Midnight is the moment when one day ends and another day starts. It is often used symbolically to describe a major change in our life's experiences. Three YA authors have used midnight in the titles of their new books to express just that. Bring Me Your Midnight by Rachel Griffin takes place on the island of Witchery where two factions of witches reside. One coven practices tourist friendly low magic and attempts to get along with non-magical mainlanders. The second coven is hidden and practices the more powerful dark or high magic. Teen witch Tana Fairchild struggles to decide her destiny, and possibly make peace between the two covens. In What Happens After Midnight by K.L. Walther the daughter of a faculty member at Ames Boarding School is tapped to help the "Jester" pull off the epic annual senior class prank. When she discovers the Jester is her former boyfriend, she wonders if getting involved with him again will break her heart. On a much more serious note, The Fight for Midnight by Dan Solomon, reimagines the 2013 filibuster of the Texas abortion bill HB2. Alex Collins, who has never thought much about the issue, attends the event at the State Capitol and is torn between the pro-life and pro-choice arguments.
In Bring Me Your Midnight teen witch Tana Fairchild, the coven-leader's daughter on the island of Witchery, is expected to marry Landon Yates, the non-magical son of the mainland's governor. Her coven has given up high magic in favor of the tourist-friendly low magic to assuage the fears of the mainlanders. Although she doesn't love Landon, he is a kind man, and she knows he will assure her coven's protection. She is willing to make this sacrifice until Wolfe Hawthorne, who practices high magic and lives with a hidden coven on the island, appears to her at midnight during her coven's annual ritual where they release their magical powers into the ocean. Missing the annual purge, Tana seeks out Wolfe to help her drain the potentially deadly excess magic from her body. Wolfe complies and they begin a clandestine relationship which evolves into a passionate love. Wolfe tries to convince Tana to embrace her magic. The purging ritual is disturbing the ocean currents and threatening the island's fragile environment. Tana is torn between her obligation to her coven and her love for Wolfe, and the exhilaration she experiences when she practices high magic. Their midnight meetings help Tana begin to embrace a major change in her destiny.
What Happens After Midnight introduces Lily Hopper, who attends an upscale boarding school in Rhode Island, because her mother is a faculty member. Each year the student body taps a "Jester," who masterminds an elaborate prank. This year Lily is mysteriously invited to join the Jester's pranksters to steal and hide the annual yearbooks, which are scheduled to be handed out by class president Daniel Rivera, Lily's prom date. When she finds out the Jester is Tag Swell, her ex-boyfriend, whom she still loves, she almost backs out. Tag has planned a complicated scavenger hunt for Daniel to complete in order to find the yearbooks. Hiding the clues requires the use of her mother's keys, which Lily reluctantly steals. Of course, the pranksters set out at midnight to steal the yearbooks and hide the clues. As Lily and Tag work together, they revisit their two-year relationship via flashbacks. They dodge school security, faculty members and fellow students who are also out after midnight. Tag's Type 1 diabetes is woven into the story, creating complications in completing the prank. Old feelings resurface and Lily realizes that the biggest obstacle to their happiness was Lily's insecurity about other girls vying for Tag's attention, and that he was only marking time until he could convince her to give him a second chance. Swift action and near misses in getting caught, as well as the "will they, won't they get back together" question, make this a real page turner.
The Fight for Midnight focuses on Alex Collins, who is facing a lonely summer after the death of his best friend, Jesse. He fills his time doing community service at an adult day care center, reading Game of Thrones to an 85-year-old man, Mr. Monahan. When Cassie Ramirez, a girl Alex has had a crush on since elementary school, calls him to come to the Texas Capitol building to protest Wendy Davis's historic filibuster of the abortion bill HB2, Alex goes, despite having no opinion on abortions. Wendy must talk nonstop until midnight to keep the bill from passing. At the Capitol Alex finds himself in the middle of a tense scene full of pro-choice "orange shirts," and pro-life "blue shirts," and hypocritical politicians playing political games. At first, he has no problem siding with Cassie, but then he runs into Shireen, Jesse's former girlfriend, who is adamantly pro-choice, and he begins to search his soul about how he feels about the issue. The backstory of Jesse's death and Alex's crime which led to his community service, is woven into present-day events. Once again midnight figures significantly in the changes the protagonist goes through to become an adult. There is an author's note about his personal experience at the protest in 2013.
