I have re-read The Weirdstone of Brisingamen many times since I first read it on a beach holiday when I was about 10 years old. What captured my imagination then still has the power to engage me all these years later. It is a ripping yarn about two city children, brother and sister Colin and Susan, whose curiosity and a family heirloom – the weirdstone of the title – lead them into peril. There are dwarves, elves, witches and all manner of strange evil beings, and a good wizard. I think this is fantasy writing at its best. Garner wastes no time and few words launching Susan and Colin on their journey. He paints a great picture of rural Cheshire and with that a compelling sense of location for the action. Underpinning all this is a real love for English folklore that resonates throughout all of Garner’s writing. I love this book and couldn’t recommend it highly enough.

Simon McLean is a bookseller at Readings Hawthorn.