A little magic and mystery make for an intriguing and heart-warming story: Hob is a friendly spirit who makes his home in one family's house. He straightens out messes and takes a way small troubles. He enjoys looking out for his "family." But one day, when Hob moves into a new house with a new family, he is unexpectedly confronted with a group of mean and nasty witches, gremlins, dwarfs, goblins, and an ominous ogre. Hob is forced to use all his tricks, a little cunning, much love, and his power to be invisible to help his adopted family to live peacefully in their new home.
Mayne is an excellent language stylist. A particular charm is that cause and effect, or owner and owned, are neatly turned inside out: here's Hob remembering a time when he wore clothes (not a good idea for Hob, distracts him from his duties):
"There had been laces full of shoe, holes full of sock. The laces had become wildly undone, tripped Hob up and escaped with the shoes and the socks.
He had had pockets with breeches, a row of neat little holes with a belt round them and a buckle to keep them together. The breeches had vanished when the holes in the belt ganged up and stopped working."
A Favorite Book
England