educator’s guide
Thirteen Days
to Midnight
Curriculum
connections
D Trust
D F
riendship
D Family
D Power
D Self-Sacrifice
Ages 8 – 12
By
Patrick Carmen
Thirteen Days to Midnight
Discussion Questions
1.On page 1, Jacob chooses to let someone die, someone
he could have saved. Why does Jacob think letting her
die is the right thing to do?
2.Jacob and Mr. Fielding’s relationship is built during the
time they spend driving every Saturday morning to find
the perfect breakfast. What is ironic about the manner
in which Mr. Fielding dies? What role does fate play in
Mr. Fielding’s untimely death?
3.Why does Jacob quit swearing? What does this say
about his feelings for Mr. Fielding?
9.The reader learns that Jacob did not know Mr. Fielding
or Milo for more than a year, but Jacob trusts them
implicitly. Based on Jacob’s background, why is he so
willing to trust these two? How does his trust prove
to be wise?
10.Mr. Coffin and Father Tim know more than they admit,
in fact, they never really tell Jacob anything. How much
do you think that they really know? How did they help
Mr. Fielding when he was alive?
11.When Milo and Jacob discover the rules of the power,
or the Black Lion, they realize how badly they have
4.Why does Mr. Fielding choose to pass on the gift of
screwed up and how perilously close Oh is to death.
indestructibility to Jacob? Do you think this gift is a
Knowing the decision they make to help save her could
curse or a blessing? Is Mr. Fielding’s reason for adopting
also kill her, they follow through with their plan. What
Jacob connected to his special power? Why or why not?
exactly is their plan? How is it supposed to work?
5.Jacob, Milo, and Oh sense the need for secrecy
12.Jacob, Oh, and Milo have played with death and the
and urgency regarding Jacob’s special power.
result is not what they expected. How do their choices
What measures do they take to ensure both?
to save lives upset the balance of the universe?
6.How does the change in the relationship between Oh
13.Jacob will never want for any material possessions
and Jacob affect the overall group dynamics? How does
because of the inheritance Mr. Fielding leaves him.
the change affect them each individually? How does
Knowing what you do about Jacob, how do you think
Oh use Jacob’s feelings for her to get what she wants
he will use the money and property Mr. Fielding
from him?
bequeaths to him?
7.Jacob’s attachment to his power increases the longer
14.What will be Jacob’s most difficult trial in living with
he possesses it. Why does he allow Oh to take
his power? What do you think he will do to overcome
ownership of the power and to control how it is used?
that challenge, or if he can’t overcome it, how will he
How does Jacob handle her possessiveness of
most likely adjust to living with it?
the power?
8.The conflict between Ethan and Milo and Jacob
escalates after Ethan leaves Holy Cross and reunites
with his friend Boone. What finally happens to end
the battle between the four boys?
Thirteen Days to Midnight
Activities
Poetry Alive
Jacob personifies his superpower throughout the book,
referring to the power as “it wanting to claw its way back
in” and a presence moving inside of him, sensing a threat
from the outside. The author also personifies death, and
Jacob refers to death as a friend. Ask students to choose a
partner and to write a poem in two voices between two of
the following: Jacob, the power, and death. Have students
perform their poems for the class.
The Technology Connection
Milo, Oh, and Jacob communicate throughout the book using
their cell phones to call and text message one another. How
do cell phones with Internet and camera capabilities impact
teenagers in high school? What impact has text messaging
had on the writing skills of users? What is the educational
potential of cell phones and text messaging? Ask students
to form groups of three to investigate the laws, rules, and
guidelines in their state and neighboring school districts to
determine what is deemed acceptable use of cell phones on
school premises. Have students report current guidelines and
project possible future applications to the class using a
variety of creative methods.
Living in a High School Microcosm
Whether they are deemed “popular” or not, teens are
constantly confronted with the issue of “fitting in” and being
part of a crowd as well as taking pride in their school.
Have the class brainstorm together the major student groups,
or cliques, in their school: athletes, Goths, preps, skaters,
kickers, and others. Then formulate a set of questions about
the formation and function of the groups. For example:
Who leads the group? How are the groups formed?
Is there a hierarchy within the group? Then ask students to
interview their parents about their work environments and
the established groups that function within their workplaces.
After collecting and reviewing the data from their parents,
have students create a 3-D Venn diagram with both images
and text to depict the comparison and contrast between
high school and the “real” adult world.
Super Powers Abound
In a society dominated by movies and television shows filled
with superheroes and even ordinary people endowed with
extraordinary abilities, Jacob’s super power would have to be
kept a secret or people would constantly be trying to kill him
— just to see if they could. After students have read Thirteen
Days to Midnight, ask them these questions, “If you could
only have one superpower, what would it be? Why would you
choose that one?” Students should respond to the question
through a skit, a poem, a song, a drawing, or another
creative endeavor.
The Power to Save Lives
Life expectancy has increased in the last 50 years, partly
because of a better quality of life. What impact has the
rapidly increasing technological advances to enhance man’s
ability to save lives had on society? In small groups, ask
students to research longer life expectancy and the affect it
has on the environment and ecological systems in the United
States. Students can present their findings to the class.
Thirteen Days to Midnight
about the author
about the book
When Jacob’s foster father whispers, “You are
indestructible” seconds before dying in a car
crash that should’ve killed them both, Jacob never
imagines he could posess a real superpower.
To test it Jacob and his friends start indulging
comic book-like fantasies. Later, they commit to
use this amazing power of indestructibility to do
good in the world and save others from death.
But how do they decide whom to save? And what
happens when they blur the lines of life and death,
right and wrong, and good and evil? Thirteen Days
to Midnight is a nail-biting tale of dark intrigue,
powerful romance, friendship and adventure.
Thirteen Days to Midnight
by Patrick Carman
978-0-316-00403-9
also by Patrick Carman
Atherton:
The House of Power
Atherton:
Rivers of Fire
Atherton:
The Dark Planet
978-0-316-16670-6 hc
978-0-316-16671-3 pb
AR 6.1, F&P U
978-0-316-16672-0 hc
978-0-316-16673-7 pb
AR 6.2, F&P U
978-0-316-16674-4 hc
Patrick Carman, bestselling
author of The Land of Elyon series
(including The Dark Hills Divide,
Beyond the Valley of Thorns and
The Tenth City), grew up in Salem,
Oregon. When he’s not writing
or speaking at schools, he can be
found in (or near) Walla Walla,
Washington: fly fishing, playing
basketball, snowboarding, making
videos, cheering for his kids at
soccer games, strumming his
guitar, surfing the Web, getting
involved in local and international
charities, and teaching tricks
to his dog Taffy. He also has
been spotted in town reading
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and
The Turn of the Screw by Henry
James, two of the inspirations for
the story of Atherton. Learn more
about Patrick Carman on his web
site at www.patrickcarman.com.
www.lbschoolandlibrary.com
Educator’s Guide prepared by Ellen Greene and Susan Geye