Thirteen Days to Midnight

I am a middle school Language Arts teacher. Last week, Patrick Carman visited the school where I teach. I have been completely impressed by his ability to captivate the middle school audience and students cannot stop talking about his books (and videos). I had been reading Thirteen Days to Midnight leading up to Carman's author visit, and could not put the book down for my own personal reading. As one of my students put it, "this guy is legit" -- he is relevant with the teenage crowd, creatively weaves a story full of suspense, love and even local landmarks from his hometown. All around great guy and terrific story. Well worth your time and I can't wait to check out his other books and multi-media.

La Femme Readers Blog: [...] Rating: 4.5 Thirteen Days to Midnight was a captivating, nail-biting thriller. The mystery throughout the novel was well developed and exciting. Jacob, the male protagonist, questioned what he should do with his new found invincibility. When the power was passed down to him with the simple words, of "you are indestructible," everything was altered. This dark entity rested inside his soul until the day he decided to pass it along to Ophelia. In a desperate need to save the girl he loved from an injury, he lost control over his secret. Now, Milo, Ophelia and Jacob set up a deal to use this power to do good even though they weren't aware of the deadly repercussions. Patrick's writing was easy to follow. His character development was perfect. I seemed to catch on to everyone's personalities rather quickly. I liked Jacob, but he annoyed me at times. He seemed to act like a little punk around Ophelia. But, in his defense, love can make you do stupid things sometimes. Ophelia on the other hand, was quite entertaining yet scary at the same time. Out of the group, she was the one mostly effected by the power. The only character who seemed normal was definitely Milo! His sense of humor and way of calming down a tense situation were qualities I admired. Now, the struggle within Jacob was intriguing, would he save the love of his life from this power or kill her? The decision weighed heavily in my mind as I read since it was such a crucial situation to fix. Overall, the plot and unique characters made this into an enjoyable read. Patrick's mind is very creative and I enjoyed Thirteen Days to Midnight and also his newest release Trackers.

Patrick Carman delivers an interesting take on his superheroish novel, Thirteen Days to Midnight. I was intrigued by his concept, and by his instant dismissal of the powers most people would wish for. I mean, flying is at the top of my list, but he makes a good argument against it, as he does with other superpowers. The book excels at characterization. I really got into his main character, Jacob Fielding. I thought he was incredibly open and immediately engaging. The fifteen year old had a rough life, and the little bit of happiness he had was short-lived. I found myself wishing I could have read the story of how Jacob and his foster father had found each other and learned to fit in each other's worlds. But it is Jacob's power that takes center stage almost from the beginning. The consequences follow. The beginning -- done in media res -- kind of threw me for a loop at the beginning, but I know it was there to draw readers into the story. Unfortunately, it doesn't provide enough information to really ground the events that are going to play out in the pages without giving away too much. The opening pages of Chapter 1 aren't really engaging enough to pull the reader comfortably into the tale. So I guess this lean hook is the best of both worlds. Once the story begins and Jacob's power is out in the open, done in a slow and subtle way so the readers don't really see it in action until it's almost over with, there's no turning back. Especially when the dark side rears its scary face into the light and we know our heroes are really gonna have to think fast or die. Milo Coffin is Jacob's best friend and I like him a lot. More than anything, though, I love the bookstore Milo's parents operate. Coffin's Books would have been a major hangout for me if I'd been a kid there. The description of the shelves and the books reminded me of every great bookstore I ever found that was filled with old editions and beloved paperbacks where I learned about the world. Ophelia James is called Oh, and she is likewise a great character. Where Milo kind of looks at the big picture and how he fits into it, Oh tends to look at the big picture and see where she can help. This push and pull between the two characters is interesting, and it reflects the indecision that plagues Jacob about his power. I wish I could have seen more about the Houdini link, though. I was mostly satisfied with the explanation of the mysterious indestructibility that can be passed around, and I know that further exploration into the cause and effect of the power would have pushed things definitely into the fantasy category, but I wish there had been more. The resolution to the problem and the plot is fantastic, though. And maybe a little sad. But it works. I was also impressed by Carman's introduction of the adults in the novel. Usually they have very small roles in YA books, but Father Tim and Mr. Coffin play pivotal roles. I don't know if Carman intends to write a sequ

This book was so compelling I could not put it down. I literally read it in one sitting. (Mind you I stayed up much later that I should have.) Patrick Carman is one of my favourite authors; I will not pull any punches. I love his writings in all their variety. I have had the pleasure of corresponding with him and find him friendly, encouraging and caring. He seems to personally emulate the best of what is in his books. However, this new book is a very different venture for him. It is not the technical wonder of either Skeleton Creek or Trackers, combining video, websites and text into a single story. This is the story of Jacob Fielding. He has been given a gift or maybe a curse; he is indestructible. But like any great gift, with it comes responsibility. The problem is, Jacob does not understand the gift and ends up hurting everyone he cares about. Jacob's best friend is Milo Coffin and they both befriend the new girl at school Ophelia James or just Oh as she prefers to be called. Jacob has this ability to be indestructible, and he can pass it off to someone else. Oh is the first person he passes it to. That is when the problems begin; soon they want to start using it to save other people's lives, but what if you cannot cheat death, what if for every life you steal from death a darkness is growing and it is getting closer to you, you can feel it but you also feel trapped? What are the morals of saving someone's life, how do you choose, what if you fail? These are all questions the three friends struggle with but ultimately it comes down to Jacob. It is his gift to give or to take back. The three friends attend a private catholic high School in Oregon, and Jacob is living at the rectory with Father Tim the principal of the school and some older priests. He was recently orphaned, and he must figure out the secret of this gift before it destroys him, his friends and their friendship. Told in the first person narrative, it looks back at the 13 days leading up to Jacob standing over a friend and letting him die. This story is tightly-packed and it wrestles with some large questions. This book is the first written by Carmen exclusively for young adults. It is darker and grittier than his earlier works; it also showcases his talent and skill as a writer and showcases a greater range of skill in storytelling than his previous works.

This book is very detailed and specialized in cliff hangers....you never know what will happen next. I rate this book a 5 becuase the suspense and detailed events in this book....Jacob Fielding's foster parent was killed in a car accident. Through this book it explains the story of his life and what is yet to come. "You are indestructible" The most powerful words in this book will take you through a trip of a lifetime!!! by reading this book you will discover the power of one kid's soul and 3 words. As the story progresses Jacob Fielding's life is turned around instantly after he finds out that he can save everyone's life. This is not a spoiler...but near the end this power is so powerful that when used to much it can become more free.