'I wish we'll have two children called Mark and Harriet. And I hope lots of interesting and unusual things will happen to them. It would be nice if they had a fairy godmother, for instance. And a phoenix or something out of the ordinary for a pet. We could have a special day for interesting and unusual things to happen - say, Mondays. But not always Mondays, and not only Mondays, or that would get a bit dull'

As a result of their mother's honeymoon wish, Mark and Harriet Armitage have a fairy godmother, a pet unicorn, and are prepared for anything life can throw at them (especially, but not always, on a Monday): hatching griffins in the airing cupboard, Latin lessons with a ghost, furious Furies on the doorstep, and an enchanted garden locked inside a cereal packet. Life with the Armitages can be magical, funny, terrifying - but never, ever dull.

This book is part of a book series called Virago Modern Classics .

This book has been graded for interest at 10-14 years.

There are 448 pages in this book. This is a short story book. This book was published 2015 by Little, Brown Book Group .

Joan Aiken is one of the best loved authors of the twentieth century, and has written over a hundred books for young readers and adults, including "A Necklace of Raindrops," "The Winter Sleepwalker and Other Stories," and "The Youngest Miss Ward. "