The Midnight Horse [Paperback]

Sid Fleischman (Author), Peter Sis (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 27, 2004 | Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

On a coach bound for Cricklewood, the orphan boy Touch caught his first glimpse of the haunt named The Great Chaffalo. According to rumor, he was once a famous magician who could turn a pile of straw into a horse. Now, Touch needs the ghost's help in order to escape his wicked great-uncle. So, with an armload of straw and a determined spirit, Touch makes his plea to The Great Chaffalo -- and, magically, a horse appears! But can magic save Touch when his great-uncle’s schemes grow even more villainous?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

What Leon Garfield does for Victorian England, Newbery Medalist Fleischman ( The Whipping Boy ) does for the Red Raven Inn in Cricklewood, N.H.--population 217, "216 Fine Folks & 1 Infernal Grouch." The grouch is wicked Judge Wigglesforth who, having cheated his nephew Touch out of his rightful inheritance, threatens to send him to an orphan's home. "With a bit of straw and a touch of midnight," Touch is befriended by the ghost of a magician, the Great Chaffalo. By the story's end, Wigglesforth gets his comeuppance, Touch wins the beautiful Sally and the Red Raven Inn has been saved. From the opening stormy coach ride to the Keystone Kops chase at the end, Fleischman's story crackles with action, eccentric characters and what the blacksmith calls "mysticiation." Sis's black-and-white drawings, appropriately mysterious and quirky, perfectly match this deftly told tale of innocence and villainy. Ages 8-up.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

It's "raining bullfrogs" when readers first meet the skinny and bareheaded orphan boy Touch with his hair "as curly as wood shavings." Touch is en route--by horse-drawn coach--to Cricklewood, New Hampshire, where he will meet his great-uncle and only surviving relative, Judge Henry Wigglesforth. The boy's traveling companions are an honest blacksmith, a mysterious thief, and a shadowy figure on the coach's roof. " 'Merciful powers!' " the blacksmith exclaims, " 'It's The Great Chaffalo!' " It seems that since the magician became a ghost, he has developed the disconcerting habit of turning up in odd and unexpected places. How he becomes Touch's ally against the conniving Judge Wigglesforth readers will delight in discovering for themselves. The process is pure pleasure. Fleischman--who has always had a fondness for magicians--has himself become a master magician with words, producing dazzling and seemingly effortless rhectorical effects from his writer's sleeve. How he does it is his secret, but it surely has something to do with inspired plotting, masterful timing, and a wonderful ear for comic language, lively dialogue, and the best similes and metaphors this side of Leon Garfield. The illustrations by the talented Sis perfectly capture the spirit of the text while complementing its substance. The book is part ghost story, part tall tale, part picaresque, and totally enjoyable, for it is that old enchanter Sid Fleischman at his magical best. --Michael Cart, Beverly Hills Public Library
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books (July 27, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060722169
• ISBN-13: 978-0060722166
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.2 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,113,785 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Since his autobiography, The Abracadabra Kid: A Writer's Life, was published in 1996, Sid Fleischman has been stealing the spotlight with his exuberant brand of nonfiction. Sir Charlie: Chaplin, the Funniest Man in the World is Fleischman's fourth true tale, following the widely acclaimed The Trouble Begins at 8: A Life of Mark Twain in the Wild, Wild West and the best-selling Escape! The Story of The Great Houdini.
Fleischman's books have been made into films, performed as plays, and translated into nineteen languages. The author was awarded the Newbery Medal for The Whipping Boy.
Sid Fleischman lives in Santa Monica, California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mystery, Action, and Magic all in one story, October 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Midnight Horse (Paperback)

I read this book for a college class I am taking. Overall, this is a good book. The action moves at a quick enough pace to hold the reader's attention. I think the combination of a young orphan over coming great odds and outwitting adults, a mystery to be solved, and a mysterious magician will appeal to young readers. I would recommend this book to any 8 to 12 year old boy or girl.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A truly amazing book to read!, October 15, 2003

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Midnight Horse (Paperback)

I read this book for a third grade book report and it blew me away! Because it such a fast pick I just ploped it off the shelf but I am not kidding when I say this book kept me turning pages.It has magic, mystery and adventure what more could you want?

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars review, March 1, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Midnight Horse (Paperback)

The Midnight Horse was a good book i thought because it gave alot of different seens that you could picture in your head. The book made me think sometimes of what it was like and i was just wondering what it was like to see the Midnight Horse. It sometimes makes you feel that you are in the book because the give such vivid details about the book.