The Midnight Folk

By John Masefield

Book Overview

"The Midnight Folk" is a classic children's fantasy novel that follows the extraordinary adventures of young Kay Harker. Living in a secluded country house, Kay discovers that his governess is actually a powerful witch and that his family's legacy is tied to a legendary missing treasure. To restore his family's honor and recover the lost Harker jewels, Kay must navigate a magical landscape where animals talk, paintings come to life, and nocturnal spirits roam.

Guided by a diverse cast of magical allies-including his faithful cat, Nibbins-Kay embarks on a series of midnight quests that blur the line between reality and enchantment. He finds himself pitted against a sinister coven of witches and a group of modern-day smugglers, all while unraveling the secrets of his great-grandfather's past as a sea captain.

Rich with atmosphere and imaginative world-building, John Masefield's "The Midnight Folk" remains a cornerstone of British children's literature. It blends elements of folklore, nautical history, and pure whimsy to create a timeless tale of bravery and wonder. This captivating story serves as an essential entry in the canon of early 20th-century fantasy, showcasing Masefield's unique ability to weave mystery and magic into the fabric of the English countryside.

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• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 102537617X
• ISBN13: 9781025376172
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: Tradd Street Press
• Length: 330 Pages
• Weight: 1.03 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.2" x 0.7" x 6.1"

Customer Reviews

A childhood favorite

Kay is an imaginative boy, often left alone by his governess to work through lessons (the nightmarish Latin conjugations as another reviewer recalled). He finds time to wander off and converse with his friend Nibbins the black cat. Nibbins keeps an eye on the estate, Kay's governess, and the gamekeeper, and has observed strange things. When the clock strikes midnight, people and animals change and Kay himself becomes a key element. It's a perfect book for children with big imaginations and it has just an edge of darkness that makes it ultra satisfying (similar to Wolves of Willoughby chase in tone). With plenty of hair-raising midnight outings and traitors around every corner. The witches are both evil and beguiling and Kay's great, great granddaddy, the pirate, is a wicked yet entertaining man. Thoroughly enjoyable. E. Nesbit wrote at the same time as Masefield, and you can see some similarities in themes. Both are wonderful children's authors and if you like one, chances are you will enjoy the other. Midnight Folk in many ways seems like a precursor to the writings of Roald Dahl's The Witches. One might find similarities in today's Lemony Snicket or Harry Potter series, though I find both of those series much easier to read and a bit glossy in an ADD quick-read fashion. **Beware of abridged copies--language changes and "updates" that mess with the original language

What children's literature ought to be

John Masefield perfectly combines fantasy, suspense, piracy, thievery, witchcraft, talking animals, and a little boy who does not enjoy conjugating Latin verbs into one of the most delightful children's books I have ever read. Some editions include a very nice afterward by Madeleine L'Engle. The main character is a young boy who is aided by Nibbins, the cat, in finding a treasure that was entrusted to an ancestor and lost. One of the great charms of the story is the boy pitting himself against a group of witches who want to find the treasure for themselves. Young Kay Harker wants to find the treasure and return it to the church that entrusted it to his ancestor. Anyway, it is a book worth finding and reading as an adult or a child.

The Perfect Children's Novel

The pre-cursor to John Masefield's children's classic "The Box of Delights", "The Midnight Folk" presents the excting and sometimes frightening story of young Kay Harker, who discovers his governess is actually a witch. In a time when quality children's literarure is at a low ebb, "The Midnight Folk" is wonderful work to capture the imagination of a child and instill in him or her a love of reading. I highly recommend this book and its sequel "The Box of Delights", which is also a faithful and enchanting BBC mini-series.