Jeanne Tucker is a girl who believes in magic. Out riding her horse near the old 'Haunted Tree' in the forest, the subject of a school assignment, Jeanne encounters Peter Burns and his twin sister Jody. When her horse is spooked she falls towards the trunk of the old tree and then she and Peter land in a strange and very different new land - one where magic exists and they have been chosen by the 'Watcher' to help save this land. All this and Peter doesn't even believe in magic.

This is a very easy to read, gentle fantasy tale - one that would definitely be suitable for younger readers. The level of detail is less than would appear in an adult fantasy novel although more than adequate to describe all characters and locations to a degree enabling easy visualisation.

The action to is gentler, the book certainly does not contain the graphically described fighting that I've encountered in some fantays novels. The characters too, being children themselves, make this an ideal book for younger readers who, having seen Lord of the Rings, want to try out reading fantasy stories, but for whom Tolkien's work would be a little heavy going.

Sure this book is not going to win prizes for originality but it is a very appropriate read for young adults just getting into fantasy. As an adult, I feel I am not the best judge of this in terms of assigning a score, I'll leave that to the audience it's meant for.

Synopsis
How would you cope with being pulled into a land where magic exists and you're the people's only hope? Peter Burns doesn't believe in magic. But when horses talk to you and a witch hound swoops out of the sky, how long can you disbelieve? Jeanne Tucker believes in magic, but she's teamed with someone who'd rather examine the special effects. The two must learn to work together in order to defeat witches and unravel a curse that has enslaved an entire land.