Midnight Manor: A Backwards Bedtime Book

Written and illustrated by Sid Sharp

Annick Press

978-1834021195

36 pp.

Ages 3–5

October 2026 

 

It's the month of Halloween, and spooky stories and books abound. But Midnight Manor by author-illustrator Sid Sharp is anything but ordinary holiday fare. Sid Sharp, a Toronto illustrator who wowed readers with their first graphic novel, The Wolf Suit, brings something a little different in their "backwards" tale and in their art. 

Illustration by Sid Sharp from Midnight Manor, written by Sid Sharp

Why is it a backwards bedtime book, you might ask? When most children hear a bedtime story, they are going to bed to sleep. Not at the Midnight Manor. Here, when others are heading to sleep, the Midnight Manor inhabits are getting up and becoming active. They wake up, make their beds, get dressed, have breakfast, and get on with their days, excuse me, their nights. But, because the Midnight Manor's residents are all a little different, their activities are likewise distinct.

Illustration by Sid Sharp from Midnight Manor, written by Sid Sharp

The six-legged guy has a lot of red socks to put on. Breakfast includes tadpole pie and warm worms, as well as mugwort jelly and cobweb cake. A game of basketball ends up with a different kind of ball.

In the moonlight, 

the walls are full of whispers

and our feet are full of jigs,

 

so we march 

across the meadows

and we twirl 

around the trees. (pg. 25)

Illustration by Sid Sharp from Midnight Manor, written by Sid Sharp

And when the sun comes up, they have a snack, take their baths, say their "Good nights," and head to bed.

 

Midnight Manor will be a delicious read for Halloween, especially as little ones might like some ideas about costumes. But Midnight Manor's residents are not costumed entities. They are witches and skeletons, goblins and banshees, and Mothman and Bigfoot. They are diverse and quirky and perfect for a manor house epic in its structure as well as its inhabitants. Children will smile and laugh as they recognize familiar activities that are done just a little differently. (Okay, a lot differently.) They'll still see themselves in the story but just not exactly themselves. (Well, maybe if they have six legs. Or can remove their heads.) Sid Sharp, author and illustrator, keeps the story light in its creepiness, making it funny and curious rather than horrific or scary. They keep the fun in their characters—like the banshees rocking out in the basement, or the troll sitting on the toilet—so that young readers will only get more and more excited about the rapidly approaching holiday. As a lover of words, I loved the wordplay, with ample alliteration and a particular pun. 

 

But, as Sid Sharp is a graduate of OCAD, it's not surprising that readers will be drawn to the artwork (but will be kept because of the text). Sid Sharp uses a mix of traditional media with digital tools to give Midnight Manor a distinctly mysterious and playful aura. The colours may often be shades and tones that gives a dark feel to the story, but Sid Sharp gives brightness too with their bold hues. And the expressions on their faces—if they have faces—are likeable, even if they have very sharp teeth.

 

Midnight Manor is definitely a book you'll want to share this Halloween or anytime you want a dark and fun tale of the unfamiliar familiar. Young children will especially love recognizing how the residents of Midnight Manor are different but still similar to them. I just hope that when it's time for their bedtime, they don't decide to imitate their new and unusual friends.