MIDNIGHT FOLK

Rating:
Summary: What children's literature ought to be
Review: John Masefield perfectly combines fantasy, suspense, piracy, thievery, witchcraft, talking animals, and a little boy who does not enjoy conjugating Latin verbs into one of the most delightful children's books I have ever read. Some editions include a very nice afterward by Madeleine L'Engle. The main character is a young boy who is aided by Nibbins, the cat, in finding a treasure that was entrusted to an ancestor and lost. One of the great charms of the story is the boy pitting himself against a group of witches who want to find the treasure for themselves. Young Kay Harker wants to find the treasure and return it to the church that entrusted it to his ancestor. Anyway, it is a book worth finding and reading as an adult or a child.

Rating:
Summary: The Perfect Children's Novel
Review: The pre-cursor to John Masefield's children's classic "The Box of Delights", "The Midnight Folk" presents the excting and sometimes frightening story of young Kay Harker, who discovers his governess is actually a witch. In a time when quality children's literarure is at a low ebb, "The Midnight Folk" is wonderful work to capture the imagination of a child and instill in him or her a love of reading. I highly recommend this book and its sequel "The Box of Delights", which is also a faithful and enchanting BBC mini-series.

Rating:
Summary: A Magical Classic
Review: This is definitly one of my favorite books of all time. It's one the most imaginative and original books I've ever read and I'm surprised that it's out of print, especially with interest in children's fantasy at an all time high. It's as good as Harry Potter, if not better! It has everything you'd want in a book. Wicked governesses, pirates, witches, wizards, highway men, talking animals, king arthur, lost treasure. It's an exciting, wonderful, magical book which I totally recommend to all those out there looking for some good, original fantasy. It's a children's book but grownups will love it too. Unfortuntly The Midnight Folk isn't in print in the United States, but I ordered my copy from amazon.co.uk for a pretty cheap price, which is what I recommend anyone who wants a copy of it to do. There's also an equally wonderful sequel called The Box of Delights: When the Wolves Were Running, which I also recommend and which you an also obtain from amazon.co.uk.