365 Days of Books

Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper is the first book in the "Dark is Rising" series. Three children find a map with clues to finding the Holy Grail. Aided by their mysterious Great-Uncle Merry, and under their oblivious parents noses, they battle evil mundane and surreal to find the grail and keep the Darkness down. Think of this as "The Secret Seven" with a little magic thrown in. I liked that the human villains ranged from nice looking to surly and sinister, after all evil can be appealing and goodness can look disheveled or surly.

I would recommend this book to the following people I know: A 4-6th grade teacher for his classroom, an 11 year old girl who likes Harry Potter and Tamora Pierce, a 4th grade boy who likes mysteries and his 53rd grade brother who likes historical fantasies.