MG Fantasy review of The Midnight Hour by Benjamin Read and Laura Trinder

The Midnight Hour by Benjamin Read and Laura Trinder
Format:  Paperback ARC
Publisher:  Chicken House
Number of Pages:  288
Publishing:  March 3rd, 2020
Source:  Giveaway hosted by Scholastic

Opening Line: "The quarter bell woke Emily in the night as Big Ben's chimes sang across the river to Lambeth and in through her bedroom window."

It's close to midnight and Emily is supposed to be in bed sound asleep, instead, she's awakened to the sounds of her parent's voices coming from downstairs.  A letter has just arrived by "Night Post" and both of her parents are very concerned.    The next morning, Emily learns her mother has set out to investigate and after a few days go by without a word, Emily's father then takes off and also vanishes.  When strange visitors start showing up at Emily's house, Emily concludes that she'll have to find this mysterious Night Post and rescue her parents on her own.  Armed with a few sandwiches and a hedgehog, Emily makes her way to the Night Post, where she ultimately discovers a secret world called The Midnight Hour.  A place that is outside of time, or better yet frozen to a specific time, where magic can survive and monsters can be free to enjoy the darkness of their Victorian London.  But not everyone is happy with the arrangement that was set up so very long ago, and there are powers at work to free the Night Folk from their dark world. 

After Emily's parent's disappearance, the Night Post seems like the logical place for her to go and find answers.  Although it's a place that she vaguely knows her dad worked at and she only has a rough idea where it might be, she's still determined to figure things out for herself.   Then a rather large man shows up and morphs into a bear-like creature chasing her through the London streets.  Emily dashes down an alley and only barely escapes by opening a door and rushing inside.  Much in the same way that Lucy makes her way through the secret wardrobe into Narnia, Emily makes her way into the world of the Midnight Hour.  It's an unusual world filled with monsters and all sorts of creatures of the night, some good and some bad.  


 Interestingly, the Night Post was first introduced in this picture book by the same authors in 2013.   It's one of the first magical places Emily finds herself when she enters the Midnight Hour.  Here she also meets Japonica, one of her father's friends.  When Emily is mistaken as an intruder, Japonica is valuable in helping her to flee.  Along the way, Emily also meets Constable Tarquin Postlewhite.  A kindly fellow who at first is adamant about arresting her but ultimately helps Emily piece together her parent's connection to this unique world.  

Emily is somewhat of an unlikeable character at first.  She's got the "gob" or a rather big mouth as she likes to call it.  She's feisty, brash, and definitely speaks her mind.  Sometimes she just speaks before she even thinks things through leading to a few missteps.  But being in totally new surroundings can be a little confusing.  So being loud or overbearing might be her way of sounding braver than she really feels.   She also has a difficult time adjusting to finding out her parents weren't who she thought they were.  That her dad isn't the boring guy she thought, and that she has more in common with her mother than she thought.  Plus the Midnight Hour is home to some scary creatures, with sharp pointy teeth who occasionally are trying to take a bite out of her, so it's pretty understandable when she's loud and defending herself.  Plus there's also the loveable, caring and considerate side to Emily which I adored.  The way she carried Hoggins, the hedgehog around in her pocket and fed him bits of her sandwich.  Always worried about squishing him, and being excited that he was safely in her pocket, providing companionship and a comfort to her.  Plus Emily can be quite loyal.   Overall, The Midnight Hour is a fun portal fantasy.  There's plenty of mystery and danger, especially when the villain is revealed and I quite enjoyed the ending.  There seems to be a sequel releasing in the Fall, Night Howl that also looks promising.     This is the German cover for The Midnight Hour, kinda reminds me of a cross between the letters for Hogwarts and Mary Poppins on a bicycle.  So cute though, just love it.  Thank you Scholastic and Chicken House for the Galley.