The Midnight Children
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
The #1 New York Times and Indie bestseller!
From Dan Gemeinhart, the acclaimed author of The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise, comes an extraordinary story about a family of runaways who take up residence in a small town, and the outcast boy who finds his voice and his people—perfect for fans of Katherine Applegate and Kate DiCamillo.
"Dan Gemeinhart’s best yet and that’s saying something." —Padma Venkatraman, Walter Award-winning author of The Bridge Home
In the dead of night, a truck arrives in Slaughterville, a small town curiously named after its windowless slaughterhouse. Seven mysterious kids with suitcases step out of the vehicle and into an abandoned home on a dead-end street, looking over their shoulders to make sure they aren't noticed.
But Ravani Foster covertly witnesses their arrival from his bedroom window. Timid and lonely, Ravani is eager to learn everything he can about his new neighbors: What secrets are they hiding? And most mysterious of all...where are the adults?
Yet amid this shadowy group of children, Ravani finds an unexpected friend in the warm and gutsy Virginia. But with this friendship comes secrets revealed—and danger. When Ravani learns of a threat to his new friends, he must fight to keep them safe, or lose the only person who has ever understood him.
Full of wonder, friendship, and mystery, The Midnight Children explores the meaning of "home," what makes a family, and what it takes to find the courage to believe in yourself.
* "A story of fierce friendship, bravery, loyalty, and finding—or making—a place to belong." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"Equal parts Kate DiCamillo and Shirley Jackson, this book is unlike anything else I've ever read—you will love it." —Jonathan Auxier, New York Times-bestselling author of Night Gardener and Sweep: the Story of a Girl and her Monster
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Slow-boiling danger elevates the stakes of Gemeinhart's (The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise) imagery-rich novel of transformative friendship. Acute loneliness wakes 12-year-old Ravani Foster the night that the seven Deering children appear in Slaughterville, a town as unchanging as the incessant "hiss-moooTHUD!" emanating from its slaughterhouse. He's the only person to see them arrive, and the newcomers intrigue Ravani, especially outspoken, parasol-twirling Virginia, also 12, who disrupts his routines and stands up to his relentless bullies. But the Deerings have "big secrets": they are Ragabonds, a parentless found family on the run from a ruthless Hunter, and trusting new friends jeopardizes their freedom. Still, the same quiet magic that woke Ravani the first night draws him closer to Virginia, urging them to take the risk—because "sometimes, when two souls leap, they catch each other." A quirky, intimate tone permeates the telling, developed through deliberate-feeling omniscient narration, amusing exclamations ("Holy spit"), and surprising metaphor (words that sound "like the smell of a campfire"). Amid suspenseful scenes and straightforward descriptions of slaughterhouse gore, the story's robust emotional core sees the children forge the story's path as they powerfully change their community through courageous honesty and emotional vulnerability. Characters cue as white. Ages 8–12.
