Midnight Feast

Gr 6 Up—Roya, an Australian girl living in a near-future world of food shortages and drought, has an active imagination that helps her escape the realities of her dark, urban life. She dreams of beauty, color, and food—including being permitted to stay up for the "Midnight Feast."While Roya's 40-plus page story is linear, users will discover nuance in her real and imagined worlds by playing with lighting effects, rubbing the screen to reveal alternate realities, and tapping to explore props and listen to dialogue. This app rewards the patient, deliberate user; on one page, a radio broadcast that explains the effects of the food shortage and drought will play, and too-fast tapping will often diminish the impact of an interactive effect or shorten coversations.There are some effects not often seen in apps, and both music and sound are used to great effect. The narration can be switched on or off, and there is an option to turn off the "scary sauce," e.g., text and visuals that might disturb younger children. (For example, shadows disappear and "…laughing their heads off" becomes "laughing their socks off" with a different image.)Users may not realize it at first glance but Roya's story, and how it is told, are bursting with meaning. The "Key Questions and Close Reading Notes" (a 17-page online PDF linked to in the app) unpacks choices made in each segment of the story. The app also links to an online PDF with activities (such as writing prompts) that would work well in a classroom setting.Midnight Feast will appeal to older elementary students, teens, and teachers alike who will all find different delights and messages within. Don't miss this haunting, meaningful story.—Gretchen Kolderup, New York Public Library