The Midnighters

July 2, 2022

Gr 4-6-A thrilling, magical adventure, this murder mystery involves Ema, a 12th child born at midnight just as her grandmother takes her last breath. Ema doesn't feel as though she fits into her large family where every older sibling has a scientific passion and has been accepted at a prestigious academy. When her parents go on a research trip, they leave her with her estranged but kind uncle. He is an ideal support system for Ema, caring for her unceasingly while giving her the space she needs to grow. While there, she meets a mysterious friend who challenges her to face her fears. When this friend goes missing under curious circumstances, Ema begins an investigation into 19th-century Prague's magical underworld. This is a coming-of-age novel combined with an exciting mystery where surprises and revelations abound. Readers will appreciate familiar themes like friendship, discovering and sharing your true self, and seeking acceptance that are woven throughout. This book may be too long for younger readers but has satisfying intrigue and resolution for those who see it through. VERDICT This murder mystery is a thrilling choice for upper elementary and early middle school collections.-Christina Salazar

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from October 3, 2022
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.).

Starred review from June 1, 2022
An anxious child finds a friend, a secret circus, and a mystery to solve in 19th-century Prague. Ema Vaskov� has been gifted with an education in the sciences by her 11 older siblings, has uncommon knacks for reading faces and entering rooms unnoticed, falls into fugue states when she's thinking hard, and possesses the inner stuff to face her fears--given proper prodding. That prodding initially comes from mysterious and wild-spirited Silvie, a girl who leads her on a series of thrillingly daring nighttime adventures...and then disappears suddenly. Screwing her courage to the sticking place, Ema sets out alone to track her down and, after clever sleuthing, discovers a subterranean carnival of illusions and pseudoscientific marvels with which Silvie was somehow involved--and which is in turmoil following the supposedly accidental death of a resident ghost whisperer. Along with narrow squeaks and daring exploits, the author tucks in subtle cues and clues on the way to a classic whodunit climax in which Ema gathers cast members into a room to rehearse the evidence and not only exposes the guilty to vindicate her friend, but, most significantly, satisfies a deep yearning to be seen by her busy but, as it turns out, educable parents. Ema leads a cast that largely presents White. Tooke's afterword suggests that her protagonist is, like herself, neurodivergent; she demonstrates positive attributes that accompany a label that is often framed in terms of difficulties. Adventures beguilingly rich and strange beneath a series of "full-ish" moons. (Adventure. 9-13)

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