When It’s Your Turn for Midnight

When it's your turn for midnight is a speedy book about the struggles and joy of family. I found it a very easy and quick read, although the interesting part of the plot was condensed into the end. I personally found myself feeling not very involved most of the way through. Some chapters were very short so it felt that some parts were less meaningful in parts. We are in the eyes of a relatable (but over-exaggerated) teenage girl. There are many discussions about "The war" throughout it and these are some of the best scenes. IF you want to get through loads of books, that is when i would read it but overall there are many better books that are the same lengths and are a far more interesting read.

ALICE

SMMA BOOKWORMS

It was a good book, about hard truths and family. I liked how most chapters were relatively short, this made it easier to read and understand. I liked the book but at times I did find it boring. It was hard to get into but once you got into it, it became easier read. The title also made me want to read it.Although I would not read it normally, it was not bad. I liked it because it showed strong family bonds. The book demonstrates reslicnce and that there is always light at the end on the tunnel. I liked it because it had a happy ending. However, I would probably not read something like it as it was boring sometimes. Overall it was a good book but it wasn’t really my type of thing.

Bea

Norwich School Carnegie Shadowers

At the beginning of the book, it seemed rather overwhelming for the main character Chianti, due to her mama revealing that her father (Baba) is not her biological father. Since she is in this positions she decides to flee to Mutare (Zimbabwe) to see her Gogo’s. I especially liked the roles of Gogo Stella and Gogo Tapera because of their light hearted and care free demeanor. Although, I found the character of Gogo Ropa rather mysterious and unpredictable which is shown later in the book. A prime example if this is when Chianti finds her vast board of information in her bedroom as well as finding Gogo Ropa in an unstable state in her garden. This appears to be an ultimate low because after attempting to seek help and run Chianti runs headlong into a tree and gains a head injury from this. However, things seem to pick up as she continues to recover and her family comes to visit. This amends relationships and Chianti is called ‘a truly wonderful’ daughter by her baba. This book was not my favorite as it went at a slower pace and did not have so many gripping plots as to keep me immersed in the book. On the other hand, I believe this book is admirable for how informative it is about having lifelong experiences and memories from war. Thank you for reading this!

Emi

Norwich School Carnegie Shadowers

This is a good book - I would recommend it. I enjoyed the supporting characters, especially the Gogos because they have interesting backgrounds and their characters are well formed. I particularly liked their interaction and the way that their emotions transitioned. At times they were serious, and at times amusing and relaxed. During important conversations in the book - such as when Chianti was asking her Grandmother about her Grandfather's past - the author balanced dialogue with description of how Chianti was feeling. I found the plot engaging. At times it was intense, like when they were trying to prevent the robbers from stealing the goods. At other times the pace was slow, but that worked with the narrative. The plot twists were exciting and unexpected. The themes in the novel consisted of crime, mystery, family relations and connections. The overriding message of the story is to keep your family close and don't keep secrets as they can cause divisions.

Bruno

Norwich School Carnegie Shadowers

In When It's Your Turn for Midnight by Blessing Musariri, the opening immediately catches the eye of the reader through Chianti’s shocking discovery about her father not being related to her making curiosity and encourage you to find out. The story moves at a steady pace reflecting on life lessons, building up to a point where she can used to life with her grandmother and gradually discovers secrets about her family and the women around her. The world is realistic and opens your eyes to a Zimbabwean community of former fighters, allowing the readers to feel empathy for the veterans. The plot is well-constructed, with events happening logically and coming together in a satisfying ending. This book showed Chianti’s personal growth to understand through the chaos who she really is. The ending isn't complete but, it feels plausible and realistic, leaving the reader to fully immerse themselves allowing them to think and ponder what it would be like in Chianti's shoes .

Tristan

Norwich School Carnegie Shadowers

This book is about a young girl called Chianti living in Zimbabwe who suddenly discovers a family secret. While having a row with her mother, she finds out that the man she thought was her Dad isn’t her real father. So, she decides to run away to live with her Grandmother. There she meets her Gogo’s and looks through old photos and papers and discovers things about their past and the Zimbabwean war. My favourite character in this book is Chianti, the main character, because I really like the way she is presented by the author. She depicts her to be strong and describes her words to be like ‘lava’ which gives us a ruthless feel and that she really fights for what she believes in. She has a difficult relationship with her family, particularly her mother throughout the book but at the end she will do anything to stay with her sisters and I admire this in her. For me, the best moment in the story is when her sisters arrive and surprise Chianti as she hasn’t seen them in a while. She thought this was going to be the worst thing that could happen to her, but it actually turns out to be the greatest thing as it leads to her making up with her parents and family. Personally, this isn’t the sort of themes I would choose to read about but it was interesting to read something different and branch out. I would recommend this to someone who is looking to try something new especially as its quite a short read.

Florence

Norwich School Carnegie Shadowers

I really liked this book! It was a short, bite-sized story, but nevertheless, it still conveyed the strong emotions of hurt and family. The writer's style gave it a cosy feel. However, I do feel like it would've benefited from a different style of writing that was less 'comforting' to read and more intense and focused on Chiante's emotions and internal dialogue.

Francesca

Orpington Library Older Teens Group

The book, When it’s your turn for midnight, by Blessing Musariri was very good, I would definitely recommend! It was fast paced and very intriguing. My favourite part of the book was when she moved because it’s sounds very positive with a lovely community and things that make a community a family. This is one of my favourite books I have read because it made me feel happy and I wanted to keep reading. Overall it is a lovely book to read and I would definitely recommend it!

Honor

Norwich School Carnegie Shadowers

This was a rather good Book, I'd give it a 7.738/10 -The Plot seemed Clear but was also fleshed out. - A good blend between Pass and Pressure - Likeable Characters - Liked the Parts abou the War - Happy but importantly Satisfying ending

Rahul

SCD Pageturners

Your Turn to Midnight is a quite interesting book, but I found parts of it a bit boring. The plot is mostly fast-paced. It starts quickly and gets interesting straight away. Sometimes it slows down to build suspense, but those parts felt a bit slow to me. The theme is about fear, survival, and trust. It shows how people act when they are scared and under pressure. The characters are interesting and feel quite real. Some are brave, but others make bad decisions. This makes the story more dramatic. They don’t always think things through, which feels realistic. The dialogue is good and sounds natural. It helps you understand their feelings. I did find it a bit boring in places, but it was still good enough to keep reading. It’s not too long, and the short chapters make it easier to finish. Overall, it was okay to me personally.

Archie

Norwich School Carnegie Shadowers

The book is very interesting but starts off quite vague and drops us right into the middle of action right at the start. We are introduced to a girl named Chiante who lives in a nuclear family with two sisters, Taren and Tisha. But after an accident, a long-hidden secret is revealed, where ‘Baba’ or Tinashe turns out not to be her father. She runs away to her grandmother, who she calls Ambuya, who lives with a group of older women and a man (Mr Kinsley Pfupajena who makes her do TikTok’s with him). They all fought in the liberation war in Zimbabwe. Chiante joins their textile business and learns the ins and outs of the business and while living with Ambuya finds a picturebook which she tries to use to find out more about their lives during the war. She also assists the women in deterring some thieves. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good story!

Fuad

Brentwood Carnegies