The Midnight Guardians

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The Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy, published by the European Commission in December 2020, calls for a major shift in passengers to rail, including night trains. This is a beautiful, mystical, and magical tale that brings together family, love, and friendship. The story is inviting and imaginative and I didn’t want to put it down or for it to end. It is pure escapism in a book. Brilliant! The Midnight Guardians is the perfect blend of humour, adventure and emotion. Simply beautiful." Lisa Thompson The company is funded by French entrepreneurs, including the telecoms billionaire Xavier Niel, co-owner of Le Monde newspaper.

The Guardian Matt Haig: ‘I have never written a book that - The Guardian

No one really fits in, so almost everyone fits in’ ... Haig at home in Brighton. Photograph: Sarah Lee/The GuardianBONUS SHORT: Siren’s Call, a Midnight Guardian short story, is included in some editions of Shadows Rising and available as a free read on Wattpad. Midnight Trains is the latest arrival in what is becoming a crowded market. Across Europe, state-run railways are facing new competition from private operators looking to introduce night trains. Fans of rail travel have waited some time for new night train routes to come along … only to find, a bit like buses, several turning up at the same time. Three years ago, Europe’s night trains were being consigned to the economic sidings, driven out of business by low-cost flights and long-distance buses. Since then, however, public concerns over the climate emergency have led to a surge of interest in reviving night routes across the continent. I noted that people around me don’t want to get on a plane because of concerns about carbon emissions" Adrien Aumont

The Guardian Taylor Swift: Midnights review – small-hours - The Guardian

For hundreds of years, these dark woods have held a secret. Every living part of it knows, from the top-most leaf on the tallest oak to the tiniest earthworm needling through the earth below. They see them. They hear them. They feel them. They fear them. They are forced to watch with no way to scream out. No way to stop the shadows. This book set in WW2. Even though it has magic in it, it didn’t take away the importance of what happened then. Which I appreciate more than anything! The founders say the aim is not to match the famous – and expensive – luxury of the Orient Express but offer an alternative to the basic, state-run SNCF sleepers and short-haul flights. Hope shines the brightest… When Col’s childhood imaginary friends come to life, he discovers a world where myths and legends are real. Accompanied by his guardians – a six-foot tiger, a badger in a waistcoat and a miniature knight – Col must travel to Blitz-bombed London to save his sister. But there are darker forces at work, even than the Nazi bombings. Soon Col is pursued by the terrifying Midwinter King, who is determined to bring an eternal darkness down over everything…In this fourth installment in the series, Keira and her friends race against time to rescue her charge before The Harvest. They must hurry. Their enemies are bringing forth a new force to sway the balance toward evil. The shadows are rising. Senior year has begun. Keira Ryan should be worrying about the two boys that are vying for her heart. She should be worrying about Prom. But instead of a dress, she’s choosing which dagger to carry. An ancient evil is working to infiltrate our world, and she’s the only one who can stop it . . . the prophesied “Child of Sun & Moon”. What we aim to do is to make people who want to travel in Europe hesitate to take the plane, to make a 90-minute flight a thing of the past.” But could it be that all liaisons such as theirs are coloured by the thought that romantic love will always be conditional and compromised, compared with the feeling for those children that it brings into being? For me, the most quietly moving scene was the first: Jesse saying goodbye to Hank at the airport, returning to Chicago after a brief vacation with them all in Greece. No emotional demonstrations, just some hearty-grumpy advice about keeping up with music and team sports. Poignantly, Jesse asks Hank: "What's the first thing you're gonna do, when you get home?" Hank gives the question a baffled shrug. It made my eyes fill with tears, and I didn't realise why until hours after the movie: when I used to phone home during my first term away at university, my dad wistfully asked me the same sort of thing: what are you going to do, once you've hung up the phone? Midnight Trains co-founder Adrien Aumont, also co-founder of the crowdfunding platform KissKissBankBank, says his interest in sleeper trains was kindled by both professional and personal reasons.

Midnight Oil: their 20 greatest songs – sorted - The Guardian Midnight Oil: their 20 greatest songs – sorted - The Guardian

But there are darker forces at work, even than the bombings. Soon Col is pursued by the terrifying Midwinter King, who is determined to bring an eternal darkness down over everything. The book is like two plots that interweave themselves into one story. You have the friends and their travels to London and the adventures that happen along the way. Then there is the nasty Mid-Winter King who wants power no matter how he gets it or what pain and mayhem he causes to get it, including banishing The Green Man so that he can rule all year round. Beautifully drawn fantasy characters ... a story of hope and love underpinned by witty humour.” Daily Mail In the spotlight … Igby Rigney and Iman Benson in The Midnight Club. Photograph: Eike Schroter/Netflix Mr Noakes, a badger in a waistcoat, Pendlebury, a tiger who can change her size, and a grumpy and argumentative knight who you must call King of Rogues (he gets very upset if you don’t!) guide and support Col on his way through the English countryside to save Rose. But this is not his only quest. His guardians explain that there are darker forces at work. The Midnight King is determined to defeat the Green Man and bring eternal darkness to the world. The gang race to save Col’s only family, but must face creatures from the Spirit World who are doing The Midnight King’s bidding and are set on stopping them. Thankfully, there are some creatures fighting for The Green Man to provide additional support as well.His fears were unfounded. Canongate rescued him. He realised the key was to write for himself and not worry about critical expectations or the division between literary and commercial fiction. The Humans gave him confidence and confirmed his new publisher’s faith in him; Reasons to Stay Alive, which was derived from a blog he wrote in 2014, established him firmly in the public mind as a teller of stories and an open, uninhibited, ego-free chaperone through the maelstrom of life. Tha story follows Col during the last few days of 1940 until the first day of 1941, so we are right in the midst of World War II at this point. Col is eleven (?) and has been sent away from his home in London to stay with his Aunt in Buxley. At the beginning of the book, Col is frustrated, bored, sad and quite frankly doesn't have a clue what's happening in the war. He's also rude and ungrateful. We see character development on all of these points. Honestly, the character development was by far the best part of this book and probably was the only bit that kept me going. The rest... I could take it or leave it, really. And I think a lot of this book was too gruesome and scary for the age group of it's intended audience. 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 I inhaled this wonderful book in one sitting ... humour, beautiful writing, heartbreak, hope, and a fat badger in a waistcoat. I'll be recommending it to everyone ." Katya Balen

Midnight Library by Matt Haig review - The Guardian The Midnight Library by Matt Haig review - The Guardian

I thought the book had a lovely balance of the mythical and magical, but with plenty of war time information thrown in that's loosely based on fact. I felt as though this would be a great way to introduce readers to some of the elements of the war and the Blitz, and potentially pique their interest enough to maybe look into things themselves and learn about this terrible part of history.

It should be noted: I'm not one to underestimate the reading ability of children. I just really dont think that this book has been marketed to the right age group. The storyline (all about imaginary friends) and the front cover (4 characters riding on the tiger!!!) Would really appeal to younger readers, readers perhaps younger than 11 years old, and i think 11 years old would be the absolutely youngest limit for reading this book and dealing with the themes of the story. This book explores grief, magic, racism, WWII, mind control, and monsters. My reason for reading this one is twofold. Firstly, it was shortlisted for the Costa Children's Book Awards 2021. Secondly, it has a very pretty front cover.