The Midnight Folk

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.