It is Gwyn's birthday. His grandmother arrives, and gives him a mysterious selection of gifts and strange words about his being a magician. His father refuses to mark his birthday, demanding that Gwyn complete his work on the farm as usual. And when his mother makes a lovely birthday tea for Gwyn and his friend Alun, with cake and festive food at a beautifully decorated table, Gwyn's father is furious. How could they be celebrating? How could they, after what happened to Bethan?
And what, indeed, did happen to the mysterious Bethan? What does Gwyn's grandmother mean when she tells him to give his gifts to the wind? Will Alun stand by Gwyn when strange things start happening all around him? And will Gwyn and his unforgiving father ever be reconciled?
I enjoyed the characters and the plot of this story, and particularly the references to the Mabinogion. However it seemed to be told in a very hasty sort of way, skimming over all kinds of detail and making for quite a short book. The mythological references were not as well thought out as, for example, those in Susan Cooper's Dark is Rising sequence. Perhaps this is a children's book genuinely written for children; I enjoyed it but felt it could have been much deeper. The book does have a very satisfying ending.
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