The Midnight Guardians by Ross Montgomery

This book is set during the early years of World War II. Col's father has been killed in the city and so it is decided that Col will leave his sister to continue her work as a messenger and Col himself will move to Buxton to stay with his aunt. None of this is what Col wants. He has lost his dad and now it feels as though he has lost his sister. He clings to the promise that she will visit for Christmas but when she fails to arrive Col knows he has to get back to London. 

As a very young child, Col had three special imaginary friends. A huge tiger who can grow and shrink; a badger who wears a waistcoat; and a small but very opinionated knight. When Col sets off from Buxton he finds himself drawn to a house where he used to stay with his father and sister. In the attic he encounters his old friends. They share some devastating news. London will be bombed heavily in just a few nights. His sister Rose will be in great danger. This bombing is by Hitler but it also coincides with the rise of Midwinter King. This evil character is set to destroy his own enemy - the Green Man. S, this story becomes a race to London, a race to save Rose and even more importantly a race to stop the Midwinter King and his evil army.

One review comments: Confused? It does seem like a bit of a mixture of genres - an evacuee story a la 'Goodnight Mr Tom', and more recently 'The Skylark's War' and 'Letters from the Lighthouse'; a giant big-cat guardian, fighting knights and other-worldly battles with creatures a la 'Narnia' and the 'Lord of the Rings' adventures, and a Midwinter King reminiscent of Game of Thrones 'Night King', complete with his own skeleton horse, army of giants, dark-metal sword, and the threat of bringing winter, death and destruction to the human realm...

There are several things that help to make this book a gripping read - the action moves along quickly because there is a six- or seven-day deadline. The three friends are, at times, very funny but they also make a terrific team. Pendlebury (the tiger) is the voice calm reason; Mr Noakes (the badger) tries so hard to help Col and he makes the little Knight so angry every time he forgets to use his full title - King of Rogues. Between chapters there are fact pages based on real World War II newspapers and leaflets. This reminded me of Vinnie's war. Col is joined by another young refugee (you can see her on the book cover) - a young Jewish girl named Ruth. She gently shares some of her traditions with Col such as lighting the Chanukah candles. Some of the mythical creatures such as the giants are also very funny. 

Thanks to the Three Sparrows bookshop for this book recommendation. This book would be enjoyed by readers aged 11+ who have strong reading stamina, a curiosity about World War II and who enjoy stories of the triumph of good over evil. 

The prose includes plenty of dialogue, is stylish and contemporary – accessible, carrying the reader through the adventures and bringing them to life. This is an author whose skills have been steadily developing and here we see him at his best. Love Reading4Kids

A magical mix of action, magic and adventure, and a moral tale about love, courage and memories conquering darkness and evil, I cannot wait to use this in my classroom - it will have the children hanging on every word - I was! What I read

Listen to an audio sample here.