The hero of the book, Kay Harker, is naturally the same age as the intended reader and he first comes in contact with villainy on a train while going home for Christmas. He is the one to face this gang of criminals as he comes in possession of ‘the box of delights’ which is their desired booty. Kay faces the notorious wizard Abner Brown and his witch wife Sylvia Daisy who will stop at nothing to gain the box of delights. Christmas celebrations are in danger unless Kay can win through and save the day.
Undoubtedly a classic for younger children, the dream-like quality of this fantastic tale is acceptable because it is indeed a dream! You can’t expect the story to hang together logically and you can excuse children disappearing but everyone goes to bed for the night only because it is a dream. Animals come to life magically and any sense of time and dates are sacrificed for the sake of the story. It is very much a simple tale of good overcoming evil.
Well-written though somewhat dated (the author was an accomplished poet). On the whole this doesn’t really matter because the magical story would appeal to a very young imagination even today. Some aspects of family life are not ideal, but after all, it is a magical tale a heart-warming Christmas read for children.