Death by Midnight by Nichole Nadeau

A fun spy adventure for young readers

One of the daily routines in my family is that I read to my children for an hour or so before they go to sleep. It doesn’t matter how tired they are or how much we’ve done that day, they can’t fall asleep until I’ve read to them. Kids take tremendous security in a routine, and it’s rewarding to know that reading and stories are so important to them.

Lately, my kids have become more interested in adolescent drama. We’ve moved on from such fare as ‘Peter Pan’ and ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and we’ve started to drift into works that deal more with interpersonal relationships. My kids are curious about what high school life will be like, and their interest in romance has gone beyond the cursory Prince Charming stage.

I think ‘Death by Midnight’ would be a good choice for them and now that it’s on my Kindle, I might see how they respond when we finish the Percy Jackson book we’re currently reading. The story follows the adventures of a brilliant teenager named Anna Goode. She’s secretly an inventor, but somehow word gets out and she and her parents are kidnapped by the Russian mob.

The plot is action packed and the story moves along at a fast clip. For me, the part that was the most compelling was the dialogue between Anna and her friend Jake. With a book like this, the realism comes from the interactions between the characters. The spy element is there for excitement, but the part that truly draws you in are the relationships between characters which you can easily identify with from real world situations.

Despite her brilliance, Anna Goode is a relatable character possessed of most of the concerns and insecurities most young people know and understand. It’s fun to watch her navigate the obstacles in front of her with intelligence and plucky charisma.

If you pick up this book, take note that the first chapter is something of a prologue and does not feature Anna. It does contain important information, but I might skip it when I try reading this to my girls because I’m most interested in them meeting Anna Goode.

If you have a young reader at home, or you’re looking for something to read to your kids, Death by Midnight is a fun adventure which contains all necessary the elements of compelling storytelling. Get your copy here!