I finished The Midnight Hour by Benjamin Read and Laura Trinder a couple of weeks before Christmas, and it was the perfect time of year to read this book. The story works well with cozy socks, a cup of hot cocoa, and a cat on your lap.
Our hero’s name is Emily's. Her parents have vanished into the secret world of the Midnight Hour - a Victorian London, frozen in time - home to magic and monsters. This fantastic magical adventure features a cast of Ghibli-esque characters, a feisty heroine, and an adorable hedgehog.
The inventiveness of the authors is charming and wonderful. The action is pacy and the mystery intriguing. Their other London, where time has stopped to prevent magic from our London, is a fabulous creation and constantly surprising. There are postbags stuffed with drama and mirth in the pages of this book, and I’m reliably informed there will be a sequel. Hoorah!
Any young reader who loves a magical tale will adore this book.