Sleepless

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY APR 13, 2026

In this reflective romp, Korman (Hypergifted) spotlights five children who find themselves with too much time on their hands upon discovering that they no longer need to sleep. White-cued Mickey, 12, and four racially diverse classmates in the town of Shagbark—Skye, Levi, Cyrus, and Thea—have no idea why they're inexplicably unable to sleep. At first unaware of one another's predicament, each uses their extra waking hours to pursue personal ambitions in secret: Mickey turns to athletics, Skye becomes an academic overachiever, Levi experiments with multiple social media identities as an influencer, Cyrus immerses himself in invention, and Thea throws herself into musical theater. But when the group realizes they share the same sleeplessness, they form an unlikely friendship, meeting at night to investigate the cause of their insomnia. As they dig deeper, the quintet confronts a pressing question: Is their condition a gift or a curse? And if a cure exists, do they want it? Throughout this fast-paced tale, characters weigh the costs and pleasures of their nocturnal freedom, including its effects—both positive and negative—on identity, popularity, and achievement. While an abrupt resolution somewhat dampens the impact of the intriguing existential premise, perceptive narration nevertheless excels in its interpretation of wish fulfillment. Ages 9–12.