This book is brilliant at evoking a particular place. The old mining town of Stoneygate is laid before us in engaging detail, complete with kids playing on the wilderness by the river, unemployed miners stumbling out of the pubs, and Kit, newly arrived in the town where his family have been miners for generations. At first it seems as if Kit has got in with the wrong crowd, as he plays dangerous games with local thug John Askew in the wilderness causing his teachers and his family concern. But as he listens to his Grandpa's stories about the past, he realises that he has an important role: out of the darkness of the past, his own imagination, and the dark places he falls into, he can bring light. He needs the help of a ghost called Silky, an Ice Girl with silver claws, a Caveman called Lak, and the magic pebbles from the past, but in the end he shows the town that a new spring is possible.
This book is a delight to read; it takes you on a journey that will change you as it changes Kit.