The Box of Delights (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781590172513)

Strange things begin to happen the minute young Kay Harker boards the train to go home for Christmas and finds himself under observation by two very shifty-looking characters. Arriving at his destination, the boy is immediately accosted by a bright-eyed old man with a mysterious message: "The wolves are running." Soon danger is everywhere, as a gang of criminals headed by the notorious wizard Abner Brown and his witch wife Sylvia Daisy Pouncer gets to work. What does Abner Brown want? The magic box that the old man has entrusted to Kay, which allows him to travel freely not only in space but in time, too. The gang will stop at nothing to carry out their plan, even kidnapping Kay's friend, the tough little Maria Jones, and threatening to cancel Christmas celebrations altogether. But with the help of his allies, including an intrepid mouse, a squadron of Roman soldiers, the legendary Herne the Hunter, and the inventor of the Box of Delights himself, Kay just may be able rescue his friend, foil Abner Brown's plot, and save Christmas, too.

At once a thriller, a romp, and a spellbinding fantasy, The Box of Delights is a great English children's book and a perfect Christmas treat.

Author: John Masefield
ISBN-10: 1590172515
ISBN-13: 9781590172513
Publisher: New York Review of Books
Language: English
Published: 10/23/2007
Pages: 312
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.05lbs
Size: 8.26h x 5.84w x 0.88d

Review Citation(s):
PW Notes and Reprints 10/22/2007 pg. 57
Hornbook Guide to Children 10/01/2008 pg. 350 - Recommended, Satisfactory
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2008 pg. 350 - Recommended, Satisfactory