Great-grandpa Toby is making so much NOISE! And if Tam can hear the clamour coming from his humming machine, the fairies will too. And soon enough, on the night of a blue moon, Great-grandpa Toby vanishes without a trace. While battling nightmarish fairies and decoding the words of the Flame-Reader, Tam eventually discovers his Great-grandpa has been captured by the beautiful Damson Hag, and turned into a nine-year-old boy! Bewitched, fed only with rose petals, and mournfully playing the humming machine to himself, Great-grandpa Toby is tempted to stay in Faery Land and be young for ever... Unless Tam has anything to do with it.

Berlie Doherty began writing for children in 1983, after teaching and working for schools' radio. She has written more that 35 books for children, as well as for the thearte, radio and television, and won the Carnegie Medal twice: in 1987 for GRANNY WAS A BUFFER GIRL and in 1992 for DEAR NOBODY. She has also won the Writer's Guild Children's Fiction Award for DAUGHTER OF THE SEA. Her work is published all over the world, and many of her books have been televised. THE HUMMING MACHINE is the sequel to her much loved THE STARBURSTER.

The Fairies stole Blue, and now they've got Great-grandpa! A heart-warming tale of Tam's adventures in Faery Land from this twice Carnegie medal-winning author.