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The Midnight Diet Club (The Midnight Club Book 1) Kindle Edition

3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 12 ratings

Previously published under the title: YOU NEVER SEE FAT VAMPIRES!

Some kids would risk almost anything to be thin and popular, but would you join the Midnight Diet Club?

Esme is a slightly overweight teen-age girl who is hounded endlessly by three sinister bullies. In her quest to find acceptance she almost loses her soul in this funny, slightly scary, twist on vampire legends.

1st Prize- Florida Writers Association Royal Palm LIterary Awards for Young Adult Fiction

"Consider the current mania to be thin . . . especially among teenage girls. Splash in some humor. Carefully blend believable characters. Whip in a few "grossly fun" scenes. Then savor the deliciousness of The Midnight Diet Club. This twist on vampire legend just may leave you "thirsty" for more." -Millie Richmond Author of HILDY

"This ghoulishly delicious tale is one that many of us have experienced either first hand or via word of mouth. And during Mark Newhouse's many years of creative teaching, I'm nearly positive he encountered bullying in its many disguises. He brings the age-old vampire legend into a contemporary creative context, from which lessons can be extrapolated by students that have been, are being, or will be bullied in one form or another. And even older adults can learn a lesson or two that may assist them in relationships with fellow employees or sadistic bosses."-Don Canaan (Author of two Liz Roberts psychological medical thrillers: "Alzheimer's: Dutiful Daughter" & "Dedicated Doctor or Baby Broker," as well as a true crime investigation: "Horror in Hocking County")

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

This is a very special book for me and I was very proud when it was awarded  First Prize by the Florida Writers' Association and became a wonderful audio book narrated by Darren Marlar. So what makes it so special? Why would a teacher write a book about bullies who may be vampires? The shadow of being bullied lasts a lifetime. I know. My parents survived the Holocaust, but I lost much of my family there before I was born. I was also bullied as a child and witnessed many children being bullied over my more than thirty years as a teacher. The scars never completely go away.I have dedicated much of my life to help others cope with this terrible problem, including giving away free anti-bullying materials on my website. A recent news story about a bullied child who felt so alone and desperate he killed innocent children, made me again realize how much I wanted to help, and so the idea of telling the story of a bullied girl who suspects her tormentors may be vampires, was born. Are her bullies vampires? Aren't all bullies? Will she survive? What can she do to defeat her evil enemies? I hope you will enjoy this humorous, scary, little tale that has an important message from me to all of you. Thank you,Mark

From the Back Cover

Some kids will risk anything to stop others from bullying them. But would you join the Midnight Diet Club?"Dark and fascinating, powerful story telling. Esmeralda's quest to be like the other girls takes her on a dark, dangerous journey and a desperate search to discover her soul."- Tom Brown,The Dolphin's View"This page turner will keep you on edge until the last page. And then you're wondering what happens next." - Charlene Meeker, Cookies in Heaven

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00FO6WYH2
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ AimHi Press (October 5, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 5, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 564 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 146 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1492845132
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 12 ratings

About the author

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Mark H. Newhouse
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THE DEVIL'S BOOKKEEPERS won:

Grand Prize Fiction Series and 1st Prize Hemingway Wartime Series --Chanticleer International Book Awards.

1st Prize Historical Fiction -- Eric Hoffer Book Awards (Book 3)

Gold Medal Historical Fiction and Grand Prize Book of the Year-- Florida Writers Association Royal Palm Literary Awards.

!st Prize Fiction Drama--Top Shelf Magazine Book Awards

Silver Medal Historical Fiction President's Award-- Florida Authors & Publishers Association

It has been an amazing journey from a shy, bullied, child to my wonderful career teaching on Long Island (Elementary/Secondary Teacher of the Year --NY State Reading Association). I continue my love of teaching in my writing. The pen, now computer, is my 'magic wand.'

I was born in Germany after my parents were freed from Auschwitz and Buchenwald. Their nightmare inspired THE DEVIL'S BOOKKEEPERS, a suspenseful novel of love and survival in the Holocaust. Readers report it keeps them up at night rooting for the characters. I love the emotional reviews the books and audiobooks are getting. I am excited to be working with a producer on a screenplay. Keep your fingers crossed. The Holocaust is a shadow in my life and my newest book, MY FAMLY SECRET: THE HOLOCAUST (Bronze Medal Young Adult Fiction-Florida Authors and Publishers,) is a mystery where a young boy learns a terrible secret and faces his fears and prejudices. I hope it helps children learn not to hate.

My children's books are inspired by my students, Sherlock Holmes, and my role model, Perry Mason, with a touch of Poe. I add the 'insanity.' In WELCOME TO MONSTROVIA, under development for film, a troubled boy and half-human girl face incredible dangers in a secret sector of the USA where humans are rare. The series won the Benjamin Franklin Silver Medal and Readers Favorites Silver Medal, as well as the Gold Medal from the Florida Writers Association. The award-winning sequels, THE CASE OF THE DISASTROUS DRAGON, THE CASE OF THE CRAZY CHICKENSCRATCHES, and THE CASE OF THE KILLER KNIGHTS, have kids guessing the solutions as they learn about law. I love writing this funny series and am working on THE CASE OF THE CRUEL CYBERBULLIES.

In THE ROCKHOUND SCIENCE MYSTERIES, (LEARNING MAGAZINE Teachers' Choice Award), children solve fantasy cases with experiments like making ice pops. THE MIDNIGHT DIET CLUB (1st Prize YA Fiction-- Florida Writers Association) helps kids with bullying. My picture books, SANTA'S SPEEDING TICKET, ALICE IN BATSYLVANIA, A BITE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, DREIDEL DOG, and PASSOVER PUPPY COLORING BOOK, include activities that make them family treasures. Sadly, I can't draw, but the artist did a great job.

My favorite fan mail: A young boy wrote,"I love Rockhound. He is my favorite person." The only thing is, Rockhound is a DOG detective. He ended his letter with, "I know all authors are rich, can I swim in your pool?" I don't have a pool, but love sharing my world with him and you. After you enjoy my books, please let me know and add your review. I love hearing from friends.

Thank you,

Mark

Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
12 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2014
    Consider the current mania to be thin . . . especially among teenage girls. Splash in some humor. Carefully blend believable characters. Whip in a few "grossly fun" scenes. Then savor the deliciousness of The Midnight Diet Club. This twist on vampire legend just may leave you "thirsty" for more.

    Millie Richmond
    Author of HILDY
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2015
    Esme and her mom are on the outs with each other. She wants Esme to be thin and popular. But the recent divorce of her parents has Esme in emotional turmoil and so she turns to food. Her mom puts her on one crazy diet after another and nothing seems to work. The kids at school, with the exception of 2 friends, bully her all the time. The story opens with one scene after another of bullying in various forms and the tactless, yet well-meaning, things adults say to teens. Finally, there is an incident during PE class that sends Esme over the top; the three chic thin and cruel girls take advantage of this incident, pushing Esme even further. Pretty soon, we have vampires and a Dr. Ghoulash clashing with Esme’s desire to be thin and popular.

    This story starts off a bit slow with the bullying scenes, one after the other. But that also set up the scenery for the rest of the plot to walk in. Esme is pressured by everyone (except her two friends) to lose weight, and to do it quickly. At age 12, that is a lot of pressure. Throughout the beginning, we see Esme being pushed around, not making decisions on her own. But then a spark shows and she tails one of the thin, vampire girls (Pam) after dark one night, catching a glimpse of the secret the three guard. Using this secret as leverage, she forces her way into their circle and meets Dr. Ghoulash. Then she goes back to being pushed around and manipulated until the final scene of the book. Esme didn’t strike me as particularly intelligent or heroic, but more of a lucky protagonist that got out of this scrape intact.

    There was a lot of focus on her weight and, while that was definitely integral to her motives, after a while it felt like I (and Esme) was being hit over the head with it. Was there anything else to her character? She loves chocolate, is fat, her parents are divorced, she’s overweight, she is good at geometry, needs to lose weight……While it was a bit repetitive for me to listen to, I can also see that it showed the listener just how desperate Esme was to fit in; and to do that she had to lose weight.

    This is one of those stories with a moral. As Esme hangs around the vampires more and more, she leaves her friends behind, even pushing them away, and starting to think harshly of them. I am sure you can guess how this book ends (in rough outlines) and Esme learns that true friendship is more important. I was hoping that Esme’s mom would learn a lesson too, as she comes off as pretty shallow (but perhaps that will happen in a sequel).

    The characters were pretty one dimensional with only Esme showing a little growth. The plot was predictable mostly because the characters were predictable. Also, and this is just my personal bit, the character name ‘Dr. Ghoulash’ made me think of a dish my mom made frequently when we were growing up. So I automatically connected the big bad villain with a tasty meal. I guess everyone has to eat. But for me personally, that made the big Baddie more comical than dangerous or scary. Still, with all that, it was a quick listen and brought me some entertainment.

    The Narration: I am curious as to why the author picked a male reader for this book as like 70% of the characters are female. While Marlar was able to do accents and had different male character voices, several of his female character voices lacked femininity and also sounded alike. He did do a decent job of injecting humor and sadness at the appropriate places.

    What I Liked: Esme struggles the entire book; the name ‘Dr. Ghoulash'; steadfast friends.

    What I Disliked: Repetitive themes on weight loss; predictable characters & plot.
  • Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2013
    Bullied Esme is overweight, has low self-esteem and is desperate to fit in. She's prepared to do anything to be thin and be "in" with the "in crowd". Her quest leads her to make bad choices that put her in harm's way. She learns the hard way that nothing comes easy - you have to work hard to achieve your goals and that true friendship is more than skin deep.
    Mark H Newhouse does an excellent job of putting the reader in Esme's head and shoes.
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2017
    This book was different from what I expected. I had thought it was going to be a book about a club formed to create anorexics but it was a vampire book centered on wanting to be thin. A wonderful twist! It kept you on your seat as you wanted to figure out what would happen to Esme. I enjoyed how the power of the group overcame the evil.

    I was provided a free copy of this book for an honest review.

    Wanda Luthman, award-winning children's author of books that promote good character
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2017
    This book is a must-read for girls, since they have so much pressure placed upon them to fit in. Bullies that are also vampires pressure Esme to join them, and in her desperation to lose weight she almost does. Esme is not perfect; she really should lose some weight. However, giving in to peer pressure is not the right way. This book may help readers recognize the "vampires" or bullies in their own relationships, and think of a creative way to solve problems that is not what everyone else pressures them to do.
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2013
    The author, a former teacher devoted to helping students learn in a fun way, has carried on his legacy with this imaginative, lighthearted story that does have a serious message as well.

    It tells the story of Esmeralda (Esme for short), who wants so much to be thin that she is willing to forsake her principles...at least for a while. Yes, it's the old sell-your-soul theme but with some newfangled touches, including the currently popular vampire phase.

    The extreme Weight Watchers-type meetings "on steroids" are a hoot! And the story is written tongue-in-cheek, or should we say, fang-in-cheek, with slightly satirical humor.

    I like also that the story sensitively touches on the pain of living in a single-parent household and includes the angst of being a plump preteen in today's thin-oriented society.

    The climactic scene is almost too gruesome to bear, with cringe-inducing scenes of horror.....yet one is driven to keep reading. Warning: parts are gross and a bit gory, perhaps too much so for sensitive souls.

    But it's a must-read for all young girls who may be struggling to find their own identity amidst the confusion of society's vampires. Like some perverse Twilight Zone episode, this haunting tale has its own version of a "happy ending." Sort of.

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