A Hundred Hours of Night

Gr 9 Up—When Emilia's father commits an act so scandalous that she cannot stay in school or even at home in Amsterdam any longer, she declares her independence by fleeing to New York City. Emilia de Wit is a meticulous 15-year-old who leaves nothing to chance and who is repulsed by dirt and germs, so she carefully plans every step of her journey, even prepaying to sublet a lovely apartment. Despite her fastidiousness, Emilia finds herself without a place to sleep just as Hurricane Sandy is bearing down on the city. She is rescued by Seth and his young sister, who are taking care of each other and their apartment in their mother's absence. With Jim, an injured teen neighbor, Seth, Emilia, and Abby prepare a hurricane shelter in the apartment and ride out the storm. Woltz wrote this engaging story after being in New York during Sandy, and she pulls readers into her experience through vivid descriptions of the neighborhoods, the storm's devastation, and the residents' amazing resiliency. While Emilia is a well-developed character, we learn only as much about others as she does, and only enough to understand their relationships with her. They have dealt with traumatic life events and ridden out personal storms in their own ways. As their stories emerge, the protagonist learns more about herself as well and finds new strength to confront her father and her temperamental artist mother and to become a catalyst for change for them all.