The Night Children by Kit Reed

Plot: groups of homeless children live in the enormous, ever-expanding MegaMall, sleeping by day, coming out at night. They know where the surveillance cameras are, where to get the best food, how to get everything they need. The MegaMall is their home, and it's the only place they're safe. Or is it?..

Comments: this book is good for someone who needs a distraction from daily problems. It poses a bigger, yet surreal problem than you normally face on a day-to-day basis, and it's entertaining enough to suck you in and make you forget your worries. I like most of the characters, and they're well described. The plot is good, and easily followed, as long as you pay attention when you read. I don't like how the main girl, Jule, obeys the orders of Tick, the main boy, as if he were her superior. He orders everyone around and they follow him. I understand that he's the leader of the group, but it annoys me that no one can do anything for themselves.

I think the sentence structures could have been varied a bit more. For example, throughout the book, a lot of dialogue had something to do with finishing ("'~~' Tick finished." or "'~~' He finishes..."). The sentences were often almost repetitive, especially in the end; it seems as if Amos's speech is said at least three times, with slightly different words. The ending was not satisfying for me, either. I think it could have been more creative.

Rating: I give this book a six out of ten.