Long years back, the brave and dashing Captain Reggie Eden rescued the beautiful Zella from a tower and they fell in love. When Zella became Mrs Eden, she began a life of lazy luxury.

Mr and Mrs Eden are totally wrapped up in each other.

Aurora, the eldest sister, is very domestic and looks after the house, while her mother and father go about doing what they have to do.

Storm, the rebellious sister, makes fireworks and goes looking for adventure.

When the third sister was born, Mrs Eden said: 'Oh, call her anything!', and so Anything becomes her name.

When Mrs Eden dies and Mr Eden vanishes into thin air, the three girls carry on living as usual at Eden End.

But then comes the dastardly Dr DeWilde.

This scar-faced gentleman with a colourful waistcoat and an unnatural interest in wolves and rats appears out of nowhere to threaten Aurora, Storm and Anything.

He wants to get his hands on a musical pipe that Storm received as a child.

But there is more to Dr DeWilde than his desire to pinch a pipe. Storm and her sisters have no choice but to escape into the woods.

Once it gets going, Into The Woods becomes a whirlwind of a novel, with its exciting escape episodes, battles across raging rivers, and treks over ice-bound mountains and through ghosttowns.

On the way, the sisters bump into a child-eating ogress and an dreadful bee-bumble, while hungry wolves snap at their heels.

The three Eden sisters must keep their wits about them if they are to survive these dangerous woods.

Lyn Gardner offers a highly inventive story driven by an energetic plot and interesting characters - topped with a thrilling climax.

It is all good fun.

Don't go 'into the woods' unless you are prepared to be spooked by what you find there.

Into The Woods

By Lyn Gardner

Published by David Fickling Books

ISBN 0 385 61035 1