What is Don’t Let Them Leave about?
Newly orphaned siblings Charlotte, Emily and Jack are sent to live on an island with a grandmother they never knew existed, let alone met. This is an island ominously cut off by the tide and surrounded by large black rocks. It is far from welcoming or friendly and is increasingly more malevolent, the longer the children stay.
Plot summary of Don’t Let Them Leave (no spoilers)
Charlotte, Emily and Jack are grieving the loss of their parents. Only days later they are whisked off to a strange island to live with their grandmother. Their father never mentioned her, so they are wary, but one must do as the adults say, so they follow all the instructions and get on a train.
They find little of the comforts they knew at home. Their grandmother’s home is on a strange island which is ruled by the tides. It appears empty and abandoned, but that is far from the truth.
The longer they stay, the longer Charlotte wonders about the swift change in their lives and the inhospitable life they have found themselves in. She reaches out to a boy who helped them on their journey, and learns more about the island and its history.
A history so horrific, she wants to leave, but there are building haunting forces that want to prevent it.
My thoughts
From the first page to the last, I was captured by this novel. Newly made orphans Charlotte, Emily and Jack grabbed my heart early, and I felt for their plight and hastily scraped together courage. I understood their apprehension in meeting a relative they knew nothing of, and how their lives were going to change so drastically, through no fault of their own.
The island itself adds more fear and indecision, as they nearly lose their lives trying to get to it, and the longer they stay the higher the tension rises. It’s positively creepy and the malevolence builds into pure horror, as a historical revenge plot reveals itself.
The answers the siblings are seeking are truly terrible, and nothing I imagined.  Gripping, creepy and well worth a read.
Characters
Charlotte (13)Â Now in charge of her younger siblings, she has to keep pushing her grief at the loss of her parents down, just so she can keep functioning. She and her brother and sister have been raised in a wealthy home, so suddenly having to do everything for themselves is challenging. Charlotte bravely steps up to all that they face, and must work out how to ensure their survival from an island with evil intention.
Jack (9)Â Â At only 9 years old, Jack has already picked up tips and behaviours from his father which are helpful in their sudden new and demanding life. He has always been a quiet boy and often kept mostly to himself at home, but now must be brave in all they face. At home, he and little sister Emily would often squabble, but now he sees the need to look out for her, and also help his big sister who he now looks to for guidance.
Emily (6) Always full of chatter and questions, Emily never goes anywhere without her beloved soft rabbit Munchkin. Being the youngest, she struggles to comprehend what is happening to them. She baulks at Charlotte’s instructions at first, but after only a few days in their new strange home, quickly learns to listen to Charlotte, even if she doesn’t understand all that they are experiencing.
Writing Style
A prologue begins the novel, set deep in a mine in 1855 – 3rd person/past tense.
13 year old Charlotte tells the story directly to the reader (1st person). The setting is 1930’s England, so Charlotte speaks proper English, the way she has been raised by her wealthy parents. We hear her inner thoughts throughout the novel as she struggles first with grief, responsibility of her younger siblings, and then the terrifying situation they find themselves in.
FAQs
What age is it for?
12+
Where & When is it set?
1930 London, then a journey to an island on the southern tip of England, which is cut off by the tides twice daily.
What is the Point of View / Tense of the novel?
1st person / Past tense.
Is there any Violence?
Yes
What genre is Don’t Let Them Leave?
Young Adult Horror
Themes
Horror / Family / Courage / Revenge
Is it part of a series?
No
Author
Mike Lucas
Publisher
Penguin Random House Australia
Find more creepy novels by this author
Click here
If you’re looking for more Horror Reads
Find some here
(2026, Penguin Books, Horror, Revenge, Island, Siblings, Grief, Tin Mines, Lodestone, Historical, 1930, England, Train journey, Grandmother, Ghosts, Cat, Ravens, Courage, Mystery, Creepy, Eerie)