Notes from the Midnight Driver

by Jordan Sonnenblick

From hot new talent Jordan Sonnenblick, a "Tuesdays with Morrie" for teens.

16-year-old Alex decides to get even. His parents are separated, his father is dating his former third-grade teacher, and being 16 isn't easy, especially when it comes to girls. Instead of revenge though, Alex ends up in trouble with the law and is ordered to do community service at a senior center where he is assigned to Solomon Lewis, a "difficult" senior with a lot of gusto, advice for Alex, and a puzzling (yet colorful) Yiddish vocabulary. Eventually, the pair learn to deal with their past and each other in ways that are humorous, entertaining, and life changing.

Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Humor, Teen, Contemporary, Friendship

265 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2006

About the author

I am the author of seven books for children and young adults, including Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie. So if youʼre looking for info about some other guy named Jordan Sonnenblick, youʼve got the wrong website.
Anyway, I know a lot of people are looking for stuff they can use in reports for school, so Iʼll just get this out of the way right up front:
My favorite color is blue.
I have a wife and two kids.
The best pet I ever had was a garter snake I caught when I was eight by a lake in Pennsylvania. I named the snake Hector. Then it gave birth to 20 baby snakes, so I changed its name to Hectoria.
My all-time favorite band is the Beatles, although I like a ton of different music.
My hobbies are playing the drums, guitar, and bass; riding my bicycle at least 50 miles a week; hanging out with my wife and kids; and reading.
Speaking of reading, I read a lot of different genres. As a kid, though, I mostly read fantasy, science fiction, and comic books. When I was in fourth grade, a fantasy novel called The Dark is Rising inspired me to become a novelist someday.
My favorite baseball team is the New York Yankees. When I was a kid, my best friend and I used to go to Yankees games and throw open ketchup packets off the upper deck. Donʼt try that at home, kids!

Reviews

[karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

"okay, can you show me on the dolly where the book touched you?"



this wasn't supposed to happen.

i mean, ugh - teen humor week?? i was expecting beavis and butthead, or the kind of stuff my high school boyfriend found funny, which is best left in the archives. i was only going to read one book from the list; the bare minimum, to give the old overachiever knob a rest, but i ended up reading three, and two of them were actually really good! but with each of them, i am pulling a caris (don't tell his wife!!!)( <------- an example of what i thought teen humor would be like) and rating these as an objective reader. no, this book is not as good as within a budding grove, but it is a really good teen book with depth and heart and - yes - humor, which should probably be read by a wider audience. it is a perfect book for its exploration of both the sorrow and the release of death (this is only a spoiler if you don't plan on reading the first page)

basic plot for everyone except jasmine - teenage boy, upset that his dad is banging his former third grade teacher (the boy's, not the dad's, you sicko) gets tanked, takes mom's car, crashes, vomits, decapitates a lawn gnome, gets sent to do community service at a nursing home, where he is forced to babysit/entertain a grouchy old jewish man with emphysema. also family and friendship-confusion and some jazz guitar.

and i am not ashamed to admit that i totally got sideswiped by the big "reveal." so - well played, sonnenblick!this round to you!

i swear, i didn't cry, but some calloused bits of my heart got pumiced a little.

thanks for the rec, ariel!!

come to my blog!

[সালমান হক · Rating 5 out of 5]

আমার মনে হয় যে কিছু লেখক লেখার সময় একটা হাতুড়ি নিয়ে বসেন। কিছু পেজ যাওয়ার পর পর সেই হাতুড়ি দিয়ে ব্যাম!!! করে একটা বাড়ি। আর আপনার আশে পাশের দুনিয়া পুরা ওলট পালট হয়ে যায়। আর আমার মনে হয় যে এই লেখক এই ব্যাপারে এক্সপার্ট। এই বছর এ আমার সেরা আবিষ্কার ইনিই। উনার তিনটা বই ই এই বছর আমার পড়া সবথেকে ফানি কিন্তু আবার সবথেকে কষ্টের বই হিসেবে মনে থাকবে। হাসতে হাসতে চোখ দিয়ে পানি বের হয়ে যায়, কিন্তু একটু পরই ঐটাকে আর কান্নার পানি থেকে আলাদা করা যায়না। আজিব তোহ। সবাইকে অনুরোধ, লেখকের একটা বই পড়ে দেখবেন। :)

[Hillari Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hands down, one of the best read-alouds I have ever done with my students. Wow! This book starts out with a bang! Within the first page or two I was quaking a little, wondering if I had just let them choose something completely inappropriate (that should have been my first clue that this book was going to be great!). But things settled down .. mostly .. and I think I can honestly say that my students enjoyed every minute of this, the same as me.

Jordan Sonnenblick is brilliant at building characters who have some chutzpah, who balance humor and depth effortlessly, and who feel like they could be current people in the reader's own life.

As this text developed, I could not help but fall in love with Sol, a.k.a. the crotchety old man that our protagonist, Alex, is required to spend time with for his community service sentence. He is in a nursing home and slowly dying of emphysema, but man does he have spunk! You watch him very quietly teach Alex some major life lessons, and of course, Alex grows from them. There is also no denying Alex's character development and how this angered and shallow boy manifests into someone who sees other's perspectives and all with a very different lens.

And if there isn't already enough of a nod to Sonnenblick's ability to craft characters into something of perfection, looking at the secondary characters should complete the picture for you. They were built with just enough meat to reinforce how real these "people" could be. I love when authors do that!

Also, perhaps I am slow (highly probable), but I did not see the connection at the end coming, until about 4 chapters out. Once I connected the dots, I completely stopped reading and looked at my students, my mouth agape, saying, "oh my God - I know how this books ends!". It was epic.

There is such a subtle way that Sonnenblick connects his characters (ahem, Annette and Steven) and relates them to other stories - those little nuances just make it all the better - and I know that this is absolutely a book that I will pick up with another class sometime soon. A+!

[Corey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cover of this book is deceptive. I expected it to be silly (it is at times) but I was frankly surprised at the levels of joy and sadness it stirs together. Called a "Tuesdays with Morrie" for teens in the description, I feel like that doesn't do it justice. I am 13 years past my teens and this hit me like a ton of bricks.

I was told in advance by my girlfriend that this book made her laugh and cry, I thought,"yeah I'm sure I'll chuckle, I may get a bit choked up." Long story short, she was right. I had belly laughs, I cried so much she asked if I needed to be alone for a minute. The catch, I knew what was going to happen, from the beginning. I knew who the secret character was from early on, I KNEW but it still got to me. These fictional characters felt real and their emotions passed to me. I sobbed through the final pages unable to remind myself that none of this was real, and yet it felt like it was.

A quick read for a Sunday afternoon in pajamas, but fair warning, have tissues close at hand or your t-shirt is going to have a wet spot on the arm, from the dust that got in your eyes.. yeah, dust.

[Avery · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was the first read aloud our ELA class read. The book didn't sound that good from when we picked it up at the start but as we started reading it I found it to be one of the best books that I've read. As we went along in this book it was quite funny at different points and put a smile to my face. The book was about a boy named Alex and he made some life-changing mistakes. He went through a relationship with a man named Saul who was keeping some secrets from him. What will happen when Alex finds out? This story took an unexpected turn later on in the book. I recommend this book to anyone who likes young adult fiction and likes some humor scattered throughout the book. I rated this book 4 out of 5 stars.

[MorganD · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really good. Our ELA class read this as a read aloud. It was funny and serious at the same time.
It was about this boy who was upset about his parents divorce, got drunk, took his mothers car and crashed. For his punishment he had to volunteer 100 hours at this nursing home. The person he is assigned to is very crochedy and mean. He ends up having a really good relationship with him and he learns a lot from the person he is taking of.
I really liked it and I strongly recommend it.

[Michael S · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had many suprises from him getting drunk and running over a gnome, to his dad cheating on his mom with his teacher. But overall it was a great book. The main character has to do community service with an grumpy old man. But then realizes it's not as bad as he thought. But near the end there is a big suprise to the readers, that you can see coming.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ich hatte keine Erwartungen an dieses Buch, da es sich um eine Schullektüre für den Englisch Unterricht handelt. Das Englisch habe ich super verstanden und ich werde versuchen 2019 definitiv mehr auf Englisch zu lesen.
Kommen wir aber zum Buch... Am Anfang fand ich es eher langweilig aber auch nur die ersten paar Seiten, danach war ich in der Geschichte drinne. Alex knüpft neue und unerwartete Freundschaften und er macht eine riesen Entwicklung mit.
Das Ende hat mich dann echt zum weinen gebracht und ich konnte viel aus dieser Geschichte lernen.
Ich kann definitiv sagen, dass es sich nicht um ein langweiliges Schulbuch handelt.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Notes From the Midnight Driver is such a laugh-out-loud-until-your-sides-hurt type of funny. This book is about a sixteen-year-old boy named Alex who gets sentenced to volunteer at an old peoples’ home because he was drunk while driving. Once he starts volunteering at the home, he really hates it. The man he must visit with, Mr. Solomon Lewis, is an irritable, stubborn Yiddish man who constantly insults Alex in the foreign language. Alex and Sol (Mr. Lewis) start to build a bridge through Jazz music. Alex brings his guitar with him to visit, and they play together, becoming good friends. But when Alex’s sentence time is finished, he feels he cannot leave Sol. In fact, to say good bye, Alex throws a concert in the Home and allows Sol to join him and his two friends.

In comparison to other books in this genre, I would say it was one of the best. The characters were all so funny and made this book all the more better. I would give this book five out of five stars. It was my favorite bingo book so far. I would probably recommend this book to anyone who likes comedies and likes the realistic fiction genre.

Word count: 206

[Layla · Rating 2 out of 5]

"We're all free to choose some people to love, and then do it."

I tried reading this book in January but stopped halfway because it seemed so predictable, and frankly, I was bored out of my mind. This time around (I figured I should give it another shot), I was still bored out of my mind. All that I thought would happen, definitely happened. Love was found. Things were lost. Lessons were learned. There were some strong attempts at humour in this book but it was almost "too much" to be considered funny. The only reason I finished this book was to give it a fair chance, but it just wasn't for me.

2 stars for Solomon Lewis.

[Ayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever wondered how would it be to be assigned to take care of a grumpy elder, who always insulted you in a language you did not understand? What if the reason why the elder insulted you was because he thought you were stupid and he wanted you to learn. Well in this book, Alex had that problem but he ended up learning valuable lessons from the grumpy elder and they became friends. The genre of this book is realistic fiction and the setting was in the home for the elders and Alex's school. The type of conflict is person vs person because Alex had trouble forgiving important people in his life.

Alex's parents were divorced, he didn't know why but he pretended not to care. All he knew was that his dad was dating his old third-grade teacher, so he assumed it was his dad's fault. Alex was home alone, he got drunk and planned on going to his dad to confront him, but he didn't do it because he crashed into a lawn but he was still okay. Alex expected to go to jail, but fortunately, Judge Trent gave him a chance so he got community service. He got assigned to take care of Sol, Alex was expected to learn something from him but Sol gave him a hard time, so he never thought he would care for him but they became good friends. Going to the home no longer bothered him. Alex enjoyed being with him and so did Sol even if he never showed it or was always insulting him. Sol's daughter, Judy never talked to Sol because she blamed him for her mom's death. Every Hanukkah Sol would put out flowers for her but she never visited. He played his guitar for Sol, he like it so he did a concert. During the concert Alex discovered that Sol was a famous musician. Another concert was arranged and since Alex wasn't so good at playing Sol helped him and he gave him his old valuable guitar. At the concert Sol sang, and everyone was crying because of the song. After the concert Judge Trent went up to them, she was also crying because the song Sol sang was about her because she was his daughter. In the end Alex did learn a lot from Sol. Since Judy never spoke to Sol, Alex realized that was exactly what he was doing with his own dad. Alex learned to forgive because it is the right thing to do, especially if it is your family because they are important people in your life. Overall, he forgave his parents for the divorce and apologized for giving them such a hard time. Sol passed away but he still got the chance to be with his daughter for a couple of months.

One of the reasons why I like this book is because this book had interesting and unique quotes. For example, in the book it said “If you would listen to me for a minute, maybe I could teach you something. He replied And if my grandmother would grow wheels maybe she'd be a trolley car. I thought this quote was good because it says a lot about Sol. It shows how Sol felt towards Alex, how complicated he was, and it also how he didn't care about what anybody had to say to him. I believe the authors purpose of writing this book is to teach the reader about forgiving, and how sometimes people are unhappy and they blame other people for it even if they're the ones who are making their own life difficult. Alex was unhappy, in the book, because of his parents divorce, he gave them a hard time because of that, and he stopped talking to his dad. He blamed him for the divorce even if he didn't know the whole story, but maybe if he would've listened to his dad's perspective and not just his own he could have seen that not everything was his dad's fault.

*Spoiler Alert*The part in this book that surprised me the most was when Alex figured out that Judge Trent was Sol's daughter, Judy. The reason why it surprised me was because I was not expecting that at all, especially because Alex had to inform her about his progress with Sol, so she knew about him but she never said anything. Alex told the judge about Sol's daughter and he told her how he cared about her so much, and he still had pictures of her as a kid even though she was upset with him. As a result, Alex was the one who helped Judy realize that her mom's death was not her dad's fault. I thought the ending of the book was very good because Alex started dating his best friend, Laurie because they really cared and liked each other. At first they didn't realized that they were perfect for each other, but thankfully Sol helped them figure it out. Also, I was happy that Judy started talking to her dad again after all those years because Judy was very important to Sol since she was his family. Overall, Sol was an important part of life he taught him to forgive, to be brave, tricks to play his guitar better, and he also taught him a few insults in Yiddish.

I rated this book 5 stars because it was extremely good. I also liked Alex's personality, because he was just an awkward, and funny teenager and there was never a boring part. I would recommend this to someone who wants to read a REALLY amazing book, or if somebody wants to read a realistic fiction book where they could learn something then this would be the book for them. If you read this book you most likely won't regret it because it is the type of book you wish would never end.

[Sagar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jordan is an amazing story teller. I had forgotten how beautifully he weaves his stories with a tinge of wit, YA issues, problems all the while keeping the humour across all the pages.
A mixture of sad and happiness lingers in the heart after the book ends just like an aftertaste of an Alphonso.

[Madison D · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is my favorite read aloud book so far. Even though it is sad I still liked it. My favorite character honestly is Sol. He is such a great character. When I first heard of it, I was like this book isn't going to be that good, but when we first started it, I was mesmerized. I am so glad that we got to read this book.

[Maddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually really enjoyed this book! I was surprised at the development of the characters. The main character Alex makes a stupid decision to drink alcohol and get drunk, then he takes his mom's car and crashes into the neighbor's lawn gnome. Alex is sentenced to send his time working with a difficult man at the nursing home named Saul. Saul doesn't seem like the friendliest of people to care for. Meanwhile Alex is battling with the at home struggles of his mom dating again, his best friend, Lori, who he sees different now, and his reputation of being untrustworthy. Alex and Saul definitely don't see eye to eye. Then they found something in common; music. Saul begins to let Alex in on his past and they seem to bond over it.
I would definitely recommend this book.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

YA novel about a 16 year old boy who has to complete complete community service hours at a nursing home after he's arrested for drunk driving. He's assigned to visit a grumpy old man as part of the Full Circle intervention program, and both the teen and the man are supposed to learn some lessons together.

This book was pretty funny, as both of these characters are quite the jokers. (They're really two of a kind.) But there were also some heartwarming sections, as the two of them develop a real friendship and help each other to grow. A recommended read.

[Jordan Hammond · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is definitely going in my top 10 books that I have read, It was an amazing story from the beginning Alex gets drunk while his mom is on a date and drives her car around and crashes into a lawn gnome. He then gets put into a home to help a person named Saul, and he is having problems with his breathing. Over time they become awesome friends, and he is a huge help for Alex. I recommend this book for anybody who wants a good funny story.

[Sarah Boselovic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five years ago, I randomly marked this book as “want to read.” Now, I couldn’t tell you where I saw the book recommendation, but I’m so thankful I did. This is the kind of book that has it all: humor, sincerity, quirk, humanity. I loved it so much I didn’t want it to end. I hope you’ll see this recommendation and put it on your list, even if it takes you five years to read.

[Jacqui · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books I've ever read even if it was a read allowed. It goes through many different aspects of a teenager's life and hits many parts of life and many different emotions all while keeping a plot that makes sense throughout the entirety of the book. It went from making me want to cry to wanting to laugh in just a sentence. parts of this book were completely hilarious but the message the end of the book made it even better.

[Travis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite books that I have had read to me. It was interesting with humor and twist through out the whole story. I encourage this book to be read no matter what genre you like because it was amazing.

[Lucy Skyler · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is bad and the author should feel bad.

Ok, that's probably a bit strong, but I really do not like this book. It took me three months to read when it should have taken me at most about two days because I needed to take a break from how irritating it was (ok, that's an exaggeration because I just didn't have time with school, but I wasn't exactly compelled to keep on reading). Admittedly, I am older than the apparent target audience, who I would put as about 7 - 8 years old, but then I see some reviews list this book as 'teen humour'. Why? What makes the most sense to me is if this has some nostalgic value for readers my age that somehow made reading this book an enjoyable experience when you're older than 11.

In summary, the book is in not funny, despite its many blurbs claiming to be so, the characters are boring at best and irritating at worst, but always unsurprising and overly simple, and the message is incredibly patronising. I'm not really convinced the author has ever met an old person, let alone a sick person, but I will commend him for not turning this into a "Children's Introduction to the Holocaust" book, which is seemed to be heading towards sometimes. There are many and much better children's books with far more complicated messages than this one, so please choose them instead of this.

[Danica · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Alex gets drunk and goes out for a drive his life will be changed forever.
When Alex drunk drives and knocks over a garden gnome he gets sent to court for a community service project. However when Alex meets his new "buddy" Saul, Alex isn't very happy. Over his time at the home he gets to know him better and figures out why he is so stubborn. When Alex finds out that Saul's wife was killed because of a Drunk driving he figured out why he was so stubborn. Alex also finds out that he has a daughter and she never comes and visits him. Then, when Alex hosts a Jazz concert at the nursing home he comes back to find Saul on his guitar playing one of his pieces. Then shortly after Saul's pneumonia gets bad Alex hosts one more concert which he invites Judge Trent to who is also Saul's daughter and they have a big party sadly, shortly after their reunion, Saul dies and then Alex plays one final concert for Saul.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this definitely was a book.

My first impression was that the book was a bit.. weird. It was kind of odd at the start, but then I started to get further into it. I was starting to enjoy it more, and I liked the process of how the book continued to make me laugh, and sometimes make me hold an umbrella inside.

Overall I thought the book was enjoyable, so ok.

[Kieran Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

I see what they mean when they say this book is “Tuesday’s with Morrie” for teens. The character, Alex, really progresses immensely throughout the book. I also think I have progressed in who I am from reading this book. It was not the best book I have ever read. However, it was pretty good. I always thought Sol was very funny. Now, whenever I play a joke on someone, “gotcha!” If you read the book, you would get it. Which is one of the reasons you should read it. It is a very heartfelt story about relationships. But not relationships with girlfriend/boyfriend, but with parents and children. I think that is what makes this book so unique. Not many books focus on the issue children have with their parents. So, I would definitely say to read it.

[Joyce Yattoni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story about adolescents having a great friendship then all of a sudden adolescence truly catapults these young ones into the awkward stage. I enjoyed how Alex after spending months in the nursing home befriending an elderly gentlemen he finally gets that it isn't always about him. The story makes me appreciate even more kids who have musical talent. The only reason I don't give a 5 star rating is because statistically speaking it isn't very common for divorced parents to get back together after such a short time. Also, the cover of the gnome turned me off. I would have read much sooner had it not been for the cover.

[Adia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alex is a good kid, but he gets himself into trouble. Laurie is his best friend, but he's developing some other feeling for her. He doesn't realize this until later. His parents are divorced and trying hard to not make Alex's life miserable. Because of Alex's "indecent", he has to work at the nursing home. That is where he meets Sol. Sol is a resident at the home. He gives Alex a hard time, but tough love, right. I defiantly recommend this book. And also, remember to read the Q&A in the back of the book when you're finished reading it.

[Sammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I have read other of Jordan Sonneblicks books before and I just loved this one. I started reading Jordan Sonneblicks books after he visited my school. Overall I love this book and I will read others books by him.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really sweet YA with a male protagonist about a teen who has to do community service for an elderly man. Simple and positive and I loved the main character's voice.

[Qua Hubbard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very interesting book, it kinda of remind me of myself being a teenager.

[Cassie Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book with my 7th graders! Such a great story and so much to discuss.

[Asmaa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first book i'm reading after a tremendous reading slump and it got me choked up a few many times... i have a soft spot for grumpy old fellows with a big heart ❤