebecca K. S. The In-Between. Cooper is lost. Ever since his father left their family three years ago, he has become distant from his friends, constantly annoyed by his little sister, Jess, and completely fed up with the pale, creepy rich girl who moved in next door and won't stop staring at him. So when Cooper learns of an unsolved mystery his sister has discovered online, he welcomes the distraction. It's the tale of a deadly train crash that occurred a hundred years ago, in which one young boy among the dead was never identified. The only distinguishing mark on him was a strange insignia on his suit coat, a symbol no one had seen before or since. Jess is fascinated by the mystery of the unknown child because she's seen the insignia. It's the symbol of the jacket of the girl next door. As they uncover more information, and mounting evidence of the girl's seemingly impossible connection to the tragedy, Cooper and Jess begin to wonder if a similar disaster could be heading to their hometown. (Novelist Plus)

Reviews:

Booklist (August 2022 (Vol. 118, No. 22))

Grades 4-6. Ghosts aplenty, though not all the ectoplasmic sort, haunt this chilling tale of three middle-schoolers stranded for a dark and stormy night on an island that houses a former sanatorium and maximum-security prison. In addition to almost emptying the catalog of goosebump-inducing tropes—besides the setting and weather, readers get chill drafts, flickering lights, hidden tunnels, faceless apparitions, murky woods, and more—Bradley tucks in a visiting crew of TV ghost-hunters, a long-kept secret involving an old prison break, and a fresh corpse. There are also a few relevant social issues as two of the preteens—one Black, one Korean American—have experienced racism, and the third, who is white, is traumatized by an older brother’s arrest and imprisonment for burglary. Readers who prefer their frights full-blown but on the mild side will definitely get their money’s worth, and the author is skillful enough to keep all the disparate elements in the air while propelling her tale along to its climactic denouement and tidy resolution. A select set of inmate-assistance organizations is appended.

School Library Journal Xpress (July 22, 2022)

Gr 4-6-Seventh grade can be trying for any new teenager, but for Tori, who is white; Noah, who is Black; and Marvin, who is Korean American, surviving the year feels unlikely. The protagonists, along with a handful of other students, are on their way to Raven Island Prison-the first class to ever take a field trip there. The prison, reminiscent of Alcatraz, is rumored to be haunted, and ghosts have been sighted many times. Tori, Noah, and Marvin accidentally miss the ferry home and due to currents, they must wait until daybreak for another ferry to return for them. What ensues is a murder mystery that the three spend the night trying to solve. The island has many buildings, tunnels, and woods that are filled with ravens and ghosts galore, which add to the difficulty of deciphering the truth. No one is exempt from their suspect list. The mystery is written in third-person omniscient, and Bradley draws readers deep into questions of Raven Island in this suspenseful and sometimes scary narrative. Kids will keep turning the pages as they root for the three main characters on their quest for the truth. VERDICT A howling and harrowing good read, perfect for fans who like to keep guessing right up to the very end. A recommended purchase for libraries who need more mystery-horror genre-blends.-Tracy Cronce © Copyright 2022.