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The Midnight GangDavid Walliams
The Midnight Gang
by David Walliams
On the children's ward of a London hospital, a group of patients sneak out after lights-out to grant each other's most impossible wishes.
A story about children and a grown-up hero, funny and warm in tone. We would put it with children of 8–11, and at a reading age of about 9 for reading alone.
Worth knowing before you buy
- Serious illness
None of this makes it a bad book — often the opposite. It is here so you can decide whether it is right for your child now or in a year or two.
Our take on this book
Sent to a children's hospital ward after a bump on the head, Tom expects misery — but at midnight the other children come alive, sneaking out to make their wildest dreams come true right there in the hospital, in defiance of a monstrous matron. David Walliams delivers his familiar blend of broad comedy, a cartoon villain and a big warm heart, and this is one of his most affecting: beneath the laughs is a genuinely touching story about sick children looking after one another and finding joy in a hard place. Tony Ross's illustrations keep it lively, and the peril and villainy are pantomime-broad, with real tenderness underneath. For an eight- to eleven-year-old it is an accessible, funny, surprisingly moving read — the sort of hugely popular story that pulls reluctant readers in with the jokes, then quietly gives them something to feel about friendship, kindness and making the best of things.
If they like this, try these
Chosen by matching age, reading age, tone and subject — not by what is selling.
Awful AuntieDavid Walliams
Billionaire BoyDavid Walliams
Demon DentistDavid Walliams
Gangsta GrannyDavid Walliams
MatildaRoald Dahl
Or let them write their own.
Nothing gets a child reading like a story they invented themselves. Your child plans the characters and the plot, and we write, illustrate and print it as a real book with their name on the cover as the author.
Find another book
Tell us the age, the reading age and what they like, and we will suggest a handful.