Hilda and the Midnight Giant

The back blurbs on this lovely new graphic novel say Pearson channels Tove Jansson and Hayao Miyazaki and I can think of no more serendipitous blending.

Hilda, a charming blue-haired girl lives with her mother in an isolated house which they both love. But it's quickly apparent that not all is well; mysterious tiny notes are threatening to evict them and are soon followed by an attack on their house. Hilda determines to save the home she loves and make friends with the tiny, invisible elves who are threatening them. Along the way, she meets many other strange and wonderful creatures as well as introducing the reader to some of her odd friends.

The pure imagination of this story charms the reader from the first page. There are hints of show more folklore and legend, romance and tragedy, humor and pathos, all delicately mixed into Luke Pearson's lovely art.

Warm earth colors and carefully laid out panels take the reader through a Moominesque world, where strange creatures appear and disappear and characters break into philosophy at just the right moments. Most of the adventures happen in the soft, dark world of night and it's easy to see the odd, friendly and unfriendly creatures, populating a Miyazaki film.

Verdict: This has a broader appeal than the Moomin comics and while it won't interest children who like fast-paced action, adventure and slapstick humor, it's the perfect title to hand to an imaginative child who wants to lose themselves in a fantasy world.

ISBN: 9781907704253; Published May 2012 (US publication) by Nobrow Press; Borrowed from the library; Purchased for the library; Added to my personal wishlist show less

Pear's distinct illustrative style illuminates another charming story about Hilda and her magical acquaintances. While the title implies that she meets a giant (which she does), the centre of the story is actually the tiny elves that live invisibly in the same valley as Hilda's house. They have gotten tired of the human interlopers who crash about and disturb their village (though harmlessly in a physical sense, thanks to their magic), so they have given Hilda and her mother an ultimateum to remove themselves. Hilda befriends them and goes on a quest to get permission to stay from the elf king, but in doing so she wakes a giantess who was masquerading as the mountain where the elf king lives. When the giantess is reunited with her long show more lost love everything looks like it will be fine, until the giants accidentally smash Hilda's house! In this role reversal Hilda and her mother realize that they are in fact being a nuisance to the elves and decide to move back to the city. I can't wait to see what kinds of magical beings Hilda will discover there, as the city is sure to be packed full of adventures for her and her antlered fox companion! show less

An even stranger little adventure for the redoubtable Hilda in this volume - the hidden people want to evict Hilda and her Mum from the valley where they live in apparent isolation. It turns out to be a lot more crowded than they thought. Aside entirely from the invisible folk, there's the mysterious giant who lurks behind the mountain every night. Can Hilda sort things out with the hidden people and solve the mystery of the giant? Beautiful, cute, charming and funny, with a somewhat unexpected ending.

Such a cute book. Loving the series so far. In this one Hilda and her mom are getting threatening letters from elves to move out of their house. Hilda keeps seeing the giant but it runs away when her mother is called. So its two stories in one book. Hilda goes on a mission to save her house and to figure out what the giant is doing as well. Love the illustrations and the characters. The ending was happy and sad.

Hilda and her mum have been getting little notes from the "Hidden Elves", demanding that they leave their house at once. Hilda goes on an adventure to try and make a treaty, but every Elf she speaks with say it's out of their hands, though they don't have hands. Also, what does the giant that shows up every night want?

Luckily my library has the first couple volumes of Hilda and I was able to grab the first 5 books.

I didn't like this one as much as the last, mostly because I myself was feeling the frustration Hilda had with the Elves and their reasoning as to why they couldn't help her.

The story of the giant(s) is beautiful and heartfelt and I'm happy for the ending.

What a fun book! Thoughtful too. I loved the contrast between sizes, large, medium, and small. Hilda is such a delightful character, warm and caring, who also makes her share of mistakes. Hilda's mother , who has a bigger role this time, is preoccupied with all the adult worries of life and fails to see all the mysteries around her.

Hilda and the Midnight Giant by Luke Pearson is another book that has unfortunately fallen through the cracks of my review schedule. Originally I read it as part of the 2012 CYBILs. I even wrote the blurb for it when it made to the short list. I think in writing the blurb, I wanted more time to think about what else to say, and to avoid undue influence on the judging process. Somehow though, I never did get back to writing a review for posting on this blog. Now it's a year and a half later and I'm still thinking fondly of the book. I've also since then read Hilda and the Bird Parade and have Hilda and the Black Hound waiting on my to be read shelf. Hilda with her blue hair and plucky spirit, reminds me of Laika Entertainment's 2009 show more adaptation of Coraline by Neil Gaiman. With her yellow scarf, red shirt, and blue skirt, she's even dressed in a similar fashion. Regardless of the reasons (if any) behind the similarities, the basic look of Hilda put me in the mood for an otherworldly experience, and that's exactly what Luke Pearson delivered.

Hilda and her mother for reasons left unmentioned, live in an Alpine area, far from human civilization. Soon, though, Hilda discovers that it's not far from other, magical types of civilization. In fact she and her mother have been stomping through an unseen village for months (years?) until something happened to open up Hilda's eyes.

Then like a slowly peeled union, more and more of the scope of this hidden world is revealed. The whole valley and mountainous area takes on new meaning. But this new awareness on Hilda's part also introduces new dangers to her and her mother. Ultimately they have to decide if they can live in harmony with their neighbors or if they should rejoin society and let the cabin go.

Beyond the Coraline connection, there's also a nod to Studio Ghibli in the interaction between humanity and faerie or the spirit world, as represented by (and hidden by) the surrounding nature. I think any fan of My Neighbor Totoro or Spirited Away will appreciate Hilda and the Midnight Giant. show less