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 . . . !

Karen McCombie