[.ca] The Secret Hour (ISBN 0060519525)

a tantalizing mystery:
"Melissa didn't know exactly what to think of the new girl. Below her shifting emotions was an unexpected flavor, a sharp metal taste, like a coin pressed against the tip of Melissa's tongue. The scent of unbridled energy was everywhere, but maybe that had just been the storm. And of course, someone new was always full of unfamiliar flavors, unexpected faculties. Each of Melissa's friends felt different to her, after all. But Jessica Day felt more than different." Jessica thought she was just like any other teenager when her family moved from suburban Chicago to Bixby, Oklahoma. She was restless, lonely, dissatisfied and trying to "adjust." Her ambitious mother was distracted with work and her father was a boring stay-at-home dad. But from her first day at Bixby High she sensed that there was something definitely "different" afoot. She knew that she was being seen as more than the new kid in town and that there was something special about her. Rex, Melissa, Dess and Jonathan are Midnighters. Each has a special power that helps them through the blue, frozen hour of midnight in Bixby. Rex is the historian, Melissa is highly psychic, Dess is a math genius and Jonathan can defy gravity. Together they help protect the little town from the slithers and darklings who come during the secret hour. Now that they have met Jessica they must figure out why the dark forces are bent on killing her and, in the end, what kind of power this Jessica has. Put all these ingredients together, plus a growing romance between Jessica and Jonathan, and you have a fast-paced, creative fantasy as only Scott Westerfeld can write. Picture Buffy meeting superheroes, and you get the idea of the pace and direction of this adventure. Not only would this book translate beautifully into a TV series, it could also succeed, with the right art work, as a graphic novel. Readers will be fully tantalized waiting for the next two installments of this trilogy. --- Reviewed by Sally M. Tibbetts (...)

It was "serendipitous" that I picked up this book.....:
And now it's my favorite book of all time! Who knew? Anyone who picks up this book will be imediately hooked. The pace of this book never slows down. When Jessica Day moves to Bixby, she never expected that she would discover a secret world, Midnight, and the strange teens alone that live in it. Rex reads the lore, Melissa is a pyschic, Dess does math, and Jonathan flys. Each of them have their own talent at Midnight, but Jessica can't seem to figure out what hers is. Sometimes it seems like she's not even a real midnighter. "Maybe you're not," Melissa said. "Not a real one, anyway. Something about you is so....... 11:59. You don't belong." This is deffinatly a book worth reading over and over......

Fun, scarry and thoroughly enjoyable!:
I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading this book. It starts out with the 'new kid at a new school' thing. Sounds kind of dull, but get past that. I'm glad I did! I really enjoyed this book quite a lot. It's spooky, funny, exciting...the pages turn themselves...and at the end you really want more. I saw here at Amazon that part 2 doesn't come out until next year. Well, I can't wait. Hopefully after all is written someone has the sense to make a film out of this. It's definitely worthy!

Courtesy of Teens Read Too:
Jessica Day has just moved to Bixby, Oklahoma from Chicago with her family. Still trying to find her niche in the local high school, she's noticed by a group of students who are very different from your average teens. Not to mention that her dreams at night are becoming very, very vivid--such as the fact that for one hour at midnight, time seems to literally stand still. Such is the life of the Midnighters, a group of teens who were born at midnight and have the ability to see the "blue time", the twenty-fifth hour of the day where time stands still for everyone else. Each of the group has a special power, both in and out of the blue time--Rex is a Seer, Dess is a Polymath, Melissa is a Mindcaster, and Jonathan is an Acrobat. Jess is, of course, skeptical at first that time is actually standing still, and that her new rag-tag group of friends has special powers. But soon unmistakable proof arises that the arrival of Jessica Day in Bixby is causing change--the creatures of the blue time are becoming dangerous and seem to want her dead. Jess needs to find out her own special power before something bad happens to the town and it's midnight inhabitants. As the group struggle to keep the night creatures away, it's up to Jess to discover which power she possesses that's making everyone so nervous. I LOVED this book! A totally original concept, Scott Westerfeld has created a series with truly interesting characters and crystal-clear visualization. I can't wait to read the next book in the series, to see where the Midnighters go from here. Definitely a recommended read! Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"

"Crazehlicious":
"Crazehlicious" is a made up word but, if it were real, it would be the perfect comment for this book. The plot is great, the characters realistic and the problem far fetched, but curiously intriguing. The book for me was a fast paced page-turner where the book went from spellbinding fear and suspence, to revelation, and then more suspense. The storyline was amazing and while it gave you a feeling like something is obvious but you cant put your finger on it, i must say there was some amazing use of forshadowing! I must amend Scott Westerfield on delivering another amazing book, that was equally interesting and creative. I give my highest recommendations for this book, wich is now my favorite book (I cant wait to get the sequel.) FIVE THUMBS UP! (Or 65 if you do the math...)