The Giant Under the Snow - John Gordon

I first found out about John Gordon's The Giant Under the Snow in an article from the Guardian newspaper back in April, in which Michelle Paver waxed lyrical about it. I asked the library whether they would be getting a copy - and one was duly purchased in May - but no one told me, and I only found it lurking on the shelves the week before last, at which point I pounced on it !

On a school field trip, Jonquil (known to everyone as Jonk) Winters, an independent-minded teenage girl, is attacked by a large black dog whilst exploring the nearby woods where she has found a mysterious and rather old buckle. She is rescued from the dog by a woman named Elizabeth Goodenough, who possesses some magical powers. After she goes home, Jonk is stalked by the dog and its curious stone-faced master. Jonk's friend, Bill has read of a local legend that describes how a Green Man once strode across the countryside from Wiltshire to East Anglia. Believing the legend is the key to understanding Jonk's experience in the woods, Jonk, Bill and their rather sceptical friend Arf set out to solve the riddle of the Green Man, finding themselves under attack from the minions of the stone-faced man, the rather horrible "leather men", being followed by the black dog and being given the gift of flight by Elizabeth.

This is a tense, thrilling, and fast-paced story that is almost impossible to put down. I was reminded of both Alan Garner and Charles Butler's books whilst reading this book, so if you enjoy either of them, you'll probably enjoy this too. I've already made a list of other books by Gordon that are held by the library and intend to raid their shelves in the not-too-distant future (once my library pile has gone down at least a little more !)