Hypable has an exclusive look at the evocative cover art for Race the Night by Kirsten Hubbard, a middle-grade novel set in a quirky and thought-provoking dystopia.

Race the Night follows Eider, a young student raised in the aftermath of a mysterious apocalypse, who yearns for a world that no longer exists — or so she has been told. A companion to Hubbard’s first middle-grade novel Watch the Sky, Race the Night explores themes of trust, safety, and what can happen when we look beyond the boundaries of our own little worlds.

About ‘Race the Night’

“Without you, there’d be no hope for the world. Because you are the whole world.”

That’s what Teacher says, and twelve-year-old Eider knows she’s right. The world ended long ago, and the desert ranch is the only thing left. Still, Eider’s thoughts keep wandering Beyond the fence. Beyond the pleated earth and scraggly brush and tedious daily lessons. Eider can’t help wishing for something more — like the stories in the fairy tale book she hides in the storage room. Like the secret papers she collects from the world Before. Like her little sister who never really existed.

When Teacher announces a new kind of lesson, Eider and the other kids are confused. Teacher says she needs to test their specialness — the reason they were saved from the end of the world. But seeing in the dark? Reading minds? As the kids struggle to complete Teacher’s challenges, they also start to ask questions. Questions about their life on the desert ranch, about Before and Beyond, about everything Teacher has told them. But the thing about questions — they can be dangerous.

This moving novel — equal parts hope and heartbreak — traces one girl’s journey for truth and meaning, from the smallest slip of paper to the deepest understanding of family. The world may have ended for the kids of the desert ranch… but that’s only the beginning.

Interview with Kirsten Hubbard

Tell us five random facts about yourself.

1) I have a twin sister who looks almost nothing like me.

2) I have a 14-year-old dog named Sky who still looks like a puppy.

3) As a backpacker and travel writer, I’ve stayed at 5-star private island resorts for free – and paid for janky hostel rooms where I’ve found things like tarantulas in my bed.

4) I adore taking absurdly long walks though random L.A. neighborhoods.

5) I haven’t eaten red meat since 18, and pork products since I saw the movie Babe at 12. That’ll do, pig!

What is your favorite part of the cover for Race the Night?

I love how it’s a perfect partner to the cover of Watch the Sky. As that cover was to Jory’s story, the Race the Night cover is just so personal to Eider’s story: the gap in the fence, the post-apocalyptic desert sky, the windborne papers from Before – turning into birds, which are a huge part of the book thematically.

Why did you most want to write Watch the Sky and Race the Night?

Watch the Sky started out as a short story I wrote in college, after being fascinated by the possibilities of Southern California’s countless canyons. Years later, I realized the story was the exact kind of darkness I loved to read as a kid, and so I expanded it into a novel. Race the Night is a companion book that answers several questions left open in Watch the Sky, while working as a complete story on its own – and it takes place in one of my favorite settings, the post-apocalyptic desert.

Which is easier to write – the first line, or the last line?

Usually, the last line. But in the case of Race the Night, both came to me very easily.

Can you tell us what are you working on now?

Several things, as usual: a couple YA novels, a quirky middle-grade series I’m co-authoring with a friend, and a screenplay or two. I like mixing it up :)

For more information…

Find more of Kirsten’s work at YAhighway.com, and follow her on Twitter for all her latest news.

Race the Night by Kirsten Hubbard will be available on Nov. 8, 2016.