Kay Harker
#8343.87 adjusted 3.88 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 2 books Status Complete 1927–1935 Reading commitment Low John Masefield Last reviewed 2026-11-02
Overview
Kay Harker is a pair of children's fantasy novels by the English poet John Masefield: The Midnight Folk (1927) and its sequel The Box of Delights (1935), published by Heinemann,. Kay Harker is a boy living at Seekings House, where his sea-captain great-grandfather's stolen fortune is the object of a hunt by a coven of witches led by the wizard Abner Brown. Kay is helped by talking animals such as the cat Nibbins. In The Box of Delights, a Punch and Judy man entrusts him with a magical box that lets its owner shrink, fly and travel in time. Abner Brown returns as the villain of both books.
Historical fantasy, Portal fantasy · For Middle grade
Core Canon: Reading Order (2 works) counts toward ranking
Kay Harker John Masefield
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Midnight Folk; First published by Heinemann. | 1927 | 1 | core | 3.75 (1,457 ratings) | |
| The Box of Delights; Full title: The Box of Delights, or When the Wolves Were Running. First published by Heinemann. | 1935 | 2 | core | 3.91 (3,887 ratings) |
Two children's fantasy novels in which the boy Kay Harker defends a family treasure and a magical box from a wizard and his witches.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Kay Harker? Kay Harker's Core Canon is 2 books.
- What is the reading order for Kay Harker? Publication order, starting with The Midnight Folk. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Kay Harker finished? Complete (1927–1935).
- How much reading does Kay Harker take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 2 Core Canon books).
- How is Kay Harker ranked? #834 in this site's official ranking, based on 5,344 reader ratings across 2 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #834?
Ranked #834 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.87 across 2 core books.
- A smaller readership (5,344 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- 0.01 behind #833, The Isles of the Gods.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Rated · 2 books · Complete · 5k ratings · Ranks #834 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment historical fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (2 Core Canon books)
- The Midnight Folk (1927)
- The Box of Delights (1935)
Documented internal/story chronology is recorded for every Core Canon book here, and matches publication order exactly, with no divergence to show separately.
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.87 across 5,344 ratings on 2 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon Extension: 29 universes; Inda widened to Sartorias-deles; 5 candidates ruled out accepted 2026-11-02
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia: The Midnight Folk Tier 2
- Wikipedia: The Box of Delights Tier 2
- Wikipedia: John Masefield Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-11-02
Rule: Core Canon = The Midnight Folk (1927) and The Box of Delights (1935).