A collection of lesson plans and resources for a CHRISTMAS DINNER OF SOULS English topic, each one focusing on a different chapter, and eventually leading to a “Write Your Own Tale” extension project! Beautiful. A magical, big-hearted adventure full of wit and warmth. One of the best children's books I've read for ages." Anna James Funny, thrilling, moving ... everything that is brilliant about children's literature. A triumph.\" Sophie Anderson Glorious! I think this is Ross Montgomery's best book yet: an adventure across WWII wintry Britain with a Kindertransportee, a boy dressed in shorts and his three imaginary friends. A joy of a joy of a thing.\" Katherine Rundell Accompanied by his guardians - a six-foot tiger, a badger in a waistcoat and a miniature knight - Col must race to Blitz-bombed London to save his sister. But there are darker forces at work, even than the Nazi bombings.

Brilliant! The Midnight Guardians is the perfect blend of humour, adventure and emotion. Simply beautiful.\" Lisa Thompson Funny, thrilling, moving ... everything that is brilliant about children's literature. A triumph." Sophie Anderson Beautifully drawn fantasy characters ... a story of hope and love underpinned by witty humour.\" Daily Mail The characters are relatable, even the imaginary friends have traits you see in a lot of people. Col, although just a young boy is wise beyond his years, I think a lot of children who were living through the war were, they had to be resourceful, learn to live with death and destruction as well as being separated from their families.

More books for age 9+

With the spirit of Narnia, but a heart of its own. The Midnight Guardians is totally enchanting . I gobbled up every word.” Aisha Bushby

Col’s mother left when he was a baby and his older sister Rose is working in London, so can’t take care of him. When he is let down a few days before Christmas he runs off to his old family’s home where he discovers his three imaginary friends, including Mr Noakes, a Badger. Pendlebury a Tiger and King of Rogues, a knight have been waiting for him. There are shades of The Box of Delights in its Christmas-cosy-deadly-danger atmosphere throughout, although Montgomery goes one step further than Masefield; while he may bring in the characters of folklore, we always feel we are on unstable ground as though the fantasy might fall to pieces at any moment and launch us headlong, irreversibly, into the terrors of war and real life. Montgomery never shies from the sharpness of bald truth, and for this, he is an author-for-children who should be highly regarded: no sugar-coated endings here (or elsewhere, for that matter), just honesty. With the spirit of Narnia, but a heart of its own. The Midnight Guardians is totally enchanting. I gobbled up every word.\" Aisha Bushby The Midnight Guardians is timeless story-telling with a magical heart; a tale of enchantment and friendship in the cold of adversity; has all the charm of the The Box of Delights, all the magic and fellowship of The Lord of the Rings, all the warmth of a timeless story, told between friends round a winter fire. It's also brilliantly inventive - funny where it needs to be, and true in the way all good stories are. - Thomas Taylor I was impressed how much research Montgomery had done into a lot of legends - The Green Man, The Midwinter King, Giants, and many more. But personally it was all a bit much for me. The primary characters focused on throughout the story were Col's childhood imaginary friends, and I think Montgomery got a little ahead of himself when thinking about the attention span of the children reading this book. There are just so many characters! All over the place! I was struggling to keep up with who was who, especially when quite a few names are similar.

One of the best children's books I've read for ages." Anna James"A tale of enchantment and friendship ... all the warmth of a timeless story, told between friends round a winter fire ... funny and true in the way all good stories are." Thomas Taylor"The adventure whisks you through wartime trouble and mythical danger like riding a giant tiger through falling snow ... This lovely adventure story has the feel of a classic children's book.\" Book of the Week, The Week Junior

A triumph." Sophie Anderson"Brimming with imagination and warmth, and powered by the strongest magic of all - hope. I would heavily recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading as it is very interesting and has many high speed moments with a historical theme behind it. This amazing planning guide was created by BAY3 student Lauren Green, linking SPACE TORTOISE to a variety of different subjects. Thanks Laura! I really enjoyed reading this book because of the links between fantasy and World War 2. It taught me about what some people had to go through during the Blitz. But it also taught me about how much people had cared and helped one another during such hard times. I liked nearly all of the characters for different reasons, but one of my favourites is Pendlebury, because of her strength and resilience throughout the whole book, like how she gave anything to help Col. I also liked the amount of effort that Col would go through to save his sister, all his actions were driven by love for her. The story had me hooked from the start and I loved every part. From the nastiness of the Midwinter King to the loyalty of the Guardians. This plot was very exciting but also a bit light-hearted at parts. I would recommend this book to other pupils because of its teaching about World War 2 and its level of magic and wonder. But in short words, this is a great book! Discover a world of magical storytelling with Ross Montgomery. SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA CHILDREN'S BOOK AWARD WATERSTONES CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE MONTHHIVE CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE MONTHTOPPSTA CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE MONTH"One of our finest children's writers." Phil Earle"A master storyteller." Aisling Fowler"Another absolute triumph from one of my favourite children's authors." Catherine Doyle Sometimes at the darkest hour, hope shines the brightest... When Col's childhood imaginary friends come to life, he discovers a world where myths and legends are real.Glorious! I think this is Ross Montgomery’s best book an adventure across WWII wintry Britain with a Kindertransportee, a boy dressed in shorts and his three imaginary friends. A joy of a joy of a thing .” Katherine Rundell