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The Midnight Thief
A captivating boarding school mystery from Sylvia Bishop, author of Erica's Elephant, The Bookshop Girl and The Secret of the Night Train. Transplanted from her exciting life as an explorer's daughter, Freya finds herself miserable at a posh boarding school. Freya hates all the boring rules, the other girls are mean to her, and the headmistress is frosty good manners personified. When a bat removal expert is called in to deal with an infestation, Freya meets his irrepressible children - and finds herself making friends at last. Together they explore the city, with particular interest in the grand exhibition showing priceless artefacts for the first time. When the objects are stolen in a dramatic heist, Freya is sure her new friends are responsible - but the true culprit might be closer to home...
Warm, witty and packed full of gorgeous characters, this is a boarding school mystery with a twist. Perfect for fans of Robin Stevens' Murder Most Unladylike series Sylvia Bishop is the author of The Bookshop Girl, The Secret of the Night Train, and Erica's Elephant
Warm, witty and packed full of gorgeous characters, this is a boarding school mystery with a twist. Perfect for fans of Robin Stevens' Murder Most Unladylike series Sylvia Bishop is the author of The Bookshop Girl, The Secret of the Night Train, and Erica's Elephant
Unknown Binding
Published August 5, 2021
5 people are currently reading
167 people want to read
About the author
Sylvia Bishop
22 books55 followersSylvia Bishop spent an entire childhood reading fiction, dreaming up stories and pretending. She then tried very hard to get to grips with the real world by studying politics and going in to social science research. This was a shock. Thankfully, she discovered improvised comedy at university, which allowed her to carry on making up stories for at least 30% of her waking hours.
Now she writes her stories down, preferably by lamp-light with tea. She only ever really writes the bad ones: the good ones write themselves without warning, generally when she was planning to go to bed.
Sylvia now lives in London, where she continues to work in research, and is one half of improvised comedy duo the Peablossom Cabaret. Her first book for young readers, Erica’s Elephant, was published by Scholastic in 2016, followed by The Bookshop Girl in April 2017. Sylvia’s third novel, The Secret of the Night Train, is out now.
Now she writes her stories down, preferably by lamp-light with tea. She only ever really writes the bad ones: the good ones write themselves without warning, generally when she was planning to go to bed.
Sylvia now lives in London, where she continues to work in research, and is one half of improvised comedy duo the Peablossom Cabaret. Her first book for young readers, Erica’s Elephant, was published by Scholastic in 2016, followed by The Bookshop Girl in April 2017. Sylvia’s third novel, The Secret of the Night Train, is out now.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
August 21, 2021
Sylvia Bishop is one my auto-buy authors. Her writing reminds me of the classics of children's books, and her latest offering is no different--gorgeously written and brilliantly plotted.
September 9, 2022
Am I devouring children's books despite being a fully grown woman? Yes.
Am I enjoying them more than most books I've read recently? Also yes.
Thank you Ms Bishop, this was a treat to read. This book made me feel a sort of whimsical joy that I haven't felt in many years.
Am I enjoying them more than most books I've read recently? Also yes.
Thank you Ms Bishop, this was a treat to read. This book made me feel a sort of whimsical joy that I haven't felt in many years.
August 26, 2025
A fun read, with delightful characters and a great atmosphere of mystery and mischief. I especially liked the little asides from the viewpoints of various wildlife about the school. Loaned to me by my 12-year-old niece, whose recommendations I'll be paying attention to in future!
April 18, 2025
New Words Learnt - 1
The charm of this book carried it through large parts of it, until the third act got underway and things got really interesting. In a number of ways, it's quite a simple book; only 230 pages long, a small-scale setting, a straightforward mystery. However, it was exactly what I was looking for going in, and between the Cressida Cowell like humour, and the satisfying conclusions at the end, it definitely won me over. I'm also proud of myself that I correctly predicted a lot of the plot, as this almost never happens.
The charm of this book carried it through large parts of it, until the third act got underway and things got really interesting. In a number of ways, it's quite a simple book; only 230 pages long, a small-scale setting, a straightforward mystery. However, it was exactly what I was looking for going in, and between the Cressida Cowell like humour, and the satisfying conclusions at the end, it definitely won me over. I'm also proud of myself that I correctly predicted a lot of the plot, as this almost never happens.
February 17, 2023
An incredibly fun middle grade mystery. The characters were great, and I'm usually terrible with mysteries, so middle grade seems to be at my level for trying to guess who the culprit is.
June 11, 2024
It was good but an obvious ending
February 10, 2024
The Midnight Thief has a delicious combination of classic middle-grade-y ingredients: a lonely main character, boarding school, quirky sidekicks, creepy settings, a mystery to solve and lots of sneaking around after dark. Oh, and bats. Lots of bats.
This middle grade mystery story is not too long, has occasional black and white illustrations, and would suit readers aged 8+. Highly recommended for fans of Mallory Towers, Adventures on Trains and the Stella Montgomery books!
This middle grade mystery story is not too long, has occasional black and white illustrations, and would suit readers aged 8+. Highly recommended for fans of Mallory Towers, Adventures on Trains and the Stella Montgomery books!
June 30, 2025
The Midnight Thief by Sylvia Bishop is a thrilling and mysterious adventure that follows Freya, a bold and inquisitive girl sent to a new and strict boarding school where everyone is watching her every move. But what starts off as a story centered around rules and fitting in quickly develops into a riveting mystery, involving lost priceless artifacts, midnight outings, and even a colony of bats! With assistance from some of her newest friends, Daniel and Esmie, Freya must clear her name and solve the mystery of the missing Eldrira dragons before clueless police officers blindly blame somebody.
I quite enjoyed the cozy and heartfelt vibe of the setting and how Freya’s cleverness and perseverance always shone through, no matter what she was up against. The friendship between the characters felt almost real, and the mystery was paced just to my liking, so enough to keep me motivated enough to continue reading. I especially took pleasure in the mix of humor, suspense, and heart, as it gave the story a unique kind of charm and appeal.
However, there were some moments where I felt as if the story was missing something, like a certain element, although when I thought about it, nothing came to mind. Moreover, as a reader who tends to prefer less complex plots, I found things a little hard to follow, as the many school rules and characters were a tad challenging to follow. Despite these two minor aspects, I found the book quite engaging, and the ending wrapped things up pleasantly without being too predictable.
Overall, I’d rate this book a solid ⅗ stars. As a more mature YA reader I personally feel it’s more suited towards 11 year olds and under, but if I’m being honest, basically anybody could read it. Readers who enjoy school settings, fun mysteries, and stories full of courage, this book is for you!
I quite enjoyed the cozy and heartfelt vibe of the setting and how Freya’s cleverness and perseverance always shone through, no matter what she was up against. The friendship between the characters felt almost real, and the mystery was paced just to my liking, so enough to keep me motivated enough to continue reading. I especially took pleasure in the mix of humor, suspense, and heart, as it gave the story a unique kind of charm and appeal.
However, there were some moments where I felt as if the story was missing something, like a certain element, although when I thought about it, nothing came to mind. Moreover, as a reader who tends to prefer less complex plots, I found things a little hard to follow, as the many school rules and characters were a tad challenging to follow. Despite these two minor aspects, I found the book quite engaging, and the ending wrapped things up pleasantly without being too predictable.
Overall, I’d rate this book a solid ⅗ stars. As a more mature YA reader I personally feel it’s more suited towards 11 year olds and under, but if I’m being honest, basically anybody could read it. Readers who enjoy school settings, fun mysteries, and stories full of courage, this book is for you!
August 19, 2021
I’ve really enjoyed both books I’ve read by Sylvia Bishop so far, and this one was another absolute joy of a story. It follows Freya, who is at a rather unpleasant boarding school, and what happens when the ancient dragon statuettes that her father has dedicated most of his life to finding are stolen in the middle of the night, and she is deemed the prime suspect. I loved Freya so, so much. I think she’s basically everyone who read boarding school books growing up and thinks they’d be cool, but is let down by the reality, and some of the teachers in her school made me so angry. Apart from Henny, who is an angel and must be protected at all costs. The twins, Daniel and Esmie brought me absolute joy as well, especially Esmie! And Freya’s gripes with Daniel really made me laugh as well! I loved the way the mystery was slowly unravelled as well, and although I guessed part of the solution, I definitely didn’t put everything together. The little interludes talking about the wildlife in the grounds were so quirky and fun, and just made me love this eccentric little book even more.
September 13, 2021
Fantastic story. Sylvia Bishop is officially an auto-buy author for me. I love her writing style and how she creates a story. Her characters are phenomenal and well rounded. Very well written mysteries, both this one and The Secret of the Night Train. I’m a sucker for middle grade mysteries and Sylvia is fantastic at them! Read them both on Kindle and didn’t want to stop! Kept thinking about them and trying to figure out what was going on. Really wanted to get back into the story and finish it. Love love them!
November 21, 2021
Pretty cute
This was a cute little mystery book that got started very quickly and also managed to be wrapped up neatly in the short number of pages. I thought it would be more silly and obvious when I first started reading it, but it was actually pretty good!
One thing that could have been done better was the fact that the characters were all introduced very quickly, that it got a bit confusing and hard to remember who they all were/what they did etc. But it is only a short book so didn't hurt that much!
This was a cute little mystery book that got started very quickly and also managed to be wrapped up neatly in the short number of pages. I thought it would be more silly and obvious when I first started reading it, but it was actually pretty good!
One thing that could have been done better was the fact that the characters were all introduced very quickly, that it got a bit confusing and hard to remember who they all were/what they did etc. But it is only a short book so didn't hurt that much!
December 26, 2021
This was a really great middle grade novel.
The mystery wasn't too complex but at the same time not so simple that finding out the answer was disappointing. I really enjoyed all the characters even the antagonists. The illustrations were super cute and fit well with the feel of the story. I especially loved the little bits at the end of each chapter that depict a perspective of an animal but that still connected to what was occurring within the story.
I definitely now have a grater appreciation for bats and the magic found under the surface of the mundane.
The mystery wasn't too complex but at the same time not so simple that finding out the answer was disappointing. I really enjoyed all the characters even the antagonists. The illustrations were super cute and fit well with the feel of the story. I especially loved the little bits at the end of each chapter that depict a perspective of an animal but that still connected to what was occurring within the story.
I definitely now have a grater appreciation for bats and the magic found under the surface of the mundane.
August 28, 2021
I bloody love a Sylvia Bishop book and was very excited to read this! This is a great mystery with loads of animal and science goodness wrapped into it! When precious dragon statues start going missing and all the clues point to Freya, she must use her wits and friends to help her find the real thief! I loved Henny - she was a wonderful human! This would make a gorgeous read aloud!
August 31, 2021
What a lovely, charming book this was! Boarding school mysteries are quickly becoming my favourite and this one is very special. Filled with interesting little characters (with little mysteries of their own to be revealed), humour, and intriguing facts about animals and nature. A delight to read from first page to the last. Highly recommended.
October 27, 2021
Boarding school is nothing like Freya imagined it would be - she is lonely and miserable until the day she meets a bat in the attic and is finds herself at the centre of a mystery involving missing artefacts, suspicious teachers and possibly criminal bats. A charming, gentle mystery story - perfect for those children who love mysteries but not murder!
November 29, 2021
A fascinating story about bats, friends, teachers, and school. A really enjoyable book full of the usual talent Sylvia Bishop already showcased several times and that I love to discover once again in a different and gorgeous adventure.
September 2, 2022
Tää oli tosi hyvä ja täs oli hauskoi kohtii :) mun lempihahmot oli Henny (Freyan eli päähenkilön opettaja), Esmie, PC Fig, Rouva Richards ja LOPUSSA Abigail, sit ku siit tuli kivempi. Täs oli hyvii plot twistejä ja hyvä juoni. Tää oli vaan tosi hyvä tarina <3
February 14, 2022
Actual rating: 3.5
March 20, 2022
Easy, enjoyable read. 5 stars for simplicity
October 18, 2022
Another BEAUTIFUL children’s mystery from Sylvia Bishop. She really is the master of middle-grade fiction!
September 25, 2024
It’s a good short read for younger readers
April 10, 2025
Fun time!
March 2, 2022
The Midnight Thief is a great story for young fans of series like Friday Barnes or Alice-Miranda!
Freya is a new student at an exclusive boarding school, she misses her father and the living all over the world on his archaeological digs. Making friends with Daniel and Esmie have her feeling more at home, but a series of thefts of the dragon statues her father discovered has Freya questioning if she can trust her new friends. Can Freya find the thieves before the statues are lost forever?
The story has plenty of suspense, lots of animal facts from Daniel and Esmie, and would make a great read for 7-12 year olds. I hope to see a bit more of Freya and her friends in future books.
Freya is a new student at an exclusive boarding school, she misses her father and the living all over the world on his archaeological digs. Making friends with Daniel and Esmie have her feeling more at home, but a series of thefts of the dragon statues her father discovered has Freya questioning if she can trust her new friends. Can Freya find the thieves before the statues are lost forever?
The story has plenty of suspense, lots of animal facts from Daniel and Esmie, and would make a great read for 7-12 year olds. I hope to see a bit more of Freya and her friends in future books.
January 5, 2022
What a brilliant boarding school mystery set in a world that reminded me of classic children's stories but brought to modern readers with a cast of feisty and fabulous characters. I loved the friendships in this as well as all the different teachers in a whodunnit caper. Just wonderfully plotted with some unexpected twists and turns. Perfect for budding detective fiction lovers.
October 7, 2021
Fun and fast paced, with some really lovely descriptions. I think the book maybe just focussed too much on the adults for me, and not enough on the pupils, and I got a bit confused about which teacher was which.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews