The Midnight Guardians - Ross Montgomery

I originally published this review in May when I first read The Midnight Guardians and so I'm thrilled to be able to share it now through the blog tour.  I've been looking forward to sharing this book with the rest of the world for months and am thrilled that it is finally out there for all to buy ... and being Waterstones book of the month for November is a very well-deserved accolade. 

It's Christmas 1940 and Col, more than anything else, is looking forward to seeing his sister again.  With his mum having left when he was young and his dad having recently died in 'an incident', Rose is all Col has left.  However, he's been staying with his aunt over the past few months whilst Rose helps the war effort as a dispatch in their home town of London.  When he receives Rose's letter to say she won't be coming to see him, Col's emotions get the better of him and he flees, drawn back to the cottage where he, Rose and his dad used to spend their Christmases.  When he arrives, he discovers that his childhood imaginary friends (Pandbury the tiger, Mr Noakes the badger and King of Rogues, a knight) are actually real and they all need each others' help: Col needs to save Rose from the bombs reigning down on London, and the guardians need help to defeat the Midwinter King who is desperate to bring darkness to everything on Earth and in the spirit world.

This is a fast-paced story, full of adventure and wonderful characters.  Col is lost and grieving but is full of determination and discovers an inner-strength he didn't know he had, which is driven by love and the absolute need to save his sister.  Then there are the guardians, each unique in their characters and strengths, born of Col's imagination and there, by his side, prepared to die in order to help and protect their master.  I'd like to be able to say I had a favourite but I can't!  Pendlebury has her strength and bad jokes, whilst King of Rogues is fierce and noble but hiding behind his armour and Mr Noakes is protective.  And I also have to mention the Midwinter King: I know he's the bad guy and bringer of darkness, but he really is an evil character!  He reminded me, in some ways, of Darth Vader!

Set during WWII, the story sees Col and his guardians in a race against time, travelling through the British countryside in a quest to save Rose and the spirit world.  It's a throw-back to traditional values (polite manners, not stealing, British spirit and helping each other in their time of need) and this is part of why it is such a heart-warming read. 

This is a story of appreciating differences, of good versus evil, of needing the darkness in order to appreciate the light but, most of all, it's about hope and love.  Hope and love resonate so strongly through the book and I experienced every emotion possible whilst reading it (and yes, I did hug the book at the end!).

The Midnight Guardians is bound to be a hit when and will be perfect for fans of the Narnia series and of Amy Wilson's books, as well as for any KS2 teacher doing a topic about WWII.

People will devour this.

In the spirit of sharing, and as part of the blog tour, I'm going to introduce you to my oldest childhood friend Cuddles, named, rather originally, because of the amount of cuddles I used to give him!! He's most definitely been well-loved over the years but he's still going strong and now sits on the sofa in the study ... where I still cuddle him whilst I'm reading in there!