Midnight's Choice [Paperback]

Kate Thompson (Author)

Book Description

Grade Level: 5 and up

In this exciting sequel to "Switchers, " Tess, who has the ability to change into animal form, must choose between good and evil as she tries to decide whether to "switch" into a phoenix or a vampire for the rest of time.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9-As a Switcher nearing her 15th birthday, Tess faces an enormous decision: whether to assume an animal form permanently or to remain human with her modern-day Irish family. This premise, introduced in Thompson's Switchers (Hyperion, 1998), is further complicated when Tess realizes she can also become immortal, either as a vampire, the embodiment of evil, or as a phoenix, the personification of good. At first, the choice seems clear, but the girl comes to see the vampire's bitter appeal, and the phoenix strikes her as lonely in its golden calm. Like many teens, Tess feels that "[t]o either side, eternities [are] pulling at her and she [is] stretched between them, standing on a razor's edge." If the subtext of Switchers was the limitless possibilities of life choices, then the underlying theme of Midnight's Choice is teens' perception of the urgent need to choose, and choose correctly, and the inability to change direction once a choice is made. But Tess's eventual decision and the surprise climax that follows suggest that choosing is never clear-cut and that some choices, once made, can still be undone. Full of action and depth, this story stands alone, but is better still when read along with Switchers. It is a mesmerizing and respectful look, through the lens of fantasy, at young people making the decisions that will shape their adult lives.
Beth Wright, Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, VT
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Inside Flap

Read by Niamh Cusack
5 hours 1 minute, 4 cassettes

Since Tess's friend Kevin left the human world to become a phoenix, Tess has felt increasingly lonely and isolated. Soon it will be Tess's fifteenth birthday, the age at which she must finally decide what form she will take for the rest of her life; if she chooses, she too, can become a phoenix and join Kevin in his seemingly perfect existence. But everything changes when Kevin is captured by a local zoo. Tess is introduced to a world unknown to her before, a world ruled by vampires, darkness, and menacing forces that threaten to change her own life forever.

In this spellbinding sequel to Switchers, Tess is introduced to a world unknown to her before, a world ruled by vampires, darkness, and menacing forces that threaten to change her own life forever. Tess is finally forced to decide her destiny and choose between the forces of day and night, and good and evil.

--This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion; Reprint edition (June 26, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786812664
• ISBN-13: 978-0786812660
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,145,648 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great book, ending made me crave more, September 14, 2000

By 

nik1027 (Missouri) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Midnight's Choice (Paperback)

i didnt read switchers, i need to, yet this book was good, i read it in a day, and was disappointed by the ending, i thought it was totally unfinished and i wanted to scream til i came online and saw there was a 3rd. i have to get the book. if you're looking for a good short series, i recommend this one because it draws you in and you must get more!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great but not nearly as good as the first., October 23, 2000

By 

Equine Phycopath Gurl (Mountain View, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Midnight's Choice (Paperback)

I popped into this book expecting the same marvelous thrills and excitement as in Switchers and was rather crest-fallen to find instead mystery and good vs. evil fluff. Oh sure it was really good and all but it didn't have the same snap to it as Switchers had. The only real word to describe it waa a little transparent and flimsy. I liked the new character, (the bad guy sort of) just fine, she really let you like him before showing his nasty side, but I still like Kevin WAY better. The vampire/phoenix thing was okay but I think she could've done soooooo much better than this. The first book was much more origonal and had alot more suspence and excitement to it then this one. The one MAJOR fault I give this book is the end. It just lets you drop instead of letting you slide down and coast to a stop. One minute it's just rolling along and the next it's gone, POOF! It's a good light read 'cause you don't have to focus very much, and the storyline is really easy to follow. Its worth a read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The thrillingly powerful sequel to Switchers., May 25, 2001

By 

"shayamorph" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Midnight's Choice (Paperback)

Tess is a Switcher -- someone who can take on the shape of other animals as freely as they choose, until the age of fifteen, when all Switchers must decide what animal they choose to remain as for the rest of their life. Ever since the terrifying but thrilling adventure with Kevin, another Switcher, in the Arctic, Tess has been pretty lonely since she last saw him. But her world changes once again when Kevin, in the form of a phoenix, is captured. Tess has no way to save her best friend, and she fears the worst will happen. And when she meets a deathly pale, mysterious boy her age named Martin, who is a Switcher, too, she becomes introduced to a terrifying power and a heart of darkness that will rule both her and Martin forever if she can't control her desire on time. The frightening world of the vampires is soon introduced to her through Martin, and there's even more to Martin then she could have ever dreamed. As her fifteenth birthday draws closer, she must decide her future. But will that future be an eternity of something good or evil? In this gripping and powerful sequel to Kate Thompson's thrilling novel Switchers, the author writes with a brilliant emotional writing and measures up to this novel's predecessor. However, I enjoyed Switchers more then this, Midnight's Choice, but this novel was still a wonderful read and the author could not have made a better sequel.