Blackwell's Island — Serena Graff

New York City, 1914. Eleven-year-old Alex and his sister, Anna, are trying to make the most of life without their mother, who has recently disappeared. They're doing a pretty good job of it until Alex finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time and is sent to the juvenile work camp on Blackwell's Island, a place full of lunatics, incurables, and -- even though Alex doesn't believe in them -- ghosts.

On Blackwell's Alex becomes fast friends with Francis, a skinny kid who seems to know everything, and Will, a Blackwell's veteran who has already developed the thick skin necessary for survival. Together, they face their biggest fears and plot their escape. But can Alex stand up to Coldbuddy, the man responsible for all the evil on Blackwell's, and still leave the island with his life?

Blackwell's Island is a scary, edge-of-your-seat tale -- definitely not a place to go after dark.