Review by Booklist Review
In their shared bedroom one night, Becca, the older girl, is sleeping, while Milly, the younger, watches the clock. At midnight, she wakens her sister. Smiling, each silently makes the secret sign of the Midnight Club. Creeping past their parents' door, they walk down the creaky stairs and through the shadowy hallway to the living room and kitchen. The girls feast on Dad's jelly beans and, grabbing Mom's raincoat, hat, and scarf, cast dancing, monster-shaped shadows on the wall. After hiding traces of their visit (it's a club rule), the tired sisters head back upstairs, climb into bed together, and quickly fall asleep. The final page turn reveals the kitchen table, strewn with telltale indications of their secret escapade. Capturing the power of two sisters defining their own after-hours rules, the well-worded text creates the story, while leaving space for the illustrations to work their magic. In digitally enhanced pencil drawings with watercolor washes, Kang celebrates the children's energy, joy, and sibling solidarity. A lively picture book that imagines the pleasures of staying up after hours.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Working in pencil and watercolor, Kang (Tanna's Owl) bathes the interior spreads of this midnight story in blue, the better to convey the excitement of two light-skinned, black-haired siblings who explore their house in the night. "At exactly midnight," younger sister Milly wakes Becca for their date, and they flash the secret sign of the Midnight Club: two fingers on one hand, one finger on the other. Debut author Goth pays attention to sounds and sensations as the girls slip from their room and past their parents': "Milly's heart went ba-dum thump. Becca slinked. Milly stepped." Kang draws the downstairs room with a splash of yellow spilling in through the front windows. Midnight Club rules say that members can do whatever they want: Becca sits in Dad's special chair; she and Milly share his jellybeans. They're not scared by a scratching at the back door--"It's the President of the Midnight Club," Becca says, as they let in their cat, Oliver. This quiet, experimental act of rebellion ends triumphantly as the two execute their scheme without getting caught, and their adventure carries a satisfying whiff of the carefree as they take measures to keep their actions a thrilling sibling secret. Ages 3--7. (Oct.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2--In this endearing tale, Becca and her younger sister Milly convene the Midnight Club at the titular hour and begin a night of tiptoeing, snacking on their father's jelly beans, letting the President of the Midnight Club, their cat Oliver, into the house, and more. With just the right amount of spooky--Count Plant-ula is a houseplant in shadow play--this adventure relies on creaky stairs and all manner of rebellion: sitting in their father's chair, wearing their mother's coat, and simply drinking in the beauty of the living room bathed in moonlight. Kang gives the girls pink, pale skin; black eyes; and glossy black hair, and gracefully wields various perspectives to show them from above, or to exaggerate long corners and tall staircases. The lyrical text captures the conversations between the siblings and the emotions they roll through, from the excitement of discovery to exhaustion as the hour grows late. VERDICT An adventure based on the author's own life, this book will inspire many similar midnight sojourns, in a secure setting laced with gentle thrills.--Kimberly Olson Fakih, School Library Journal
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
The shadowy blanket of midnight provides the perfect cover for two sisters to enjoy a clandestine adventure. Awake with anticipation, Milly is eager for her first nighttime jaunt with the Midnight Club. At exactly midnight, she wakes up her big sister, Becca, and the pair proceeds to slink, sneak, and creep through the darkened hallways and empty rooms of their home. The late hour transforms the house into an inky blue playground splashed with pools of candescent yellow light. Milly and Becca revel in the liberation that comes with sleeping parents as they indulge in Dad's jelly beans and play dress-up in Mom's raincoat. The tender bond between sisters is evident in their conspiratorial glee during their covert shenanigans and their reliance on each other during tenser moments. Satisfied and sleepy, they nestle together in bed, resting up for tomorrow's Midnight Club meeting. This charming story perfectly balances the thrill of pushing boundaries with the comfort of having your best friend along for the ride. The succinct text is made for hushed whispers and conveys the intimacy of shared secrets. Watercolors perfectly capture the hazy, dreamlike atmosphere of the sleeping house, while a spectrum of deep indigo, dusky purples, and cozy yellows highlights the contrast between dark and light. Becca and Milly have olive skin and black hair. This playfully mischievous ode to sibling solidarity is sure to inspire similar nocturnal escapades among readers. (Picture book. 3-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
