MIDNIGHTERS

Midnighters

The Secret Hour

By Scott Westerfeld

Young Adult

Jessica is the new kid at school. She has moved from the big city to the small town of Bixby, Oklahoma. But Jessica has no more than unpacked her first box before she notices that things are amiss in Bixby. Strange things happen at midnight.....time freezes.

Nobody or anything moves, except Jessica. She barely has time to explore this strange new world before she is caught up in an age old war with creatures that are the things that nightmares are made of.

For one hour every night Bixby is filled with unspeakable terror. Jessica soon finds out that she shares this horrific new world with four other people, who call themselves midnighters.

Each one has a special power. Rex is a seer with the talent to see the future and read the past. He wants to lead the group of midnighters against the creatures of the night. Jonathan is an acrobat which mean he can fly. He prefers to be seperate from the group for his own reasons. Melissa is a mindcaster with the ability to hear thoughts and taste people's feeling. Dess is a polymath, she develops the weapons they use to fight the monsters.

Although Jessica is clearly a midnighter she seems to have no special talent to help their cause. She is reluctant to join the group yet knows she is in danger on her own. The creatures of the night also sense some hidden power in Jessica and will stop at nothing to stop her before she can discover what it is. Time is running our for Jessica.......

I recommend this book for reader 12 and up. It has the perfect mix of action, mystery and a little romance. This book is the first in a trilogy and all of them are available at the Salmon Public Library.