Midnight Is a Place ANNOTATION
In northern England in 1842, fourteen-year-old Lucas leads a lonely, monotonous existence in the house of his unpleasant guardian until the unexpected arrival of an unusual little girl presages a series of events that completely change his life.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Now, back in print, the engaging and suspenseful British fantasy by one of England's most imaginative storytellers. Lucas Bell is lonely and miserable at Midnight Court, a vast, brooding house owned by his intolerable guardian, Sir Randolph Grimsby. When a mysterious carriage brings a visitor to the house, Lucas hopes he's found a friend at last. But the newcomer, Anna Marie, is unfriendly and spoiled—and French. Just when Lucas thinks things can't get any worse, disastrous circumstances force him and Anna Marie, parentless and penniless, into the dark and unfriendly streets of Blastburn.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
A host of reissues find young people stuck between a rock and a hard place. First published in 1974 and set in 19th-century England, Midnight Is a Place by Joan Aiken stars Lucas Bell, who lives with his guardian Sir Randolph Grimsby in a lonely old house called Midnight Court. When an unfamiliar carriage delivers a girl to their doorstep, Lucas thinks he finally has a companion-but she is not what he had in mind, and a twist of fate leaves the children adrift on the streets.
Children's Literature - Seth Greenstein
Lucas Bell, an orphan, has lived a boring and lonely life at Midnight Court, until one day when he is sent on a tour through the mill. Lucas, seeing many disturbing things there, begins to dread the day that he will have to run it. When he returns home, his cruel guardian, Sir Randolph, informs Lucas that he has been given a companion. Lucas is greatly disappointed to find that this companion is an eight-year-old girl. Lucas manages to make friends with her, but his happiness is short-lived. They are forced to fend for themselves after Midnight Court burns to ashes, Sir Randolph along with it! In town, Lucas and the girl, Anna-Marie, find out some wonderful and horrible things about their past, but it's their future they're worried about! This book will keep the reader up past midnight with its incredibly gripping plot. 2002 (orig. 1974), Houghton Mifflin Co, Ages 10 to 14.
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