The Midnight Club

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.)

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