The Midnight Children

By Dan Gemeinhart

The Midnight Children, a juvenile fiction selection, is written by a school librarian.  No wonder it has many things some teens and ‘tweens might find exciting to read about: kids their ages, orphans, bullies, something disgusting falling from a hot air balloon onto a café with no umbrellas, secrets, one word that this old prissy lady would consider a “swear” but most wouldn’t, how to catch a frog, a circus with a Haunted House of Horrors, etc.;  but also … suspense, friendship, kindness, and family love.

The main character, Ravani, is a 12 year old boy who lives with his Mom and Dad in the town of Slaughterville.  Why Slaughterville? This small town’s main business is a meat packing plant.

One summer midnight, Ravani sees a large truck drop off many children who go quietly into the vacant house across the street. He soon finds out from one of the orphans, sweet and gutsy Virginia, that they are a group of orphans who have escaped from a “not so nice” orphanage. They are in danger and on the run. A “Hunter” is chasing them in the hopes of returning them to the orphanage.

Ravani is also on a constant run from a bully named Donnie who always calls him “Ravioli” and physically hurts him.

As the story unfolds, Ravani and the orphans become the best of comrades.   Together, they have fun and also deal with many frightening and dangerous situations due to Donnie and the “Hunter”.

Read this suspense filled book to see if Virginia and the orphans are caught by their predator and have to return to the “not so nice” orphanage.  Or, do they escape and seek out another hiding place?  Will Ravani join them or not? Many stories have happy endings,  but then again, some do not.  Which will it be?

Enjoy!