Gillian Avery

When four brothers and sisters discover a Psammead, or sand-fairy, in the gravel pit near the country house where they are staying, they have no way of knowing all the adventures its wish-granting will bring them.

While living with her sole living relative, an uncle in Oxford, eleven-year-old Maria shares an eccentric tutor with the boisterous Smith brothers and enjoys unusual outings and adventures in the English countryside.