Midnight Gang by David Walliams – Review

Looking at Isaac now you would never believe he used to be a reluctant reader.

I don’t actually blame him, as some of the books that get handed out by the school are pretty dire, if I am honest.

Now, at the age of 8, he devours books. The first ones that really caught his attention were the Horrible History books as he loves looking back at history and then at the beginning of the year they studied Roahl Dahl at school and he read the BFG, Charlie and Chocolate and The Gloriumptious World of Roald Dahl which he loved.

Talking to friends about his new-found love of books they all suggested we try the David Walliams collection so when he spotted the Worlds Worst Children in the supermarket and asked for it, we had to buy it.

Of course, he loved it and he took less than a week to read it from start to finish so when we were offered David’s newest book to review we jumped at the chance.

Like David Walliam’s previous books, The Midnight Gang takes you on a spellbounding journey which has a mixture of gentle humour and moving scenes, all strung together with over-the-top but likeable characters.

Midnight Gang

The Midnight Gang is set in Lord Funt Hospital, London’s finest hospital.  Tom wakes up there after a cricket ball hits him on the head at his boarding school. With parents who work abroad and a general loathing for his boarding school, Tom quickly finds he prefers life in the hospital and is fascinated when he sees the other children on the ward disappear as nearby Big Ben strikes midnight.

Where are they going?

What are they doing?

The Midnight Gang is made up of a group of children who are all long-term residents of the hospital and rather than be miserable that they are trapped there, they have made their mission to make dreams come true and the lengths they go in the dead of night have some quite hilarious consequences.

The adult characters in the book are like caricatures, exaggerated and extreme such as the mean, power-hungry, chocolate-stealing Matron and Porter who does anything he can to make the lives of these children better. And Raj.  Raj makes an appearance in The Midnight Gang as he is in hospital following a stapling accident. As with all of David Walliam’s books,  there is a subtle undercurrent of  serious themes which might not be picked up by younger readers but there is warmth, sadness and scenes that will make you think and others that will make you laugh out loud.

There are serious under-tones in the book as the hospital has shortages and cut-backs, just like a real hospital, which I am sure Isaac hasn’t picked up on, however the book is full of heart and the stern Matron makes me think of Miss Trunchbull from Matilda.

At the heart of the book is a wonderful take about friendship, helping others, being there for your friends and not judging others on first appearances which are all valuable lessons in this day and age.

At 480 pages, it is a large book and as Isaac managed to leave it at school over Christmas he is less than half way through, however, it is a book that has really caught his imagination and he has been reading it every night since he got it back.

If your child is new to David Walliam’s books I would recommend you start with a shorter book first as this can look quite daunting to a young reader, however, once confident they will love this book.

9 thoughts on “Midnight Gang by David Walliams – Review”

  1. My daughter loved some of his earlier books but she’s bit too old for them now. I did give this book to my niece at Christmas but I don’t know if she has read it yet.

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  2. What an utter delight to see your son enjoying books so much.
    I’ve never ventured in to the world of David Walliams, but it seems like a good idea. Although my children are inbetween ages now, I always like to keep informed about the good reads.

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  3. Sounds great! It’s a relief and rewarding when kids turn that corner and become so enthusiastic about books. It took my son longer than my daughters, but they’re all there now!

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