Race the Night

by Kirsten Hubbard

"Without you, there'd be no hope for the world. Because you are the whole world."

That's what Teacher says, and twelve-year-old Eider knows she's right. The world ended long ago, and the desert ranch is the only thing left. Still, Eider's thoughts keep wandering. Beyond the fence. Beyond the pleated earth and scraggly brush and tedious daily lessons. Eider can't help wishing for something more-like the stories in the fairytale book she hides in the storage room. Like the secret papers she collects from the world Before. Like her little sister who never really existed.

When Teacher announces a new kind of lesson, Eider and the other kids are confused. Teacher says she needs to test their specialness-the reason they were saved from the end of the world. But seeing in the dark? Reading minds? As the kids struggle to complete Teacher's challenges, they also start to ask questions. Questions about their life on the desert ranch, about Before and Beyond, about everything Teacher has told them. But the thing about questions-they can be dangerous.

This moving novel-equal parts hope and heartbreak-traces one girl's journey for truth and meaning, from the smallest slip of paper to the deepest understanding of family. The world may have ended for the kids of the desert ranch . . . but that's only the beginning.
Praise for Watch the Sky:

"Strong characters drive the carefully crafted novel. . . Hubbard's sparse, elegant prose captures the rural landscape's desolate beauty as well as its dangers and palpably expresses the family's escalating tensions. . . [An] atmospheric, ultimately hopeful novel."
-School Library Journal, starred review

"Hubbard writes fluently and accessibly. . . An absorbing tale."
-Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Haunting, tense, and moving. . . Caleb's efforts to safeguard himself and his family will stay with readers."
-Publishers Weekly

"Hubbard gets Jory's emotions just right. . . The pacing moves smoothly, balancing the everyday with the impending Crisis, and the ending ties up every loose thread. An excellent choice for discussion."
-Booklist

"The conclusion is a satisfying one. . . Timely."
-VOYA

Genres: Middle Grade, Dystopia, Childrens, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult, Cults

Paperback

First published November 18, 2016

About the author

In search of transcendent backdrops for her novels, Kirsten Hubbard has hiked ancient ruins in Cambodia, dived with wild dolphins in Belize (one totally looked her in the eye), slept in a Slovenian jail cell, and navigated numerous desert apocalypses (her cult is satirical, she swears). But she always comes home to California.

Kirsten is the author of the young adult novels LIKE MANDARIN and WANDERLOVE (Delacorte Press/Random House Children's Books); the middle-grade novels WATCH THE SKY and RACE THE NIGHT (Disney-Hyperion); and co-author of the SECRETS OF TOPSEA series as Kir Fox. She is also author of the picture book DEAR STRAY (Nancy Paulsen/Penguin).

Reviews

[Shannon Fay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm definitely not the target audience for this book. I still love middle grade novels, but unfortunately, due to the fact that I'm a certified adult (chronologically anyway), I just can't read them without holding them to the same standards as the rest of my rewarding (which, really, aren't unreasonably high, what since 90% of what I read is YA...)

Point is though, while I enjoyed the premise of this book and liked the unique way it was written, I simply found it lacking in a lot of places (whereas an 11 year old might not). So it's probably mostly a case of "it's not you, it's me," because I just can't read like I'm 12 anymore.

That said, what I did like were the characters. This is a character driven story, and that requires characters. Finch and his penchant for science and building things made me smile. Linnett was timid and shy, but artistic, and ultimately, incredibly brave, and very kind. Even Jay, who seemed strange, annoying, or even mean at first, turned out to be a pretty clever and kind kid. It goes to show that you don't ever really know someone. You think you do, but peyote still have the ability to surprise you when shit goes down.

I loved Eider's bravery, loyalty, and most of all, sense of curiosity. I think all of us have wondered why at some point, have struggled to understand things and wanted to know what the point was. She knew she could get in trouble, that she shouldn't, but she couldn't help but wonder about things beyond her anyway, couldn't help but explore and gold on to the hope that something worth finding was out there somewhere. Part of it is probably the nature of children, but part of it can also be attributed to her inquisitive nature.

Hell, I even liked Teacher, at least as a character (not so much as a person). She was a great character. But in her case, I was left wanting so much more than I got (and this is where I think 11 year old me would have differed. I probably still would have wanted to know more thumbs, bit it wouldn't have bothered me nearly as much.) As it stands now, I feel like nothing was really resolved.

I wanted Teacher's backstory. It bugged me that we never got to know all why's, which wouldn't have been impossible to write into the story. Suppose Eider had found Teacher's journal, and read it; that could have been a plausible way to explain what she was trying to do, what she was hoping to achieve, why she believed that these particular children were the ones, why it was necessary to treat them like that, what the prophecy was, what happened to make her go from normal to batshit nuts, and how she organized all of this and convinced everyone else to go along with it. I really wanted to know what her deal was, because outta fairly obvious that she truly believed in what she was doing, and I think it would have been neat to explore that dynamic for a second and to examine Teacher's motivations and beliefs (but I guess that's probably a more sophisticated book than a 10 year old is prepared for. Still though...)

On that note, I will say that it kind of bugged me that not a single one of these kids started asking questions like these sooner, or at least wondering about other related things. I think even at that age I would have wondered about simple things, like: if the world is destroyed, where does our food come from? I mean, they must have learned about agriculture or farming in one of the earlier world books, and yet no one thought to question how they had food if the world had ended and everyone was gone? Ok then.

That bugged me, and made me feel like very little was resolved. But also the other questions, like how no one missed these kids. Whose were they and where'd they come from? Why them, and how did no one ever notice this big compound where they lived in the middle of the desert. Sure, it's a desert, but still, in all that time, no one noticed this whole big ass compound with people coming and going? I mean, supplies have to come from someplace. Clearly I'm overthinking this, but that's just the point. I don't feel like these questions are so outlandish, and I wish the author had taken the time to give us just a little more world building and answer just a few of them, not all, bit even a couple. Then I might not feel so bewildered by this book and I might feel like we actually reached some sort of conclusion, instead of feeling like a really cool idea got wasted by not teaching it's full potential.

HARDCORE SPOILER ALERT. KEEP READING AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Even the ending bugged me. After all that she just magically mashes to survive the tell through the desert with hardly any supplies, stumbles across the first person she finds, (despite the shock of the world being totally normal and not a post-apocalyptic wasteland, but lets gloss over the fact that Eider doesn't have a single issue adjusting to that, and let's gloss over the fact that the whole time she's making her way to the development, not a single adult finds it odd that a filthy, scraped up 12 year old girl is wandering all alone and does anything to ACTUALLY help her, like calling the police or anything), and magically, the first person Eider finds leads her to her long lost sister. Cuz her sister never moved. That's totally how foster care and child protective services work; a random child appears seemingly from nowhere (who is effectively mute, and also, presumably had no records of existing like birth certificates or any of that stuff) and just gets to stay with the first people she finds. Nevermind that the family might not be able to keep her or that she obviously ought to get some psychological help if she hang spoken in three years. Don't bother pouring her through the foster care system or running her through a missing persons database or anything. And fuck figuring out where she magically appeared from, nah, it's cool, she can just stay with the first people she finds so that she's conveniently there 3 years later for her sister to find. Ok. Sure. *sigh*

Yeah, I think it's safe to say this book bugged me a little. I just feel like it had so much potential. It could have been like The Village, except without that "twist ending" that made The Village suck. Because this "you've grown up in a post apocalyptic world, oh wait, haha, no you didn't" twist ending wouldn't have sucked. If only there had been more attention to detail and more backstory. And I think that's where I'm clearly the wrong audience, because I doubt an 11 year old would read this book and be nearly as bothered as I am ny the lack of any and all explanation for these things. They'd probably just read this book and enjoy a surprising story about a lost girl finding her family and her place in a world she didn't know existed. I would actually be interested in knowing what an age appropriate reader thought, so if anyone knows a kid that read this book, I'd love to hear what their thoughts were. But sadly, it just didn't do it for me. Much as I love middle grade books, sometimes I have to remember that, sometimes, I really am just too old for them.

[Kate]

Watch the Sky was great, but I adore Race the Night.

[Heather Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eider lives on a desert compound with the rest of the people still alive at the end of the world: Teacher, Nurse, Handyman, and Eider's friends and classmates, Avis, Finch, Linnet, and Jay. They have tinned meals, daily lessons from the encyclopedia and physical activity. Everything that is left, and everything important. But Eider dreams of more...mermaids from the books she keeps hidden, houses and families from the scraps of paper secretly collected from Beyond the fence, and most importantly, her sister Robin. Too bad Robin never existed, at least that is what everyone tells Eider.
This is an awesome book and the ending was amazing! If you liked 'Room', then 'Race the Night' will bring you back there.

[Rafia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kind of like the manga "The Promised Never land"

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eider lives in a state of total, yet quiet confusion. Ever since the rattlesnake bite things haven't been the same. And even before then, things were never quite normal -- even if it is all that she's ever known.

She's noticed things; little things that have compounded into the total methodology of control over her days and her nights. Each moment of her waking hours are set to a softly-put but exact structure : Free Play. Circle Time. Lunch Break. Extrasensory Lessons, where she attempts to tap in to her supposed natural ability for telepathy. Her sleeping hours are spent in a state of equal parts exhaustion and on the edge of dreamlike nightmares.

Memories of worn down ballet slippers and classical music haunt her. A fairytale book well-hidden in floorboards, full of visions of pumpkin coaches and fairy godmothers. Hazy pictures of another dark haired, olive-skinned little girl who would lay with her on the slabs, side by side, their shoulders touching as they looked up into the night's offerings and whispered furtively . . . these thoughts make up her dusty circadian rhythm.

Dreams. Eider has them in spades. A family of her own, one that doesn't consist of bossy kids like Avis or mean kids like Jay. Someone to hold her and brush her hair from her face. A mother to draw her bath. A father to play catch with. What does a family look like? Does it look like the papers she's found, the flying snapshots of life Beyond that somehow make their way down the desert to her little patch of existence? The Beyond that doesn't matter anymore, because it's been destroyed?

As one of the Chosen Ones, she doesn't have the option of family. She was one of the lucky ones . . . she survived the end of the world. And now, with the rigorous mental and physical training provided to her by Teacher and the everlasting health supervision by Nurse, she will be able to achieve her full potential. She will able to become a true leader. But Eider wonders -- the leader of what?

Kirsten Hubbard's Race the Night is part dystopian-world and part adolescent-cult, all wrapped in a multi-colored blanket bearing the question -- What exactly happened? A mid-grade mystery novel full of clues and hints as to what is lurking right outside the gated walls of the desert ranch, where the Other People live amongst the dead sea and reckless evils. Inside the desert ranch, the five children have been carefully curated and with the help of Teacher, they will become the future leaders of the world -- but, is there even a world left for them to lead? Young readers will be drawn into the character of Eider, a young girl caught between the reality of right and wrong and desperate for the truth, and will follow her through a transition of forced blindness into the blossoming of a cleared mind.

In a lot of ways, Eider is a normal twelve-year old girl. She is fascinated by mermaids and loves to explore nature. Yearning for an escape from the rigors of her daily life, she discovers a weakness in the structure; a gap in the fence that allows her a brief chance to escape into the outside, and it is here that Eider is able to be her true self and silently sort through her mind. While the memories floating around inside of her seem to come from something akin to a murky underwater source, Eider continues to persist at the pesky feeling she has deep in her gut -- was Robin real?

She scours the outside desert for signs of life from the past, coveting the papers that the wind so generously blows her way. A postcard from a lover, with wishes for companionship. A flyer from a housing development boasting gazebos and large front yards. An advertisement boasting the mouth-watering taste of something called sushi. Grocery receipts for foods she has never heard of. Where do all of these treasures come from? Swept along the endless span of desert from the far away lands that have been decimated?

But is the outside world really as obliterated as Teacher would have the children believe? When Eider is traipsing along the rocks and the cacti on another adventure, she comes across someone she did not expect -- a hiker. The man seems normal enough, he seems friendly and happy. He has a family, or so he says. And he shows her pictures on a strange glowing device that fits right into his hand. Questions begin to take a firmer root inside of Eider, but she will have no answers unless she goes searching for them herself.

Readers who enjoy Race the Night will find more to the story in Watch the Sky, set in the time before Eider's adventure. Giving Race the Night 4 out of 5 stars, I recommend it to readers 10+ who enjoy a good mystery and a dystopian atmosphere.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

(This review covers both books in the series so far)

A couple of books that provide a bit of a galactic mystery while also giving some insight into cults and the like in an appropriate way for the intended audience, the best I can say about this is that the books, while telling two slightly related stories, are really best read near each other. The way one informs the other and vice-versa is an excellent play and fills in the gaps rather nicely, all things considered. Watch the Sky in particular haunted me for days after reading it, and Race the Night really did a great job drawing it all together for me. I'm hoping that the world built here does not end at these two books.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written book about the supposed-survivors of the "end of the world". I loved Eider and her pluckiness, and her courage to stand up for what she believed in.

[Laura Gardner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Love the connection to Watch the Sky

[Jean Haberman · Rating 4 out of 5]

12-year-old Eider and a few other kids believe that the world has ended. They are kept safe in a desert camp by Teacher, Nurse, and Handyman. Eider believes that something exists in the Beyond. She remembers a sister named Robin, but is told that Robin was a figment of her imagination. Eider finds proof of life beyond the walls and makes an adventurous escape with the help of the other kids.

It was a fast, exciting read. I would have given it 5 stars except for the ending, which was abrupt and unbelievable. The plot was similar to The Giver by Lois Lowry, but in some ways more believable because there are instances in the news where children are being held hostage.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 3.0 of 5

A small assortment of youngsters are alone in the desert with only 'Teacher' and 'Nurse' as guides and over-seers. Teacher instructs the children from old World Encyclopedia's and tells them that 'they are the world.' The implication is clear that civilization as we know it has been destroyed.

But the students start to question Teacher and her methods when she has them work and practice mind-reading/ESP. The young girl, Eider, seems particularly curious and her curiosity only grows stronger when she meets a man hiking in the desert. At their own pace, each student begins to have questions, and the strange, doom-forecasting words heard over the static on the radio challenge what they think they know. Ultimately, Eider, Jay, Finch, and Avis will have to make some discoveries for themselves instead of relying on Teacher.

Author Kirsten Hubbard does a really nice job of capturing and conveying the dark, uncertain world in which the students live. We can't help but wonder where we are and everything we believe about the world, just as the children believe, seems to be turned on its side. A big portion of this tone-setting is Hubbard's beautiful way with words.

But once you step back from the flow of words and the tone of the book and look at the story itself, we flounder a bit. There's not really much here and what there is offers more questions than answers.

I like books that have me question, but I like the answers to come along eventually to confirm what I was expecting or to change/surprise me. But this offers no such resolution. In many ways this book is reminiscent of Lois Lowry's The Giver, but I don't expect Hubbard's book will achieve the same fame or recognition and hence the unanswered questions become annoying rather than a classroom discussion point.

Looking for a good book? There's much to like here with Kirsten Hubbard's Race the Night but at the same time, it withholds just enough to not be satisfying.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to read an ARC copy of this book for my Enrichment Reading class.

Eider and four others are special. After the end of the world they were chosen to lead the world and the Other People into a new era. Teacher tells them that there is nothing else out there, that they are the lone survivors. Teacher begins lessons teaching them to control objects with their minds and read each others’ thoughts. Eider begins to doubt what she is learning in the desert camp and doubts everything that Teacher tells them. Eider is haunted by a sister, Robin, that she was told never existed and thoughts of running away to the west. As her doubts grow stronger and an urgency to find out the truth about the world Beyond she has to make the decision to stay and believe or runaway and face the unknown.

I read this book in less than a day, three hours max. I was totally engrossed in the story and I had to know what happened. The characters were all different and likable. Eider and Finch are the two curious ones and have to find answers to their questions. Jay is the strong, tough guy who also has a soft side. Avis is bold and obsessed with all things pretty. Linnet is a timid but brave person who loves art. I enjoyed this story and how they had a need to find something more and bigger than the little camp they grew up in. They had to find out if the world had truly ended or if it was all the game of a crazy lady.

I didn’t like how they all acted like Eider was crazy. I didn’t like how easily she was convinced that all her memories were false. I also didn’t like how easily some of the students turned against each other because for being such a close knit family they didn’t really stick together.

I give this book 4 stars because I really liked it and captivated me from the start, but it was a really easy read and predictable.

[Ann Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was not aware this was a 'sequel' as I do not read sequels - never heard of the first part 'watch the sky' - but now that I have read the second I must find the first - yet I am not all that certain I will read the third if and when it appears...I enjoyed the read very much and did not find many things about it I could complain about however I was slightly removed from the story when one child called another a jerk - where they would have heard such a term I could not say - then I had to get back into the story all over again...it was the smallest of somethings but...still I enjoyed it very much and hated to see it end...the only section I may have skimmed thru would be the one part where Eider went into the office...I did not want to know the details - simply the result...and that was not out of boredom but expectancy...there was no paragrapgh or page in this one that I did not read...every inch of it was good stuff...kudos to you Kirsten Hubbard

recommend for middle school summer reading list

[Courtney C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eider is a young girl who lives on a mysterious desert ranch in the middle of the empty word with five other children. Teacher and Nurse, the only adults on the ranch are suspicious. Eider gets a brief glimpse of the world she's hidden from, and now she to choose between her world, with the safe haven of Teacher and Nurse, or the world she's just beginning to explore. Along with the other kids, she digs to figure out what Teacher and Nurse are hiding from them. The children are forbidden to enter Teacher's office, which makes Eider even more suspicious, but nevertheless the children force their way in and what they find will shock you. Kirsten Hubbard, the author, helps readers understand you may not be who you think you are, because Eider has to figure out who she is and if she wants to stay. For all the dystopian fiction genre lovers and people that loved the Divergent trilogy, this is a book for you. This book is great when Eider works with her peers on the ranch, which really shows teamwork. This book leaves you anxiously turning the pages, wondering what will happen to Eider.

[Kid Lit Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eider, Finch, Linnet, Jay, and Avis live in a desolate desert ranch with Teacher and Nurse. The kids have been told the world ended and they are all that is left, saved because they are special. Teacher is grooming them to lead a new world. The kids have been with Teacher since they were very little, which is why they don’t ask some obvious questions. Like, if they are all that is left, who will they lead?

Eider is a wonderful hero. She never gives up; fighting her antagonist with determination and inner strength. Teacher is just as determined; never considering her children would rebel. Because the children are young when Teacher gets custody, she believes the children will unquestioningly follow her. The other children have this blind faith. A child like Eider, . . .

Originally reviewed on Kid Lit Reviews. To read the full 429 word review, go to: http://bit.ly/RaceTheNight

[Devin Redmond · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was kind of a slow-paced book but I still liked it and couldn't put it down only because I wanted to know what happened at the end. Eider and four other kids are living in the middle of the desert with only "Teacher" and "Nurse" for guardians. They are taught out of World Book encyclopedias (with some pages missing) and are told never to leave the confines of the barbed wire fence because while the world has ended, there are still evil people. Each child keeps their doubts of this truth to herself but eventually they come together and doubt Teacher as a group. Great for 4th-6th graders.

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I devoured this book in couple of hours. I love the writing and the mysteries surrounding Eider's life. Kirsten Hubbard's Watch the sky was intriguing enough to make me want to read Race the Night, but the latter surpassed my expectations! Hubbard keeps you guessing to the last pages. As a reader you kind of know where the story might be headed, but to see it unravel in front of your eyes adds to the intrigue.

I highly recommend reading Watch the Sky before this one, as it will heighten the sense of mystery and wonder.

[Nadine · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I first began to read this book I felt like it was very “Hunger Games”esque, but the more I read the more I started to notice the differences. Midway through I was quite captivated and couldn’t read fast enough, but then the ending was a bit disappointing. It resolved things for me, but left me wanting to know more. I wished for a couple more chapters to let me know the final outcome for the ranch. I was happy Eider made it out, but I wanted another chapter to let me know what happened to Teacher and to find out how she’d got the kids in the first place.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eider lives in a place where they tell her that the world has ended. Her only family is her friends on the desert ranch that she lives on, and her make-believe little sister, Robin. Eider has lived her whole life on the ranch, but when one thing leads to another, secrets are revealed and the kids formulate a plan to find a way out of the ranch and into the open. This book was great, but a little sad. I would recommend it to anybody who likes fiction.

[sumayyah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eider is such an interesting character. I hated the betrayal of Avis. I love Finch and Jay, they are just so awesome and the author's writing is amazing. I also loved how Linnet was finally able to speak up. Overall I loved this book and it's characters. You- whoever is reading this- should definitely read it.

[Lisle Library Youth Services · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sort of dystopian, sort of 'doomsday planners' take on the end of the world as we know it. There's intrigue in the mystery of the story and a lot of questions throughout, but the ending really satisfies the uneasiness you might feel as you read through the book. This is a companion book to Hubbard's earlier book, Watch the Sky. - Lexy

[Two BookWorms Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

The world has ended. All that exists is the desert ranch where Eider lives with four other children, Teacher, and Nurse. Once upon a time, Other People existed. Once upon a time, the sea was clean and pure. Once upon a time, Eider had an imaginary sister named Robin.

For the full review: https://twobookwormsblog.wordpress.co...

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read, I kept wondering how this was going to play out. Was it going to be like "The Giver" or "Beneath" by Roland Smith. There is a first book, but you can read this one without missing anything. Good for 5th grade and up, not sure if a 4th grader would get the idea of end of the world, no one left. hmm..

[Jessica F · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm. Not quite sure what to make of it. This book started off as an alleged post-apocalyptic dystopia, but evolved into a mysterious intrigue. The ending was a bit too fortuitous, but I should have expected that from a Disney Hyperion juvenile novel. I just really wanted there to be super powers... *sigh*

Anyways, 3/5 stars.

[Danielle Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad.. A sort of anti-dystopian? It is about a crazy woman who adopts some children in the hopes that they will "follow" her and her ideas as the end of the world is coming? Not sure entirely what her hopes were.

[Jennifer Muehlebach · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. It had potential but it was basically a rip off of "The Giver". I also think a lot was left unanswered but not it a "I'm going to decide for myself" kind of way. I wouldn't recommend this book to any junior high kids.

[Benjamin Bookman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked everything about this book except the last 20 pages. The desert ranch and its inhabitants were compelling, the "why" was interesting, and the plot choices of the characters were believable within the context of the world set. But the ending was terrible.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Race the Night by Kirsten Hubbard is a companion piece to Watch the Sky. What order they are read in doesn't matter as the stories take place nearly simultaneously — just from different points of view and different locations.

http://pussreboots.com/blog/2017/comm...

[T.J. Burns]

I received a copy of this book from Disney-Hyperion via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Elliana Anderson (Salter) · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://immortalparadise.wordpress.co...

[Christy · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF middle of story. Pacing was too slow for me. Writing was strong just not what I was looking for.