This third and thus far final entry in Carol Ottley-Mitchell's Caribbean Adventure Series, which chronicles the exploits of a group of Kittitian schoolchildren who undergo a variety of time-slip experiences, thereby witnessing and participating in some of the interesting moments in the region's history, sees Mark, Kyle and Ingrid - together with Mark's irrepressible vervet monkey, Chee Chee - once again embroiled in danger. Wandering off during a class field trip to the Asa Wright Nature Centre in Trinidad, home to countless avian species, including the endangered oilbird, Kyle sees a poacher at work and is taken captive, leaving Ingrid and Mark - aided by the ever-resourceful Chee Chee - to try to rescue him. Playing a deadly game of cat-and-mouse in Dunston's Cave, the children once again find themselves in the past, where they encounter a young boy who bears a striking resemblance to the poacher...

Like its two predecessors, I found Trapped in Dunston's Cave a fairly engaging story, and enjoyed revisiting Ottley-Mitchell's appealing young characters. That said, the issue I had with the earlier two titles - namely, that the narratives simply weren't fleshed out enough to carry the plots, and that more detail was needed to really make the story successful - was likewise a problem here. I think the author is a capable writer, and that she has good ideas, but I was left wanting more: more background information about the Asa Wright Centre, more details about the children's adventures (the time travel happens in a few pages!), and more in-depth descriptions of the character's emotional state and/or thoughts. I also found that, because this third story did not involve any significant historical incident, as both Adventure At Brimstone Hill and Pirates At Port Royal did, that it was slightly less interesting than it could have been.

Leaving these criticisms aside, I am glad to have read this series, as children's fiction set in the Caribbean and written by Caribbean authors is still thin on the ground, and I think this author has real potential. I hope she goes on to write more in the field - perhaps something a little longer... ( )