Common Sense Media Review
By Mary Eisenhart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Wakeful tweens make unwelcome discoveries in wacky tale.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 9+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Mickey, 12, has a secret. He's been SLEEPLESS for months. He can't sleep. He suddenly has all these extra hours, and you can only play so many video games, so he's soon out running miles around the neighborhood in the wee hours. Unbeknownst to him, Skye, 12-year-old academic superachiever and artist, hasn't slept for months either and is filling the night hours with study and sculpture. Thea's just snagged the lead in the school production of Annie—because she's suddenly got a whole lot of time to rehearse now that she's awake 24/7. Levi's filling up his time building a global social media reach, and Cyrus perfecting yet another invention. Privately, they all kind of love their new superpowers, but can't shake the feeling that something's not right. Also, WHY? When they find each other and start comparing notes, they discover an alarming truth—but what to do about it?
Is It Any Good?
Is it insomnia, or "uninterrupted life"? What if you had all that time you normally spend sleeping to actually do stuff? Five suddenly wide-awake tweens find out in Gordon Korman's latest intriguing tale. As with his other books, Sleepless involves middle schoolers going about their regular business when an unexplained reality shift gives them a whole raft of new problems, moral dilemmas, and life lessons along with relatable emotions and numerous laughs. Turns out that being sleepless can be pretty cool, but also pretty strange, and brings up a lot of issues. As the story unfolds, the kids discover what's behind their sudden life changes, struggle with a sense of betrayal, and try to decide what to do about it all—especially since their lives are suddenly quite different, and they like it that way.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what-if themed stories like Sleepless, based on the premise of "what happens if you change this one thing about regular life?" Here, it's about all the extra things you could get done if you didn't have to sleep—but it might also be about any normal activity. Do you think it's fun to imagine such a situation and see where it goes?
If you suddenly didn't require something like food or sleep, how would your life change? What do you think would be great? What might be a problem?
None of the characters know each other before they discover they're all sleepless, but they're good friends and a strong team by the time the story ends. What helps build those bonds?
Have you ever had a sudden change that set you apart from the life and people you knew? What happened, and how did you cope with it?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Fantasy , Friendship , School ( Middle School )
- Character Strengths : Communication , Courage , Integrity , Perseverance , Teamwork
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Scholastic
- Publication date : July 7, 2026
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 9 - 12
- Number of pages : 240
- Available on : Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : July 9, 2026
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