The Midnight Gang

by David Walliams, Tony Ross (Illustrator)

Overview

Hailed as “the heir to Roald Dahl” by The Spectator, the UK’s #1 bestselling children’s author, David Walliams, will have fans of Jeff Kinney and Rachel Renee Russell in stitches!

David Walliams burst on to the American scene with his New York Times bestseller Demon Dentist, and now he’s bringing his signature humor to the sick ward in The Midnight Gang.

Tom lands in the hospital with a nasty bump on the head after a gym class accident. And things only get worse when he meets the hospital staff, including the wicked matron of the children’s ward.. But luckily, Tom’s time in the hospital will be anything but boring when he discovers that his fellow patients turn the awful ward into the most wondrous world after lights out

 Join the Midnight Gang as they make their wildest dreams come true!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062561077
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	02/12/2019
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	496
Sales rank:	211,141
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.50(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

David Walliams is the New York Times bestselling author of Demon Dentist, The Midnight Gang, and Grandpa's Great Escape. His novels have sold over eighteen million copies worldwide and have been translated into over fifty-three languages. David’s books have achieved unprecedented critical acclaim—with many reviewers comparing him to his all-time hero, Roald Dahl. In addition to being a bestselling author, David is an actor, comedian, and television personality. In 2017, he was awarded an OBE for services to charity and the arts. He lives in the UK.

Tony Ross has illustrated many favorite books for children, including Lynne Reid Banks's Harry the Poisonous Centipede titles, the popular series about extra-terrestrial teacher Dr. Xargle by Jeanne Willis, and the Amber Brown books by Paula Danziger. Tony Ross lives in Cheshire, England.

Editorial Reviews

PRAISE IN THE USA FOR GRANDPA’S GREAT ESCAPE: “A realistic and touching relationship. Ample illustrations from the always splendid Ross will keep the pages in this plump volume turning. A Dahl-esque tale.” — Kirkus Reviews

“While the irreverent wit will keep readers engaged, the surprising tenderness in the relationship between Jack and his ailing grandfather is what makes this book truly shine. A darkly humorous tale with a surprising amount of heart.” — School Library Journal

“Walliams gives Grandpa-and [his] Spitfire-a grand send-off. A pleaser for fans of similar escapades engineered by the likes of Roald Dahl or Frank Cotrell-Boyce.” — ALA Booklist

“Ross’s energetic drawings and some playful use of typography bring additional drama and humor to the story. The story’s comedy is nicely counterbalanced by the poignant bond between Jack and Grandpa.” — Publishers Weekly

PRAISE IN THE USA FOR DEMON DENTIST: “A Brit-flavored romp that combines moments of intense terror and bracing courage with biting satire.” — Kirkus Reviews

“A Dahl-esque mix of humor and horror that will appeal to fans of both.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“A goofy, gory, outlandish tale of deep evil and terrible tooth-rot-and sweetness of heart. Kids who enjoy humorous gross-out horror will definitely want to book an appointment of their own with the Demon Dentist.” — Wall Street Journal

“Dahl-esque in the extreme…Frenetic humor for middle grade fans of the funny and fearsome.” — School Library Journal

UK PRAISE FOR DAVID WALLIAMS: “No one has any business being as talented as David Walliams. He is the heir to Roald Dahl-and that’s saying a lot.” — The Spectator

“Walliams’s books will become classics.” — The Guardian

“Unlike other celebrity authors, Walliams can write; his energetic fairytale will be relished.” — The Times (UK)

“The joy of David’s books are that he completely understands how children think and feel and is never ever patronising.” — The Sun (UK)

“Further proof that Walliams has become a master storyteller. Walliams manages to infuse his novels with genuine wit and sly commentary.” — Heat Magazine

“Comedian David Walliams has taken the publishing world by storm.” — Metro

“A triumphant mix of wit and warmth.” — Telegraph (UK)

From the Publisher

A Dahl-esque mix of humor and horror that will appeal to fans of both.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

A goofy, gory, outlandish tale of deep evil and terrible tooth-rot-and sweetness of heart. Kids who enjoy humorous gross-out horror will definitely want to book an appointment of their own with the Demon Dentist.

Wall Street Journal

Walliams’s books will become classics.

The Guardian

The joy of David’s books are that he completely understands how children think and feel and is never ever patronising.

The Sun (UK)

Unlike other celebrity authors, Walliams can write; his energetic fairytale will be relished.

The Times (UK)

Comedian David Walliams has taken the publishing world by storm.

Metro M D

A Dahl-esque mix of humor and horror that will appeal to fans of both.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

A goofy, gory, outlandish tale of deep evil and terrible tooth-rot-and sweetness of heart. Kids who enjoy humorous gross-out horror will definitely want to book an appointment of their own with the Demon Dentist.

Wall Street Journal

Comedian David Walliams has taken the publishing world by storm.

Metro

Comedian David Walliams has taken the publishing world by storm.

Metro

A Dahl-esque mix of humor and horror that will appeal to fans of both.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Walliams gives Grandpa-and [his] Spitfire-a grand send-off. A pleaser for fans of similar escapades engineered by the likes of Roald Dahl or Frank Cotrell-Boyce.

ALA Booklist

UK PRAISE FOR DAVID WALLIAMS: “No one has any business being as talented as David Walliams. He is the heir to Roald Dahl-and that’s saying a lot.

The Spectator

A triumphant mix of wit and warmth.

Telegraph (UK)

Further proof that Walliams has become a master storyteller. Walliams manages to infuse his novels with genuine wit and sly commentary.

Heat Magazine

12/01/2017
Gr 3–6—The Lord Funt Hospital in London is a rambling building with a rather odd staff. Twelve-year-old Tom Charper finds this out when the admitting doctor poses 192 questions before treating Tom's bump on the head. Tom soon joins the Children's Ward on the 44th floor where he meets Amber, Robin, George, and Sally. The children—except for Sally who is gravely ill—escape the horrible Matron each night at midnight. The children pretend to visit the North Pole, fly, and enact other grandiose plans with the help of the caring porter. Tom's desire to participate disrupts his friendship with Sally who asks Tom to include her. The Midnight Gang's final dream is tragic and boisterously youthful. Ross's numerous black-and-white illustrations mirror Walliams's lawless, uncontained revelry. The author creates a surreal world in which adults are remote and children set the stage with their wildest imaginings. The giant hospital makes for a contained yet boundless setting where children find the supplies to fuel their dreams. Take-charge Amber directs events from her wheelchair and conniving George uses drugged sweets on the Matron. The dark cloud of Sally's prognosis cannot be ignored, yet Walliams portrays it as one element in the glorious fabric of childhood. VERDICT Irreverent as Roald Dahl, Walliams is a unique author who's created a memorable world and cast of characters.—Caitlin Augusta, Stratford Library Association, CT

School Library Journal

Author and narrator David Walliams tells the tale of young Tom, who is sent to the children’s ward of the local hospital after suffering an injury at his boarding school. When night falls, Tom and the other children secretly form the Midnight Gang, which meets to make one of the child’s dreams come true each night, using only the limited resources of the hospital. Sound effects and musical interludes between chapters add to the whimsy of the story. The large cast of narrators helps to create a distinct voice for each of the children and staff members. Listeners will be drawn to the key players in this quirky escapade, which expresses the importance of childhood and friendship. M.D. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

AUGUST 2018 - AudioFile

Author and narrator David Walliams tells the tale of young Tom, who is sent to the children’s ward of the local hospital after suffering an injury at his boarding school. When night falls, Tom and the other children secretly form the Midnight Gang, which meets to make one of the child’s dreams come true each night, using only the limited resources of the hospital. Sound effects and musical interludes between chapters add to the whimsy of the story. The large cast of narrators helps to create a distinct voice for each of the children and staff members. Listeners will be drawn to the key players in this quirky escapade, which expresses the importance of childhood and friendship. M.D. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

AUGUST 2018 - AudioFile

2017-11-13
Plucky, sometimes-mean children come together to defeat diabolical hospital administrators and evil headmasters.When Tom gets hit on the head with a cricket ball, he is sent to a horrible hospital, with clueless doctors, a horrid matron, and a porter with "the most monstrous face he had ever seen." In the middle of the night, Tom follows the secretive children in his ward and discovers the Midnight Gang, the mysterious society of child patients who have nighttime adventures. With the porter's help, the children, all apparently white, create a North Pole adventure and a whiz-bang balloon journey. The excited prose, supplemented by a variety of typefaces and Ross' not-quite-Quentin Blake illustrations, describes disgusting school dinners of "deep-fried otter" and adults who revel in "a touch of cruelty." Despite clear Roald Dahl parallels, Walliams' nastiness and yuck aren't accompanied by Dahl's charm or wicked wit. The humor is found in "plump-looking" George's candy eating, Robin's and Amber's disabilities, and—unexpected from the author of The Boy in the Dress (2009)—Matron's cruel insistence on dressing Tom in a pink frilly nightdress. An eventual lesson about bigotry against ugly people is undercut by prose that delights in describing the porter as "pongy" and having "rotten and misshapen teeth."An entertaining tale that will definitely find an audience, but fans of icky, vicious comedy deserve better. (Fiction. 9-11)

Kirkus Reviews