Book Review: The Midnight Hour – Benjamin Read and Laura Trinder

Author(s): Benjamin Read & Laura Trinder
Publisher: Chicken House Books
Publication date: Out now

Synopsis

They must have come from under beds, out of mirrors, up from caves, and down from attics; all out of the darkness and into the moonlight. They were the Night Folk, and this was their world.
Emily’s parents have vanished into the secret world of the Midnight Hour – a Victorian London frozen in time, home to magic and monsters. Emily must find them in the city of the Night Folk, armed only with a packed lunch, a stowaway hedgehog, and her infamously big mouth.
With bloodthirsty creatures on her tail, Emily has to discover the truth to rescue her parents. What family secret connects her to the Midnight Hour? And can she save both worlds before she runs out of sandwiches?
Taken from The Midnight Hour

Review

Emily is so frustrated with her parents. She thinks her dad is SO boring and her mum is embarrassing – and she’s not afraid to let them know how she feels. But, one night, a letter arrives that changes everything. Her mum disappears and doesn’t come back. And then, her dad goes looking for her mum, and he doesn’t come back either.

She finds herself all alone. It is up to her (along with her hedgehog, Hog, or Hoggins if you want to be formal) to find her parents who are being held captive in another time. Victorian London is not quite what Emily expected, especially since the residents are rather… different.

So Emily sets off on an exciting and scary adventure, and along the way, she might just learn one or two things about herself…

The Midnight Hour is an action-packed, fast-paced novel that you will not be able to put down. It has a wonderful mix of real-life issues, history, fantasy, and magic. It’s also laugh-out-loud funny, mainly because Emily says all the things most of us want to say but politeness dictates that it’s not typically the done thing.

There are some slightly scary parts and a little bit of gore, but it is written in a way that is meant to be humorous and induce some “Ew!”s and “Ergh!”s from the reader.

Children aged between 9 and 12 years old are guaranteed to fall in love with the wonderful characters and the magical Victorian world. It is not just for children – readers of all ages, particularly Harry Potter fans, will appreciate what is hopefully the first instalment of many.

This book is perfect for a rainy day during the school holidays when you can curl up and disappear into the midnight hour.

Many thanks to Chicken House Books for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.