"The rope hung from top to bottom of his dream. The rope hung softly, saying nothing, doing nothing. Then the rope began to swing very softly, very gently...towards him." The need to face your fears; the comedy of family life; the pressure of others' expectations...Intense experiences of childhood are vividly brought to life in these eight atmospheric tales. A gripping collection of short stories from award-winning author Philippa Pearce.

One day old Mr. Franklin asks Bet to go out to the field and read aloud from a book about earthworms. Why? Who is listening? Soon, Bet becomes the most trusted friend of her listener, who turns out to be a bewitched mole. At first she and the mole simply sit together in their field, reading, talking, sharing hopes and fears. But soon Bet is helping the Little Gentleman unravel his long and legendary past -- a past that includes the death of a king and a pouch of magic herbs. Bet begins to believe the mole's powers are stronger than he knows. She thinks he can even shift her size and take her exploring in his tunnels if he tries. Nothing is impossible. When the mole finally reveals his deepest wish, Bet knows she can help him. But will it change everything?

Familiar Here are stories of everyday life, as familiar as a piece of rope and ... as haunting as fear: Mike knows that he can't swing over the river on the knotted rope, but with everyone watching him, he has to try. ... as haunting as a stranger: Who is the frightened-looking girl stealing plums from Nicky's grandparents' precious tree? ... as haunting as cruelty: How can Joe escape from his mean cousin Dicky during a family reunion?Haunting And here are stories with a supernatural twist, as haunting as the eerie whistling from the hill above Burnt House in the middle of the night and ... as familiar as guilt: A boy forgets the mysterious bottle his cousin loaned him, but when he sneaks out at night to retrieve it, the shadowy whistlers close in on him. ... as familiar as loneliness: A ghost who's unbearably lonesome makes his neighbors suffer until a girl with a sense of the absurd shows him how things could be different. ... as familiar as love: The ghost of a boy comes back to save his father from dying in a ferocious storm. Peopled with vivid, unforgettable characters, this collection of thirty-seven stories is by turns mysterious, humorous, strange, and sad, but it is always familiar, always haunting, and always surprising.

Philippa Pearce’s poignant story of a young boy who longs for a pet dog. Young Ben Blewitt is desperate for a dog. He’s picked out the biggest and best dogs from the books in the library—and he just knows he’s going to get one for his birthday. Ben is excited when the big day arrives, but he receives a picture of a dog instead of a real one! But the imagination can be a powerful thing, and when Ben puts his to work, his adventures really begin!

Lying awake at night, Tom hears the old grandfather clock downstairs strike . . . eleven . . . twelve . . . thirteen . . . Thirteen! When Tom gets up to investigate, he discovers a magical garden. A garden that everyone told him doesn't exist. A garden that only he can enter . . . A Carnegie-Medal-winning modern classic that's magically timeless.

The Parker children's home becomes a battlefield because they want a pet while their mother declares that she will have no gerbils in her house.