When Molly and Hannah's mother dies suddenly of an aneurism, their dad sends them off to live with grandpa and grandma until he can 'sort things out' at home. No one is very happy with this arrangement, with the possible exception of grandpa, who is gentle and loving and does his best to keep the peace. Hannah, the older sister, is spiky and difficult, and she and grandma set each other off. Told in the first person and in the present tense by Molly, this long novel clearly shows the distress and anger the girls (particularly Hannah) feel at being sent away. The suddenness of mum's death has made their situation unreal, and Molly, who is prone to story-telling anyway, finds herself in the middle of a folk legend - that of the Oak King (or Green Man) and the Holly King. The Oak King appears sto her first on a windy, rain-swept night. He is being chased by the wild hunt, headed up by the Holly King, and is badly injured, but no one believes her tale. She meets him several more times when it becomes apparent he is dying, and her teacher at the small primary school she is attending explains about the legend and the ascendancy of the Oak King in summer and the Holly King in winter. Molly's relationship with the Oak King helps her to understand about death and life and rebirth. At the end of the story dad is coming through what has obviously been a serious bout of depression, and the girls will be able to return home. Some children may not find the magic elements of this story appealing, but the emotions are stark and real, and the writing is excellent.