In a whirl of rainy weather, a strange woman appears on Theo and Dodie’s doorstep making Theo very uneasy. His mother and little sister do not seem at all alarmed by her. Dodie loves Mrs Scarum’s stories and her wild dancing. But Theo suspects there might be trouble affot, not helped by the fact that his father, usually as reliable as the clocks he repairs, has failed to return home.

Then Theo is told that you can tell a witch by her tears — if they turn to crystal, she is definitely one. But Mrs Scarum is too happy, she will never cry, so Theo will never know and neither will the readers! all is left to the imagination in this beautifully written novel for confident young readers.