The Midnight Children

Starred review from June 20, 2022
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. Agent: Pam Victorio, D4EO Literary.