On his ninth birthday Gwyn is given a brooch, a scarf, a piece of seaweed, a tin whistle and a small broken horse by his grandmother and told to give them to the wind. The first thing he gives to the wind is the brooch which comes back as the snow spider and suddenly magic is in his life, real and with consequences and responsibilities. The trilogy covers from his ninth to his thirteenth birthday and a variety of adventures all of whom require him to employ his wits and to embrace the magician within.

I liked it, originally published in the 80's it reminded me of my teenage years, and the possibility of there being magic around the next corner. There were pieces that stood out in capturing a moment and made the characters more rounded. Gwyn has issues and problems dealing with the magic and this comes across too.