The Midnight Folk
Ratings3
Average rating3.7
15
Ratings3
Average rating3.7
Kay Harker lives in an old house in the country, looked after by his unpleasant governess, Sylvia Daisy Pouncer. One night Kay’s great-grandpapa Harker, a sea captain, steps out of his portrait to tell him about a stolen treasure, and Kay embarks on a quest to recover it. Along the way he is helped by the Midnight Folk, including animals such as Nibbins the cat, Rollicum Bitem the fox and his lost toys, as he uncovers a coven of witches and has to foil the evil Abner Brown.
The Midnight Folk is full of adventure as well as nostalgia for a bygone age and childhood. There are also verses of song and poetry throughout - John Masefield was a former Poet Laureate.
Series
2 primary booksKay Harker is a 2-book series with 2 primary works first released in 1927 with contributions by John Masefield.
Reviews with the most likes.
I read this as a child in the 1960s, from which I had only a vague memory of the one-league boots by the time I came to read it again in 2022.The story is basically about a search for lost treasure, in which the boy Kay Harker becomes involved, although he doesn't seek the treasure for himself, but only to restore it to its proper owners and to clear the name of his great-grandfather, who was suspected by some of having stolen it.Kay seems to live quite comfortably without parents or treasure, presumably from inherited wealth. He has a guardian and a governess, neither of whom he likes; and a maid and a cook, whom he quite likes. The guardian is only an occasional visitor, but the others are always there.At night, Kay disappears into a kind of dream world in which animals and toys talk to him and lead him into adventures tinged with magic; although the dream world is real enough for its effects to persist into the daytime.This is a short novel, but it plunges on breathlessly without any division into chapters; so, if you don't want to read it all at one sitting, you must keep a lookout for a convenient place to pause.The whole thing has almost the air of a dream. It's more coherent and makes more sense than a dream; but I think it's best to consider it as a dream and don't expect it to make as much sense as a normal novel.I think I rather liked it as a child, and I still rather like it. It makes a pleasant and atmospheric dream, although I wouldn't count it as one of my favourite novels. It reminds me vaguely of [b:Mistress Masham's Repose 29124 Mistress Masham's Repose T.H. White https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386924430l/29124.SY75.jpg 1494484], which has a similar kind of story, although it's less dreamy. I read that as a child, too.
