The Midnight Club is a lovely book. For someone other than me. The concept of Shane Goth’s picture book is cute, but something did not click for me. This is a story of two sisters and the mischief they get in at midnight while they sneak around the house. They try on clothes of their mother, eat their fathers’ jellybeans, play with the cat, and just wander about the house without a care (or parent) in the world. They mention the two walk past their parents room quietly, but that is all we know of their parental status.
I am not a fan of rule breaking. That is just my old school upbringing. However, I would have been on board if the parents had initiated the action. That is because the adult would know the child did not have responsibilities for the next day (school, camp, etc.) and could sleep in. Because I do not know about you, but I have never known a child who could get up and properly function the next day with this kind of excitement, sugar rush, and late-night lack of sleep behind them.
Yet, that is me. You might enjoy this and have no issues with knowing your child might copy this event having a good old time sneaking about. However, I did greatly enjoy Yong Ling Kang’s illustrations. Though they are simple, they are far from simplistic. They are detailed, colorful in muted but still vibrate colors and clever. They fit the mood and tone of the book. The art compliments the text and gives it the mood and tone the author most likely was looking for.
I would say the best age for the book would be ages five and up, but it could work for almost anyone.
