The Midnight Guardians

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I really enjoyed the Guardians. I found Pendlebury, the flying tiger to be hilariously bad at joke telling, Mr Noakes an interesting badger in a tuxedo and the King of Rogues who made sure you had to call him King of Rogues not just Rogues, and who always had a funny complaint. My reason for reading this one is twofold. Firstly, it was shortlisted for the Costa Children's Book Awards 2021. Secondly, it has a very pretty front cover. But there are darker forces at work, even than the Nazi bombings. Soon Col is pursued by the terrifying Midwinter King, who is determined to bring an eternal darkness down over everything. Set during World War Two, The Midnight Guardians is a middle-grade story about one young boy, Col, who has lost his father just six-months previous and has been evacuated to Buxton to live with his Aunt.

This is a beautiful, mystical, and magical tale that brings together family, love, and friendship. The story is inviting and imaginative and I didn’t want to put it down or for it to end. It is pure escapism in a book. Ever wanted to write your own children’s adventure book? In my online Domestika course, you can learn how to piece together a synopsis, from first seeds to final submission! Completed in your own time and with a great online community. But there are darker forces at work, even than the bombings. Soon Col is pursued by the terrifying Midwinter King, who is determined to bring an eternal darkness down over everything. Every single person in this world can view a work of literature and have completely different thoughts and opinions. My opinion is not meant to offend you. If you do not want to see a review criticizing your favorite book (or a book you enjoyed), then I recommend not to proceed with reading this review.

The Midnight Guardians is torch-under-the-duvet, can't-stop-reading magic. British folklore rebooted ... in an edge-of-your-seat, heart-filled search for hope in the darkest hour." Piers Torday Simply beautiful." Lisa Thompson"Funny, thrilling, moving ... everything that is brilliant about children's literature. Glorious! I think this is Ross Montgomery’s best book yet: an adventure across WWII wintry Britain with a Kindertransportee, a boy dressed in shorts and his three imaginary friends. A joy of a joy of a thing.” Katherine Rundell Glorious! I think this is Ross Montgomery's best book yet: an adventure across WWII wintry Britain with a Kindertransportee, a boy dressed in shorts and his three imaginary friends. A joy of a joy of a thing." Katherine Rundell

Great resources to help link HURLY BURLY with Shakespeare and Macbeth in class, plus book review sheets and games! Great resources to help link FORTUNE’S FOOLS with Shakespeare and Romeo & Juliet in class, plus book review sheets and games! The Midnight Guardians is totally enchanting. I gobbled up every word." Aisha Bushby"I inhaled this wonderful book in one sitting ... humour, beautiful writing, heartbreak, hope, and a fat badger in a waistcoat. Rather than learn anything new from this book, it confirmed what I knew already about the war, but I did love that nearly every chapter there would be a small news article. I loved that it was in the era of WW2 because that made Rose’s Rescue and the plot and setting of the whole book comprehendible, yet amazing.Imagine a delicious milkshake made with the blended ingredients of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Lord of the Rings, Five Children on the Western Front, and a special pinch of additional magic. There you have The Midnight Guardians. Drily humorous at times, utterly terrifying at others, this tale will whisk you away to another time that is both instantly recognisable and completely alien. The Midnight Guardians is a classic in the making, and I loved every second of it. - The School Librarian I really enjoyed reading this book because of the links between fantasy and World War 2. It taught me about what some people had to go through during the Blitz. But it also taught me about how much people had cared and helped one another during such hard times. I liked nearly all of the characters for different reasons, but one of my favourites is Pendlebury, because of her strength and resilience throughout the whole book, like how she gave anything to help Col. I also liked the amount of effort that Col would go through to save his sister, all his actions were driven by love for her. The story had me hooked from the start and I loved every part. From the nastiness of the Midwinter King to the loyalty of the Guardians. This plot was very exciting but also a bit light-hearted at parts. I would recommend this book to other pupils because of its teaching about World War 2 and its level of magic and wonder. But in short words, this is a great book!

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the different events of WW2, and anyone who loves adventure books.

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Spectacular. A story of real and rare power – one of the best books I’ve read in years.” Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of THE GIRL OF INK AND STARS

I inhaled this wonderful book in one sitting ... humour, beautiful writing, heartbreak, hope, and a fat badger in a waistcoat. I'll be recommending it to everyone." Katya Balen

LoveReading4Kids Says

Another thing I really did enjoy reading about, however, was the humour between each of the characters. The jokes were neverending and quite often had me laughing out loud - but again, I feel that the humour was perhaps too sophisticated for some younger readers and may just have confused them. Spectacular. A story of real and rare power - The Midnight Guardians is one of the best books I've read in years.\" Kiran Millwood Hargrave Col has been evacuated out of a war-torn London to live with his Aunt Claire, leaving behind his sister after losing their father only six months before. One night, Col discovers that his childhood imaginary friends are real and they have to save his sister before a raid on London kills her and gives the Midwinter King all the power he needs to take over the Spirit World. Accompanied by a tiger that can change sizes, a badger in a waistcoat and a very argumentative Knight, Col faces danger after danger on his road to London. Beautiful... A magical, big-hearted adventure full of wit and warmth. One of the best children's books I've read for ages. - Anna James