Say the word gnomes and most people will think of those rather horrid little figurines that some people in suburbia will insist on littering lawns and gardens with. You know the ones - they have fishing rods, red hats and rosy cheeks.Well, not these. These are Nomes, thank you very much, and as you will discover they certainly don't have fishing rods. Well...maybe they do if you think of bins as a metaphorical fish pond and a rat as a real treat of a meal.The story basically follows Masklin and his band of 'outside' nomes who travel indoors (although the Store nomes don't believe in outside so they reckon Masklin is mad). The book follows the trials of this little band of ten inch folk until their eventual adventure. To say more would spoil the story but it is well worth a read. Children will love it and adults will find an excuse ("I was going to read it to my kids, honest!). Buy it, read it and wonder whether those small blurs really were mice.