When Rosemary Howells is sent from Borneo to stay with her father's family in Wales, the listless young girl is not sure that she will ever fit in with her impressive and somewhat intimidating relatives. But she soon finds a kindred spirit in old Aunt Betony, and as the refreshing Black Mountain air begins to work its magic upon her, Rosemary discovers a keen interest in her great-aunt's traditional herb-lore. Her efforts to befriend her cousins, Ivor and Dilys, are less successful, and as Rosemary struggles to understand their secretive behavior, she also wonders at the strange whistling she occasionally hears upon the mountainside, and the eerie fox-like creature that she has seen appear and disappear in the mist...

This engaging children's novel combines the classic family drama, in which the outsider must win her place in the family circle, with an exciting adventure story, full of mystery and a hint of the supernatural. Like The Castle Family or September Island, it is well-written and well-paced, and even the moments of high drama seem completely natural. Although Fry's work does not stir a strong emotional response in me, I find that her novels have the ability to charm with seemingly simple events and ordinary people.

Like her novel Snowed Up, this was illustrated by Robin Jacques, whose work will always have a certain appeal for me, probably because I associate it with Ruth Manning-Sanders' wonderful folklore collections. ( )