Tom was a cross and resentful boy when he was sent to stay with his uncle and aunt because his brother, Peter, had caught the measles. As soon as he joined his relatives in their small apartment, he knew he would be bored and lonely. He would miss Peter as well as the garden at home where they used to play. Now he had no friends his own age, and, instead of a garden to explore, there was only a paved yard and a row of garbage cans outside the back door.

When the time came for Tom to go home, however, he did everything he could to prolong his visit. For he had made a strange and wonderful discovery -- a discovery that he could share with no one, except Peter. And Peter believed it all, and even, for one brief moment, came to share in Tom's fantastic midnight adventure.

Philippa Pearce has created an enchanting story of the world of the imagination. The originality and charm of Tom's Midnight Garden have won for it a distinguished place in England, and it has taken its place among the best books for children on this side of the Atlantic as well.