Highly entertaining, these are a pair of fast paced, classic fantasy adventure stories freshly illustrated by Quentin Blake. In The Midnight Folk, Kay Harker is sent to stay with his bad tempered guardian in a big house in the country. Here he has a series of night time adventures after he sets out to find the treasure missing or lost by his great grandfather. Out at night, he is introduced by Nibbins the cat to some unusual and entertaining creatures who are the Midnight Folk of the title. During the nights, the Midnight Folk are engaged in a series of skirmishes and set piece battles against the Seven Witches. The Box of Delights tells Kay, now older but still up for adventure, gets involved in an adventure to stop a service in a cathedral.
'And now, Master Harker, now that the Wolves are Running, perhaps you could do something to stop their Bite?' A magical old man has asked Kay to protect the Box of Delights, a Box with which he can travel through time. But Kay is in danger: Abner Brown will stop at nothing to get his hands on it. The police don't believe Kay, so when his family and the Bishop are scrobbled up just before Christmas, he knows he must act alone...
John Masefield's classic children's book is considered to be one of the great works of modern children's fiction. Magical, fantastical and filled with vivid, rich characters - brought to life in this edition by Quentin Blake's stunning artwork - The Box of Delights and its sequel The Midnight Folk are a must-read for any child.
John Edward Masefield (1878–1967) was an English poet and writer, and Poet Laureate from 1930 until his death. He is remembered as the author of the classic children's novels The Midnight Folk and The Box of Delights, two novels Captain Margaret and Multitude and Solitude and a great deal of memorable poetry, including "The Everlasting Mercy", and "Sea-Fever", from his anthology Saltwater Ballads.
