However, since Gwynn's birthday has not been celebrated in the four years since Bethan disappeared (on his birthday) the assortment from Nain, even though it is unwrapped and odd, is in no way disappointing to Gwyn. A piece of seaweed, a tin whistle, a twisted metal brooch, a small broken horse and a yellow scarf that belonged to Gwyn's missing older sister Bethan make up the gifts from Nain. These gifts will help to determine if Gwyn is a magician like his ancestral namesake, Math, Lord of Gwynedd, Gwydion and Gilfaethwy, who lived in the nearby hills thousand years ago. The story begins when Gwydion Gwyn's grandmother, Nain, gives hims five unusual gifts for his ninth birthday. But, rather than weighting down the writing this makes the story all the more intriguing, as does the Welsh mythology that Nimmo weaves into the plot. Set in Wales, the characters all have magical sounding Welsh names that are sometimes hard to read, let alone pronounce. Written in 1986 and winner of the Smarties Grand Prix (British equivalent of the Newbery Award) The Snow Spider is book one in the fabulous Magician's Trilogy by Jenny Nimmo.
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