The Midnighters
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4.3 • 3 Ratings
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
The Graveyard Book meets Nevermoor in this ghostly tale about two friends, one murder mystery, and a world of intrigue.
Find the courage to be extraordinary...
Ema Vašková has always felt different. In a family of famous scientists, there’s not much room for superstition or omens—but they seem to follow Ema wherever she goes. It doesn’t help that she appears to predict events before they happen, and has a peculiar fear of shadows...
When Ema is sent to stay with her eccentric uncle in Prague, she fears she’ll lose the chance to ever fit in. But then she meets Silvie—a girl who finally sees Ema for the extraordinary girl that she is. Soon the girls are meeting for secret midnight adventures and facing Ema’s fears together.
But then disaster strikes. Silvie goes missing—and it’s up to Ema to find her. Now she must gather the courage to hunt the city, find her friend, and uncover the secrets of the one clue Silvie left as to where she might be—inside the mysterious Midnight Guild...
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A daredevil's heart beats at the center of a whimsically dark, adventurous mystery from Tooke (The Unadoptables), which is equal parts Tim Burton and Agatha Christie. Born in 19th-century Prague as the 12th child of ambitious scientist parents, Ema Vašková struggles to find her place within her clinically minded family. Naturally cautious Ema possesses keen stealth and an aptitude for reading people, as well as precognitive instincts that make her insides itch. The 12-year-old's timidity is challenged when she befriends cavalier neighborhood girl Silvie, with whom she engages in clandestine, swashbuckling midnight meet-ups that cement the girls' friendship. When Silvie suddenly disappears, Ema employs her budding moxie to find her friend, putting her at odds with the Midnight Guild, a secret collective that's both responsible for an underground pseudoscience carnival and reeling from a recent murder. Balancing the comfort of an intricately plotted caper with death-defying action, this rollicking, shadowy thriller blurs the line between magic and science, maintaining a lightly creepy charm through every revelation. Black-and-white illustrations by Rubio introduce each chapter. Most characters cue as white; an author's note discusses Ema's characterization in terms of neurodivergence. Ages 8–12. Author's agent: Jenny Savill, Andrew Nurnberg Assoc. (U.K.).
