Customer Reviews

Box of Delights

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4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

I highly recommend this children's book; even adults may find themselves carried away by this fantastical story. Set in 1930's England, it follows the Christmas holiday adventures of Kay Hawker and his cousins Peter, Susan, and Jemima. On the train home from school, Kay meets a stange and kindly old man. As they become friends, the old man gives Kay a precious treasure to guard, the Box of Delights. It is a magic instrument that can shrink you to the size of an insect, can make you fly, and can take you backward or forward through time. It turns out the old man has an unusual past, and there are ambitious villians after him and the box. Because the villians are disguised and passing themselves of as men of the cloth, the children have a difficult time exposing them. They are resourseful, however, and succeed in their quest to save the box and their Christmas celebrations. This story incorporates the mythical heroism of legend ( ie King Arthur, the Trojan War, Hern the Hunter and Fairy folk) with contemporary bad guys, car chases, kidnappings, and rescues. An excellant British/Canadian television special was produced about fifteen years ago that brings this story to life. Either are very enjoyable for boys and girls, and people of all ages.

John Masefield, who died in 1967, was best known as a poet. He did a few juvenile adventure stories of which "The Box of Delights" (1935) is by far the best. It is the sequel to "The Midnight Folk", an occult adventure in which young Kay Harker discovers that his governess, Sylvia Pouncer, is a witch.

As the first reviewer has already given an exhaustive precis of this work I will just add that it is a delightful Christmas thriller and the BBC TV version is a wonderful and faithful retelling of the story.

A forgotten classic - among the 10 best children's thrillers, IMHO.

Another reviewer warns against this edition (the New York Review Children's Collection), saying that it is an abridged one; it is not. There is another version that is available that is abridged, but this is not it.

This book is one that should never be allowed to go out of print. Children of today who enjoy fantasy (i.e., Narnia and even Harry Potter) will enjoy The Box of Delights just as much. I can only suppose no publisher has thought to reissue it because the author is long-dead and was more noted as a poet than a children's writer.

The BBC turned it into an excellent 6-part TV series which, although dated in its magical effects, is still extremely enjoyable. The production was also transferred to video tape (about three hours in length) and as far as I know is still available. We had no trouble obtaining our own copy a few years ago, anyway. In our house (where there are no children!) it has been viewed every Christmas ever since it was released on New Zealand television. With its 1930s Christmas setting of the English countryside shrouded in snow (and a wonderful story of villainy outwitted by children) it makes perfect Christmas viewing. But of course the book is always better than the movie! Borrow it from your library if a copy is available there.

Since I wrote this review the BBC television adaptation has become available on DVD and seems to have gathered quite a following. From reviews I see here, this seems to be an abridged version. Definitely make sure you get the original version!

Box of delights and its prequel The midnight folks are truly great classics of children literature, but beware: the editions present on Amazon are an heavily abridged version edited by Patricia Crampton (it's an english tv-movie tie-in, if i'm not wrong).
Check Amazon.co.uk for the complete version (published by Egmont)of these two wonderful, ageless classics.

This and John Masefield's other childrens book, "The Midnight Folk" are without a doubt two of the finest most imaginative examples of children's literature I have ever read. Far too little known to Americans, these books demand more attention, and like me many adults reading this for the first time will ask, "Where has this been all my life?"

The fascinating thing is the counter point this sequel to "The Midnight Folk" offers, while this fantasy is centered at the Christmas/Solstice/Yule season with all the magical symbolism that entails, the "Midnight Folk" offers a wonderful autumnal Halloween/Samhain mood. You will note that I combine the Christian and pagan holidays, Masefield does a masterful job blending these rich folkoric elements that will delight both children and adults. The verbal imagery is breathtaking as you can feel the sharp wind and icy needles our main character Kay feels while out in a winter's night skulking to find the answers to the mysteries of the titled box of delights. The villainous Abner Brown is both hilariously inept and frightening at the same time.

As the other reviewer noted, though a sequel to the "Midnight Folk" this work stands solidly on its own. I encourage you to track down a copy of this neglected masterpiece of children's fantasy.

My aunt gave this book to me for Christmas when I was eleven years old -- 18 years ago -- and I have read it every Christmas since! Now I am looking forward to reading it to my sons. It is a beautiful tale that leaves some of the simple magic of Christmas intact. A must read for all ages.

As an adult I take a great deal of interest in and concern for exposing our children to excellent children's literature. While not well known this book is a wonderful one to be read aloud to a child with a good imagination or as a way of helping them to develop one. The character of Kay, a young boy, being cared for by a governess and household of servants helps youngsters from the ages of 7-10 to strech their imaginations and expand their vocabulary. The story is an engaging fantasy and fortifies the virutes of honesty, courage, and intelligence that we should all encourage. Much of today's children's literature may be action packed but is simplistic and lacking in character building ideas. The Box Of Delights is acutally the sequel to the Midnight Folk but can be read on its own. It won't bore the parent reading it either!

Follow Kay on his Christmas adventure!

In her afterword to "The Midnight Folk," Madeline L'Engle said that the England described so perfectly in Masefield's books doesn't exist in time or space. She's right, but anyone who reads either it or "The Box of Delights" can share the experience. That said: I was enchanted with "The Box of Delights" until the very last page. To avoid spoiling it for other readers, I can say no more, but it's been a long time since I felt so cheated. Could I be the only one?

This is an imaginative, fun story for children and young adults. It is a Christmaa traditiion in England and could be here as well.