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The Night Train

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With a shrill whistle the Night Train is off, delivering its passengers to children’s dreams. The yeti, the ballet dancer, the friendly monster and the princess all have starring roles.

Then the train comes to an unexpected halt. A tree has fallen across the track and there’s no way the guard can move it on his own.

It’s a race against time and the passengers will need to use all their talents to get the train moving again. Can they reach their dreams before midnight?

96 pages, Hardcover

Published October 14, 2021

109 people want to read

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Matilda Woods

9 books94 followers

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5 stars
19 (24%)
4 stars
40 (50%)
3 stars
16 (20%)
2 stars
4 (5%)
1 star
0 (0%)
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
3,117 reviews6 followers
December 21, 2021
The Night Train is a children’s book that bridges the gap between picture books and full novels. It contains 96 pages, large text, and plenty of illustrations.

The story gave me The Polar Express vibes, given that the conductor for the train was rushed off his feet, trying to get the train to its destination on time, complaining about being late, and then having to stop as there is something on the line that needs moving.

The story is a tale of dreams and following them. It is also about acceptance and learning not to judge people (or monsters) by how they look.

The illustrations are divine and give the story a lovely snowy, wintery feeling. The plot is adorable.

For young middle-graders that want something a little harder to read now they are getting older, this would be perfect. It is an ideal book for this time of year too.
Profile Image for Sophie Crane.
5,232 reviews179 followers
June 17, 2022
There's something about a dark train journey in a wintery blizzard surrounded by snow tipped fir trees that just oozes Christmastime! Maybe we put that down to the Polar Express? I do love that book and movie. If you do too, then you are going to love this one.

Hop aboard the Night Train and join the other passengers heading to sleepy town to star in their own dreamland adventures. Travelling tonight is a yeti, a ballet dancer, a friendly monster and a princess. When the train comes to a halt because a tree has fallen across the track, the group of friends need to work together using their different strengths and skills to get the train moving again. Can they reach their dreams before midnight?

Such an uplifting story with so many great messages and a whole cast of stereotype busting characters, hooray!

A longer story than an average picture book but still with plenty of full colour illustrations this series is the perfect bridge for those ready to enjoy a slightly longer tale.
Profile Image for Katie.
304 reviews9 followers
January 1, 2022
an utterly MAGICAL little story with the most adorable illustrations!
Profile Image for Viktoria Vognyk Aurelia.
12 reviews2 followers
January 13, 2025
Чудова історія для посіпаки, який так і не дослухав історію про герооїв що прямували до країни снів...бо опинивя там швидше за головних героїв принцеси і Єті...що ж, треба було лягти спатии раніше і ми то зробили)
Книга вчить єдності, це гарний сенс, ілюстрацій достатньо і тексту забагато щоб осилив першокласник, все таки йому самостійно вірші читати простіше...а взагалі, гарна історія, вартує уваги
Profile Image for Farah.
135 reviews4 followers
May 1, 2023
Artwork/illustrations were exceptional and the storyline was dynamic and unique. Myself and my 6 year old son enjoyed reading this during bedtime
Profile Image for Sue.
78 reviews6 followers
December 27, 2021

I adored this book - everything about it - the illustrations, the story, the magic! This is a stunning book that I think every child under about 9 should read or be read to this winter! It’s a truly wonderful book to read together as a family or class story. The story line itself is wonderful, about friendships, all working together to make things happen and wonderful dreams. The illustrations in this book are breadth taking and. Retain,y add more magic and wonder to the story. I purchased this book from the very wonderful” independent children’s book shop The Book Den. Please do support small independent book shops and businesses if you can - it truly does make all the difference.
Profile Image for Cindy Richard.
498 reviews10 followers
January 1, 2022
I actually read this just before the end of last year, but I decided to add it to this year’s roster. This was delightful- I purchased it as an audiobook thinking it was much longer, but even though it was short, it was worth it. This book features a cast of characters traveling on a train to make it into the dreams of the children assigned to them for the evening. There is a tea drinking Yeti (my favorite), a ballerina, and a monster among others. They all have to work together when their train experiences an unexpected delay, and each of them must bring their strengths to the task. I would like to see this in book form so I can see the illustrations as well.
Profile Image for Alexandra Page.
Author 3 books17 followers
November 7, 2021
Charming, magical and snowswept, a train of dream actors are delayed on their journey and discover new strengths. A perfect winter read with beautifully matched words and illustrations. I adored the cast of dream characters and how they adapted their strengths and weaknesses to meet the challenge presented to them. This is a wonderful read together or read alone with well spaced text and the most wonderful images on every page, including a couple of brilliant wordless double spreads. I loved every page.
Profile Image for 🌶 peppersocks 🧦.
1,522 reviews24 followers
November 6, 2022
Reflections and lessons learned:
“The passengers were so busy talking they didn’t even realise when they pulled in to platform zzzzz… there was just one minute to spare… quickly… off you go, don’t delay - the clocks about to chime 12”

Mmmmm… we should all sometimes take a trip to sleepy town… 💤 a lovely tale of individuals being themselves and supporting each other… one on my to be purchased list if it’s ever on offer as I think I dozed off after one minute on first listen!
Profile Image for Tina.
1,253 reviews47 followers
December 13, 2022
Sometimes I read a lovely book and discover that I’ve read a few of that author’s books already! Not so surprising really.
I love reading across all ages and genres, so many gems, and my childhood memories of imaginative stories are too good to not revisit junior fiction now and then.
This one is sweet, with a lovely message.
Profile Image for Isa (Pages Full of Stars).
1,286 reviews111 followers
January 22, 2024
A short, magical story, that shows that a lot can be achieved if you work together. I really like the idea and it was slightly reminiscent of The Polar Express to me. As an adult reader, I wished it was a bit longer and that the dreams plot was more developed, but I know that the target reader group is much younger, and I'm sure the kids will adore this story :)
Profile Image for nessareadss.
48 reviews
December 18, 2023
I bought this for my mom and little sisters so they could learn some english, so I decided to read it aswell and it was so cute. Gave it four stars because it was good yet it is a childrens book so…
Also the pictures/drawings in the book were SO MAGICAL
Profile Image for Katie.
20 reviews
May 25, 2024
A very imaginative book, aimed at 5 to 7 year olds. It has short paragraphs and lots of lovely illustrations. The plot is simple, with the main theme of teamwork. The characters are well developed, with only the friendly monster potentially being scary for some younger children; this character is used to explore the theme of appearances vs personality, eg. you can’t judge a book by its cover.
Profile Image for Pers.
1,722 reviews
October 14, 2021
An absolutely delightful tale with engaging characters and charming colour illustrations.
Profile Image for Laure Hittle.
188 reviews23 followers
January 18, 2022
Super cute. i love the art. i would only make one change (this is a very minor spoiler)—i wish the driver had had a more constructive role in the end.
Profile Image for Laura Fowler-Holden .
144 reviews1 follower
May 21, 2022
Absolutely beautiful book. The story is sweet and the illustrations are just magical.
Profile Image for Caitlin.
45 reviews
July 19, 2022
Not much happened in this book so I only gave it three stars.
Profile Image for Kitchen Sink Books.
1,697 reviews41 followers
January 3, 2025
Matilda Woods’ The Night Train shares the story of travellers on their night train. It’s a short and simple chapter book filled with high definition, full colour illustrations created by Penny Neville-Lee and it is glorious. Everything about it makes it perfect for the younger reader who is ready to move from picturebooks to stories with chapters and longer sequences. It is ideal for bedtime reading, reading alone, sharing, and celebrating, as we do with our reviews. The nature of the book, of its story, being of a night train makes it a wonderful companion for bedtime reading and will send children into dreamland for adventures on trains of their own! It is also a book that reminds us how important it’s to work together and how much fun we can have in the process.

The night train is an express train, it is non-stop all the way to Sleepy Town Platform ZZZ and this is the final call to get on board before the whistle blows and the train sets off. But of course not before Mr Yeti gets on board, he is an important passenger, they all are, and Charles, the Guard needs to get them all to their ultimate destination on time. After all everyone on this train is needed, they are all going to shine in the dreams that are waiting for them. There is Henri, a football player in a dream the other day and tonight a ballet dancer, Princess May goes on dragon flights with her dreamer. Finally, there is the monster who, sadly, everyone is scared of but when the train comes to a halt because of a tree on the line they all declare that they are much too busy to help - after all they have dreams to get ready for. But will there be any dreams if they don’t reach their destination? Can they work together, use all their talents, and reach their dreams?


Merged review:

Matilda Woods’ The Night Train shares the story of travellers on their night train. It’s a short and simple chapter book filled with high definition, full colour illustrations created by Penny Neville-Lee and it is glorious. Everything about it makes it perfect for the younger reader who is ready to move from picturebooks to stories with chapters and longer sequences. It is ideal for bedtime reading, reading alone, sharing, and celebrating, as we do with our reviews. The nature of the book, of its story, being of a night train makes it a wonderful companion for bedtime reading and will send children into dreamland for adventures on trains of their own! It is also a book that reminds us how important it’s to work together and how much fun we can have in the process.

The night train is an express train, it is non-stop all the way to Sleepy Town Platform ZZZ and this is the final call to get on board before the whistle blows and the train sets off. But of course not before Mr Yeti gets on board, he is an important passenger, they all are, and Charles, the Guard needs to get them all to their ultimate destination on time. After all everyone on this train is needed, they are all going to shine in the dreams that are waiting for them. There is Henri, a football player in a dream the other day and tonight a ballet dancer, Princess May goes on dragon flights with her dreamer. Finally, there is the monster who, sadly, everyone is scared of but when the train comes to a halt because of a tree on the line they all declare that they are much too busy to help - after all they have dreams to get ready for. But will there be any dreams if they don’t reach their destination? Can they work together, use all their talents, and reach their dreams?
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews

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