Carman, Patrick. Thirteen Days to Midnight. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2010. Ha Chette Book Group Patrick Carman is a well known author in the mystery genre. He also has spearheaded many author outreach programs. My book is about this 16 year old boy’s life. His name is Jacob Feilding. He goes to Holy Cross High School. He was adopted around his 14th birthday by Mr. Feilding. One day while he and his adopted dad are driving to the coast they have a wreck. Jacob survives without a scratch on him while Mr. Feilding died. Jacob believes that he has been given a special power by Mr. Feilding that makes him indestructible. And he figures out all you have to do is tell someone else that they are indestructible to give them the power. So he and his friends Milo and Oh go around and try to save people’s lives. But after awhile they discover that this special power is actually turning Oh into a zombie. They must kill Oh over and over to bring her back to life. My favorite character is Milo because he seems like the only one of the group that can think straight in tough situations. I can definitely relate to Jacob from the book.
He just wants to make the right decision and save people’s lives but he messes up sometimes and gets yelled at. I try to make as many people happy as I can but it never ends up working out for everyone. There is always someone that is going to be harmed by your actions. Jacob also is a high school boy dealing with a bully. I can relate to this in many ways. I have had people try and bully me but I’ve stood up for myself just like Jacob and Milo. I enjoyed the book. I usually don’t like to read but this book had me wanting to read. I like how the story had many twists and turns.
There was no time where I knew what was going to happen next. My favorite part of the book was probably when Milo and Jacob were in the smoke shop and found the secret box. This was my favorite part because it explained the secret power. It pretty much connected all the loose strings of the story. It also set up the final part of the book. It told them why and how to save Oh from becoming a total zombie. My least favorite part was when Jacob and Ethan fought in the haunted house, and then made up right after. That just didn’t seem realistic to me.
If I had been in a fight and lost I don’t think I would have just become friends with the guy that beat me up. If I could change one thing I think I would change the whole role of Milo’s dad. I don’t like how he is the one wanting all of Mr. Feilding’s things. I would make him more of a normal role, more like a protagonist than an antagonist. I would recommend this book to anybody that enjoys mysteries. It is a good book with tons of twists in it. I think that anybody would like this book, but especially people liking books that are unpredictable.
