ALA Booklist (Fri Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2017)

Having taken aim at dentists in Demon Dentist (2016) and senior care in Grandpa's Great Escape (2017), Walliams turns to the medical professions with this satirical tale of children's-ward patients who sneak out at night to fulfill one another's wishes. Sometimes the efforts of the titular "gang" take unexpected twists, as when the hundreds of balloons rvested from all over shabby Lord Funt Hospital to give chubby young George a taste of weightless flight e hijacked by a senile nonagenarian who soars gaily away over London. Other exploits go better, particularly the sweet pageant climactically staged around the bed of desperately ill Sally (the author leaves her disease unspecified, but it looks a lot like cancer) in response to her wish for "a big, beautiful life!" Readers who prefer their humor on the offensive side will enjoy the way the author needles authority figures by casting them as stupid, malicious, or both. Also Roald Dahl like, the narrative is embroidered with typographical flights and, from Ross, comical ink-and-wash caricatures.

Horn Book (Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2018)

Walliams channels Roald Dahl's irreverent, authority-bashing humor in this energetic fantasy in which rebellious children escape their London hospital ward to act out their wildest dreams. Ross's line drawings and the use of varied fonts enliven the proceedings. Verisimilitude is hardly the point here, nor is depth of characterization: the silliness is its own raison d'jtre.

School Library Journal (Fri Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2017)

Gr 3-6 The Lord Funt Hospital in London is a rambling building with a rather odd staff. Twelve-year-old Tom Charper finds this out when the admitting doctor poses 192 questions before treating Tom's bump on the head. Tom soon joins the Children's Ward on the 44th floor where he meets Amber, Robin, George, and Sally. The childrenexcept for Sally who is gravely illescape the horrible Matron each night at midnight. The children pretend to visit the North Pole, fly, and enact other grandiose plans with the help of the caring porter. Tom's desire to participate disrupts his friendship with Sally who asks Tom to include her. The Midnight Gang's final dream is tragic and boisterously youthful. Ross's numerous black-and-white illustrations mirror Walliams's lawless, uncontained revelry. The author creates a surreal world in which adults are remote and children set the stage with their wildest imaginings. The giant hospital makes for a contained yet boundless setting where children find the supplies to fuel their dreams. Take-charge Amber directs events from her wheelchair and conniving George uses drugged sweets on the Matron. The dark cloud of Sally's prognosis cannot be ignored, yet Walliams portrays it as one element in the glorious fabric of childhood. VERDICT Irreverent as Roald Dahl, Walliams is a unique author who's created a memorable world and cast of characters. Caitlin Augusta, Stratford Library Association, CT