Five Children and It

I love her books - particularly the Five Children and It sequence' - Neil Gaiman
Digging in the gravel pit on a hot summer's day, five children discover 'it': a grumpy creature with eyes like a snail's, ears like a bat's, and a tubby body all covered in fur. 'It' is a Psammead, an ancient sand-fairy who has the power to grant the children one wish a day.
That, you might think, would be a dream come true! But you need to be very careful what you wish for, as the children soon find out. Whether you wish for treasure, beauty or wings, it can very easily end in disaster...
'Endlessly surprising and inventive. There were fantasy writers before Nesbit but she is the one that brought the magical and the mundane together in a moment of nuclear fusion. She opened the door in the magic wardrobe, pointed the way to platform nine and three quarters. She even had a hand in building the Tardis. And these are among her minor achievements. She is also simply the funniest writer we have ever had' Frank Cottrell-Boyce
'The cheerful, child-centred anarchy of Five Children and It is still my inspiration and delight' Kate Saunders, Guardian