Midnighters: The Secret HourPlot Summary
Critical Evaluation
I LOVED this book. It won the Aurealis Award for Young Adult Novel in 2004. This is an award presented in Australia to recognize efforts in science fiction, fantasy or horror writers. Scott Westerfield was born in America but spends a lot of his time in Australia which qualifies him for this award.
This book would be in my top 5 of the books read for this semester. It is gripping and engaging. The premise is interesting to begin with and then it adds in unusual creatures and unusual powers. It was hard to put down. I plan on reading the next two books in the trilogy as soon as possible.
Reader’s Annotation
In the midnight hour time freezes. Only those born at the stroke of midnight can exist during the midnight hour.
Information about the author
Scott Westerfeld is me. I’m the author of five science fiction novels for adults. I’ve also been an occasional ghost writer, which is like driving someone else’s car really, really fast for lots of money. (I could tell you what famous authors I ghost-wrote for, but then I’d have to kill you.) In my artsy days, I wrote music for artsy downtown New York dancers, some of which sounds like this.
I have written three sets of books for young adults. The first is called Midnighters, a tale of five teenagers born on the stroke of midnight, for whom time freezes every night, revealing a dark and terrible hidden world. All three books are out now.
My other trilogy is Uglies, set in a future where cosmetic surgery is compulsory when you turn 16, making everyone beautiful. Of course, there are some people who want to keep their own faces . . . but they’re not allowed. All three books—Uglies, Pretties and Specials—are out now. A companion novel to the trilogy, Extras, will be out in October 2007.
My third set of books is three stand-alone novels from Razorbill, all set in contemporary New York. The first is So Yesterday, about a cool hunter who runs afoul of a plot to end consumerism. The second is called Peeps, a "vampire" novel. The third is The Last Days, set in the same world as Peeps, which is also out now. I’ve also written a few short stories that you can find online for free, but be warned that all of them contain dirty words.
I was born in Texas, and split my time between New York City and Sydney, Australia. (I have more frequent flyer miles than you do.) You can read many personal details of my life on my blog. And consult theScott fact sheet here.
http://scottwesterfeld.com/about-the-author/
I really like Scott Westerfield's work and plan to read all of his books.
Genre
fantasy
Curriculum Ties
This book would be great for a fantasy unit in a literature class.
Booktalking Ideas
*What would you do with one extra hour a day?
Reading Level
ages 12 and up
Challenge Issues
N/A
Why Included?
I love Scott Westerfield's work. This is a great fantasy series for young adults.
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