The Midnight Gang

The Midnight Gang by David Walliams is about a bunch of kids who are keen to make dreams come true. When the clock strikes midnight, most children are fast asleep, but for the Midnight Gang, the journey is just beginning. This extraordinary story of five children in a wonderfully inventive and eccentric hospital setting promises to take fans from around the globe on an unmissable midnight adventure. Full to the brim with heartwarming characters and witty humour, The Midnight Gang is sure to be a Walliams classic.

Summary

Meet Tom, he is twelve and goes to a posh boarding school. He got fortunately / unfortunately hit in the head with a cricket ball, and that was when all his incredible adventure began. Obviously, due to the circumstances, he was rushed to the hospital after he passed out. He then wakes up in Lord Funt Hospital where he is rather disturbingly greeted by a terrifying-looking porter. And thats not all !! Just when he knows things can’t get worst, he is introduced to the famous matron of the children’s ward and do you know what she was famous for? Her dislike for children, despite her job position. We are then introduced to the children of the ward.

Amber is a twelve year-old-girl who has broken both her arms and legs, so you can reason that she has been in a wheelchair for a very long time! Robin is a twelve-year-old boy who is having an operation to save his eyesight and can currently not see a thing. George is an eleven-year-old cockney boy from the east side of London. He is just recovering from having his tonsils taken out. Sally is ten, the youngest of the lot, and she is very ill, and because she is ill, she spends most of her time dreaming in her hospital bed.

It is here that our main protagonist Tom that discovers his Midnight Gang. The Midnight Gang was founded for one purpose and one purpose only; to make a kids dream come true. With help from the lopsided Porter, whose name is a mystery, the children make each other’s dreams come true!!  And Tom is introduced to this world after night when he ends up following the Gang…

When Tom finally recovers, he must find a way to stay in the hospital for another day, or another night, as he is now left with one last dream mission to accomplish and for which he is going to need the porter’s help…

Review

This is definitely not one of my first experiences with Walliams’ books. David Walliams is well known for his gruesome sense of humour in his books. I was expecting this book to be quite like the ones I had read before, but what I got instead was something different and similar all at once. Don’t get me wrong, this book is hilarious beyond belief, and has made so many children laugh, however it is also about insecurities, fears, conditions and maybe even death. And all this just makes me love the book even more.

David Walliams has written it in a way, to make it appeal to the younger sets of readers, who enjoy humour and funny plots. But he has also put in texts that would be equally appealing to the older readers as well, and that is what I find most beautiful. The Midnight Gang is all about finding hope and making your dreams come true …..even in the darkest of times ! I just love the entire concept and idea of children sneaking out of their beds at night, keeping each other company, and making their dreams come true.

David Walliams has written this in a way to make you laugh while reading the most emotional paragraph in the book, and I find that extremely commendable. It is filled with hilarious pieces of comedy, and make you laugh through the pages. An unforgettable book!

“Life is precious. Every moment is precious”

This book makes you think about life a lot.more so as I am currently writing this review in the coronavirus lockdown period, and I think that now of all times, you need to find and keep positive hope… These children are stuck in a hospital with a warden that practically hates them, and they all have their own fears and reasons for feeling sad. But what do they do? They have an amazing, funny adventure from the resources in the hospital. This is what makes the book worth reading. Not many people can incorporate comedy, ain a drabby setting of a hospital, but David Walliams has done exactly that !

I recommend this book to readers from the ages  8 and above as there is no age for humour, a great read for both primary and secondary students. This book can be categorised into the following genres: Fiction, Children’s, Humour, Fantasy, Adventure and Contemporary.

Overall, I would give the Midnight Gang by David Walliams a five out of five as it was a humorous read and more importantly a book  filled with hope.

About the Author

David Walliams is a literary phenomenon whose books have sold more than 30 million copies worldwide and have been translated into 53 languages! The brilliant Tony Ross is Published the world over and has illustrated more than 2,000 books! This is David and Tony’s twenty-second collaboration.

David Walliams OBE is an English comedian, actor, writer, and television personality. He is best known for his work with Matt Lucas on the BBC sketch comedy series Rock Profile, Little Britain, and Come Fly with MeM.