Simon glanced at his brother and sister and drew himself up, trying to look as dignified as it is possible to look in shorts and sandals.

It's the 40th anniversary of Susan Cooper's Over Sea, Under Stone, the brilliant start to the Dark Is Rising series.

You can keep your Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. For my money, the only fantasy series' worth anything are the Dark Is Rising and Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy.