Ruby never expected to be friends with a Thing. Nor with Jackson either. Jackson describes Thing as a troll crossed with a fairy crossed with a squirrel. Jackson lives on an estate, next door to Ruby’s stone cottage, which used to be surrounded by trees. Ruby and Jackson decide to help homeless Thing survive and discover he can speak human, crow and snail, which has twenty-eight words for Eat. But if Thing is annoyed, Thing goes AARRGHH! casting spells which inevitably go wrong. Like the time he filled the loo with cherry tomatoes. An entertainingly wacky read about an endearing Thing, which unexpectedly brings together nature-loving Ruby and noisy, nose-picking Jackson in a secret quest to protect their new friend.

Ruby and Jackson get the surprise of their lives when they discover a thing living at the bottom of their garden. But Thing is cute, and funny, even if sometimes when he's upset he gets a bit angry. That's when the trouble starts.

Ruby and Jackson get the surprise of their lives when they discover a 'thing' living at the bottom of their gardens. But he is cute and funny, even if sometimes when he's upset he gets a bit 'arrghh!' And that's when the trouble starts.

Want to know a secret? There is something very, very strange living in the trees behind my house. If you tiptoe slowwwwly and quietly (ssh!) to the bottom of my garden, you might hear it rustling and rootling and 'peh!'ing in the dark undergrowth, on the other side of the low stone wall. And if you peek over the wall - holding your breath - there's a chance youcould spot two saucer-round eyes blinking out of a strangely squareopening in the tree roots . . . Ruby and Jackson get the surprise of their lives when they discover a Thing living at the bottom of their gardens. But Thing is cute, and funny, even if sometimes whenit upset it gets a bit ARRGHH! And that's when the trouble starts. Like the time Ruby and Jackson sneak Thing along with them on a school trip to the museum. In case you're wondering, it goes very, badly wrong . . . !