Customer Reviews

A Wish After Midnight

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I've started to wait a few days after finishing a book before doing a post. So I can marinate on what I've read and allow the words fully sink in. When I finished A Wish After Midnight I was very satisfied and felt it was a very good novel. Four days later with the novel still fresh in my head and flipping through the book , I realize I may not of given the book enough credit.

15 yr old Genna lives in a one bedroom apartment with her mother and three siblings. Her mother struggles to make enough money so the family can move to a better neighborhood. Genna does her part by staying out of trouble, getting good grades, looking after younger brother, Tyjuan. She finds solace in the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. Genna befriends another Garden regular Mr. Christiansen an older white man. Mr Christiansen seemed like a nice man at first I couldn't understand why his appearance was so short. Then I remembered this isn't a book about a troubled black girl who needs a nice old white man to teach her importance of dreaming. I believe Elliott includes this character, hoping the reader will learn from Genna to judge individuals on their merits not their race, gender or other things they can't control.

Genna is not poisoned by her mother's hatred of white people.

"I don't want to think like Mama. I try not to lump Hannah and all white people together cause that's exactly what I don't want people doing to me. I want people to accept me for who I am with my own ways, and my own ideas and my own future that's separate from everything else going on. Separate from Rico dealing drugs and Toshi acting fast and Papi walking out on us. Separate from where I live or how I dress or the color of my skin. I'm not ashamed of none of those things. I just want people to see all of who I am, and not just the messed up parts."

With her wishes Genna dreams of a better future and forgets what waits for her when she leaves the garden. This book is essentially in two parts Genna in present day, Genna in 1863. When I finished the book, I enjoyed the second half so much I wished Genna time travelled sooner. Though now as I look back on it I appreciate Genna in the present day. Elliott fully developments Genna , allowing the reader to feel more connected to the character. This is a very smart move on the authors part, whether or not the reader is a fan of historical fiction is irrelevant because they'll be fulling invested in the character. Genna's tall, shy and thanks to a lack of slang her peers thinks she's not black enough. She doesn't hang out will anyone from school, until Judah comes along. Judah is different, and he appreciates Genna. Their relationship is steadily growing, then Genna makes the wish. It comes about in anger and confusion. When Genna's mom slaps her for a wrong not committed Genna goes to the Garden. Apparently Genna isn't the only one who uses the Garden as a sanctuary at the midnight hour Genna sees ghosts. I love the idea of lost souls finding peace in a Garden, there aren't too many quiet places in NY. Soon after Genna comes to grips with what surrounds her, she transported back to Brooklyn 1863. Before Genna can be sold into slavery someone claims she's a Reverends niece. Genna is taken to an orphanage, she needs days to recover from serious back wounds. I kept waiting for the author to say what happened to Genna's back, an explanation never came and feel like I missed a piece of the puzzle. Genna ends up working and living with the orphanage doctor, Dr Brant. Runaway slaves make their way to Brooklyn and Dr Brant does what he can to help. While helping one day Genna finds Judah. I love what Elliott did with the second half of the book. Genna stays true to who she is, even in 1863 she speaks her mind and fights back. Elliott gives Judah a little competition with Paul, a blued eyed black boy. Genna had the power to wish Judah into another century that's some serious love but I still found myself rooting for Paul. At times in 1863 Brooklyn Judah seemed a little stubborn, and he wasn't considering Genna's feelings. When I think of the civil war I usually think about the south. Elliott touches upon the unrest in New York. When the New York Drafts riots hits Manhattan many people flee to Brooklyn. Genna and Judah get caught up in the riot that threatens to find its way to Brooklyn. The author reminds us that there's much history to be found in Brooklyn beyond the Polo Grounds and the Brooklyn Bridge. A Wish Before Midnight is a wonderful novel, giving the reader much to enjoy, think about and learn.

A Wish Before Midnight is self published, (stop rolling your eyes) There are no typos or grammatical errors so don't be deterred that this book hasn't found a home yet. Just think of yourself has being ahead of the curve. So later when someone tells you they've read great new book A Wish After Midnight, you can say you've already read it. Zetta Elliott is also the author of the awarding winning children's book Bird, an ALA notable children's book of 2009

There are many ways to respond to racism, and A Wish After Midnight explores just about every one imaginable. In an astounding feat of nuance, the author manages to present a deeply divisive subject in a deeply unifying way. She doesn't shy away from showing the worst in people, nor does she fail to recognize the best in those same people. While the book seems primarily intended to encourage young people to rise above the hand they're dealt, it is instructive for young and old, black and white alike.

In addition to the excellent theme and premise, the writing itself is solid. Each character is important to the story, and has a unique voice and outlook on life. It is a serious subject, and the plot is frightening at times. I definitely recommend an adult be there to discuss it, but it is thought-provoking enough that I will encourage my children to read it when they are old enough. I look forward to the sequel with anticipation.

Wow, I could not put this work of art down! A Wish Midnight had me staying up reading this book well after midnight a few nights in a row, until I had completely devoured it's contents. Zetta Elliott has created one of the most humbling, thought-provoking, and enrapturing books I've ever had the pleasure of reading. I'm not even going to attempt to do this book any justice by writing any details of the events that touched me, as there is no possible way I could do this book any justice without somehow detracting from it's powerful message. Suffice it to say that A Wish After Midnight has left me quite speechless, but only in good ways. It's message, it's lessons, will be ones that find myself thinking about for a good long time to come. I look forward to reading the sequel.

Given the thoughtful handling of the topic of racism (both modern day and civil war era), this is truly a book that is worthy of study in jr. high and high school literature or history classes. Although this is a time travel story, it is not too overly fantastical, so one need not be a sci fi fan to enjoy it thoroughly.

Fifteen year-old Genna lives with her family in Brooklyn. Her mother hates white people, which Genna struggles to understand. Genna is acquainted with an older white gentleman whom she often sees at the nearby arboretum, and he seems perfectly kind. One day Genna is whisked back to civil war days. At first, she is mistaken for a runaway slave. She must make her way as best she can, and can only hope that she will one day return to her own time.

This is a lovely story with a powerful message. Genna is a very likable character. Fans of historical fiction will especially enjoy this. Highly recommended for ANYONE 13 and up.

When I read this book I couldn't put it down. Now I am waiting on the edge of my seat for the sequel!!! Zetta is such a great writer. It's so encouraging to see so many people recognize her talent. Her stories are so rich, and her delivery is crystal clear. If you love historical fiction with a twist, pick this up immediately! If you love time travel, grab this! If you just love reading good books, this is for you! I highly recommend it.

Genna's mother probably never told her to be careful what she wished and she probably never told Genna that she was beautiful, or smart or a wonderful daughter. Mom was too busy struggling with a son and a daughter she already lost to the streets, trying to make ends meet on her single income and getting through life's daily demands. No, life was not easy for Genna and her family in Brooklyn. We know that Gemma is intelligent, tall, responsible, friendless and losing hope. She's a young girl who doesn't know her gifts or her options. She really leads a sheltered life and is unaware of much in the world around her, except for the world that exists in her garden.

She's crushin' on Judah and when they finally get together, her world expands. There is much tension brought in her home because of the decisions of her older siblings and how they affect the dynamics of the household.

Genna comes of age in this story, but not before she makes one fateful wish that takes her to the past. She transcends time and space to land in Civil War era Brooklyn. Her relationships lead her to uncover the depths of racial relations in New York City, what freedom really means, her true beauty and her real love.

This historical novel is a well written tale, penned by Zetta Elliott, author of Bird and numerous works of published poetry, one act plays and other works. She is a scholar and researcher who is well versed in Brooklyn's diverse history. Even with these accomplishments, Elliott has had to go the route of self publishing in order to get this book to market. Don't let that stop you from purchasing it! Adding this book to any young adult collection will be a wise investment. The historical evidence of the Draft Riots, and conditions for Irish and African Americans is sound. Messages in the book are clear but not overpowering. The suspense created by the story remains with me even now as I wonder how Judah found Genna and if he will indeed find her again.

Although fifteen-year old Genna Colon faces some tough obstacles, she has continued to set high expectations for herself and to dream about a better life. Genna, her single mother, and three siblings live in a run-down building beset by drug dealers, trash, and vermin. She enjoys learning and wants to attend college to study psychiatry, but intense pressures to subscribe to a strict set of social norms in her Brooklyn school leave her ostracized and deeply unhappy. Only Judah, with his Jamaican heritage and his strong desire to escape Brooklyn and go to Africa, understands her feelings and makes her feel beautiful and valued.

Genna finds sanctuary almost every day at the garden, where she habitually tosses coins into the fountain and wishes to live somewhere else, inhabit someone else's body, and experience a new life. So Genna is dumbfounded and utterly confused when she wakes up after a particularly difficult night to find herself in a different body, bloodied and beaten, in Civil War-era Brooklyn. If this is just a bad dream, then why does it not end?

In this gripping novel, Zetta Elliott provides a carefully-crafted interplay between historical facts, social commentary, and powerful fiction. The book serves as an important reminder about the brutal and degrading treatment of blacks during the mid-1800s and the frightening conditions of the 1863 Civil War draft riots in New York. Yet the author does not preach, and comparisons with life as an African American teen in modern-day Brooklyn are subtle and informative. A Wish After Midnight leaves a lasting impression with its dignified, strong-minded lead character and its clever historical fiction.

Zetta Eliott's "A Wish After Midnight" is a perfect story for those

history buffs who like to know what the Civil War period was like. In this very believable novel by an African-Canadian novelist, heroine Genna

wishes herself out of her modern-day Brooklyn and wakes up, in Civil War

Brooklyn, a slave with no freedoms but a desire to learn and to cope with hard work in the white-dominated world where electicity hasn't been

discovered and blacks are trampled on. Not only is the transition from now to then skillfully accomplished with fully alive characters,but the reader learns about daily life in old New York without being treated to

science fiction magic. Watching Genna and her associates, friends, and relatives as they deal with loves and torments,the reader is given a deeper understanding of the human side of slavery and the pleasures of

caring relationships. Hoping for Genna's world to sort itself out makes for stimulating reading because the characters are very interesting and

their fascinating problems sometimes seem more than anyone should have to bear. This is a very readable novel about memorable people, definitely to be recommended.

I really didn't know what to expect when I first picked up this book. I am a huge fan of time travel dramas, but not so much of period-piece type literature. Overall, I am glad a read the book but in the end I found it wanting.

I grew up in South Carolina, so the exploration of racism and oppression really hit home with me. I have seen people in similar plights. They feel stuck, locked into a repeating series of situations and events that just leads to more oppression and racism.

The writing is well done, and easily read. My main problem with the book is the contrived time travel. A fountain behind a locked fence leads to an adventure in civil war era New York. I guess I am just a bit of a stickler for details but I would at least like to have this part of the story fleshed out a bit more.

The main character is a juvenile, however the themes covered in the book are probably not appropriate for your average teen. I would probably say that this would be a good read for later High School in a class where they are comparing the situation of Blacks in present day versus the late 1800's. Genna's (the main characters) situation in both times is very well covered and should lead to a lot of discussion.

I think that this is a good book, and is a must read for people looking into race relations and how they have evolved over time (and how some have stayed the same). However for the general reader you might want to pass unless you really just want to give it a chance.

This book does a very good job of opening ones eyes to the differences in rights African Americans have now compared to the 1860's. Just as it opens the eyes to the main character when she is transported in time from modern projects to the Draft Riots of the Civil War. It was interesting to see that even those who were trying to help her still had a subtle and open racism towards her which seems very authentic to the times. While we definitely have a long way to go to eliminate racism, it is nice to see how far we have come.

My one reservation is the somewhat cliched storyline of time travel. It kind of detracted from what was otherwise a great historical fiction book. But, I guess that was needed to create the juxtaposition.