The Secret Hour (Midnighters #1) [Paperback]

Scott Westerfeld (Author)

Book Description

Release date: March 1, 2005

A few nights after Jessica Day arrives in Bixby, Oklahoma, she wakes up at midnight to find the entire world frozen, except for her and a few others who call themselves 'midnighters'. Dark things haunt this midnight hour – dark things with a mysterious interest in Jessica. The question is ?hy;

The Secret Hour is a compelling tale of dark secrets, midnight romance, eerie creatures, courage, destiny, and unexpected peril.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-10–Moving when you're in high school is difficult enough, especially when your parents can't seem to hold their own lives together and your younger sister is being more obnoxious than usual. However, for 15-year-old Jessica Day, these concerns pale when bizarre things start to happen and she discovers that she now has unwanted magical powers. Part science fiction, part horror story, this novel is the first in a series about the midnighters, a select group of individuals whose birth at the stroke of midnight gives them the special ability to move about in a mysterious 25th hour. As Jessica takes her place among these extraordinary teens, she must battle the increasingly dangerous slithers and other darklings that have suddenly become more violent and aggressive. The story is exciting and the writing compelling. Gaps in the account will not bother readers, who will be totally absorbed by the paranormal elements as well as the intriguing characters, and who will be eagerly awaiting the next book.–Sharon Grover, Arlington County Department of Libraries, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

'Kept me reading way past midnight!' Garth Nix 'Fast-paced and spooky - a good read for the dark hours' Ursula K. Le Guin 'Intriguing and provocative. The sequels will be worth waiting for.' Locus --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen; First Edition edition (March 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060519533
• ISBN-13: 978-0060519537
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (89 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #142,194 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Scott Westerfeld's teen novels include the Uglies series, the Midnighters trilogy, The Last Days, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults and the sequel to Peeps. Scott was born in Texas, and alternates summers between Sydney, Australia, and New York City.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#36 in Books > Teens

#36 in Books > Teens

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 38 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Culture Shock With a Difference March 29, 2005

By Joshua Koppel

Format:Hardcover

Jessica has just moved to the small town of Bixby after living in Chicago. But other than size, temperature, and scenery, she also discovers something else very different about the town. Every day at midnight the rest of the world freezes but she, and several other kids, get an extra hour. Unfortunately other, older and scarier, things also inhabit this time.

Jessica meets the other kids; Midnighters as they call themselves. Each has a special talent related to the secret hour. Jessica must have a talent but hers is not obvious. Nor is Jessica sensitive to light in the same way as the others. To make matters worse, the dark things seem to want her dead. She must be a threat to them so it becomes important to figure out just what her special talent is and it could be dangerous.

This is a very nice start to a series. I don't know how long they plan to go with this but it is off to a fast start. Only one part bothered me. Midnight is the true midnight, not one artificially created by time-zones, daylight savings, or other man-made definitions. That is fine. But apparently the arbitrary man-made definitions of latitude and longitude do have an effect. I found that to be inconsistent. Otherwise, the book was quite good and really kept me guessing. There is still plenty to learn about the secret hour and I look forward to the next volume.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Interesting November 1, 2005

By Christopher Harris

Format:Hardcover

I picked up this book as an advanced copy(I work at a bookstore), and thought it seemed kind of interesting, but it took me about 4-5 months after I had it to pick it up. As soon as I picked it up though I could not put it down. I read it in 2 nights and could not fall asleep easily either of those nights. It is riveting and keeps you on the edge of your seat, or in some cases bed. Learning what Jessica's power is, and the evil that all the other midnighters have to face is amazing. This is a book that not to many people have read I believe and it should be up there(as well as Westerfeld's other series Uglies/Pretties/Specials), with the Artemis Fowl series and the Series of Unfortunate Events as it is as good as if not better than those other two.

This was a great book, as is the second book, learning how words can empower metal objects in this 25th hour where no one else put the ancient evil's and these few people who were all born at the stroke of midnight have to cope with each other, and how the evils fear the power the Jessica has which is devastating to their livelyhood. You HAVE to read this book, and the whole series.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Enough for an "Old" Adult September 5, 2009

By AWAbooks

Format:Paperback

I am the father of four teen readers. I read a fair amount, mostly Sci-Fi and Fantasy when I'm reading "for fun." I've read and shared hundreds of great childrens books with my kids, and have an excellent collection for my grand kids. But I've always been leery of the "Young Adult" genre. I would rather turn my kids on to an excellent book, just written at a level they can handle. "The Halloween Tree" by Ray Bradbury comes to mind.

Then there is my most heinous of mid-kid nemeses, Harry Potter. I'm sorry, but Harry is dull as dishwater to me. The personalities are flat, the tension is tensionless, and the rest is banal at best, cliche at worst. There's nothing creepier than conversing with an "adult," only to be squeemed-out when you learn they are a Potter fan, and (groan) consider it "literature." Yes, Harry and Co. have scared me away from tween kids books for a long time...

Enter one evening with "nothing" to read. I picked up "Midnighters: The Secret Hour." It took me a little while to adjust to the constraints of the genre: No "real" violence, gore, etc, no cursing, no "adult" romance, -- in other words, almost none of the elements that can add an "edge" to an already good Sci-Fi/Fantasy yarn. From this perspective, it makes the Young Adult genre a LOT harder to entertain in!

Midnighters is entertaining: The teen characters feel modern and believable. Their dialog is snappy, even mildly funny at times. The supernatural setting is quite good, and full of interesting details and quirks. The author does a great job of drawing mysterious elements out of the setting, and keeping you eager for more. The tension is there; when a character is endangered, you want them to survive. Lastly, the ending is very well done.

Bottom Line: This story is far more entertaining than Harry Potter. Okay, maybe not "Ray Bradbury" quality, but certainly top-shelf teen entertainment!