Second paragraph of third chapter:

“Vero!” Simon shouted. “Vero!” He struggled helplessly in the gorse; stamped down for a foothold but found nothing; sank waist-deep in furze. The quaking earth shifted again, like coals settling in the fire, and sank slowly into the hill-side, sucking in a great wad of gorse. Stones and clods and hummocks of grass slid into the darkness. Simon saw the earth opening under him and flung out his right arm, seeking frantically for a handhold. Martin’s hand gripped his, tightened and held; Monica’s fingers clutched his wrist.

A sequel to the lovely Creed Country by the same author, following the adventures of Sarah’s (many) younger siblings and their friends as they explore the countryside around them in the snow, get to know a mysterious old lady, and produce a medieval Mystery Play in an old church. To be honest, the plot is a bit diffuse with an abundance of characters to follow, but they do each have a distinct voice and it portrays a more innocent time (the cusp of the 1970s) in rural Surrey (a concept that barely exists these days). You can get it here.

I also want to shout out the cover art by Elizabeth Grant, which I find striking and evocative.

She illustrated a lot of children’s books in the early 1970s – in my mind she is inseparable from the Puffins.

This 1977 painting of “A Bunker on an American Golf Course”, at Knightshayes Court in Devon, looks like it might be by her too.

I wish I could find out more about her, but there seem to be at least four living artists also named Elizabeth Grant, so it’s impossible to dig through the data.