Beyond the Country of Children

Peter’s father, Mr. Chin, is a carpenter who must leave for a week to do a job in a faraway town. However, one week away turns to two, and two weeks turn to three, until Peter is convinced his father is actually missing. Cynthy, the prettiest girl in school, volunteers to help with the search.

The Chins’ land has a barn that sits atop a peculiar little brook. Guided by the strange bare-footed boy, Peter writes a note to his father on a piece of wood and drops it into the water. He soon gets a message back. It’s not from Mr. Chin, but it does say that Mr. Chin needs help.

Setting off on a rescue mission, Peter and Cynthy soon find themselves in a parallel world retaining features of their New England landscape—like covered bridges, stone sheep fences, and tribal lands—but also a river of cocoa, a school taught and attended exclusively by animals, and a medieval tournament in which the combatants are only shadows. Peter is determined to find his lost father, but he first must survive this fantasy land and find a way home.