Grade 6 Up–There is something evil brewing in Bixby, and the teens from the previous Midnighters titles must save the world from the darklings. The monsters have found a way to expand midnight so that all humans will enter the blue time and become prey. Complicating the crisis is Rex's residual darkling characteristics that leave him with the unsettling notion that other humans are food, Jonathan's secret desire that the midnight hour could last forever so that he would always be free of the confining flatland gravity, and the fact that no one has yet figured out why the darklings wish to dispose of Jessica Day. Blue Noon has an end of the world premise that will appeal to Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans. Even though the characters are not completely developed, they all have distinct skills that set them apart from one another. Westerfeld doesn't rehash all the events of the earlier books. Instead, he subtly includes the information that is needed to follow the story. Since the characters' schemes never proceed according to plan, the plot maintains an exciting pace. However, it is never fully explained why everything works out the way it does. Despite this minor flaw, this is fun recreational reading.