Someone here was sad but pretending not to be. . . . Someone--and this thought made a smile curl up on its face--needed some nouka-mischief.

When Jem and his family first move to a small town, he struggles with his new life. The unhappier he grows, the stranger things become--mischief and chaos seem to bloom everywhere. His sister Verity is sure it is the work of a "nouka," an ancient creature that lives deep down inside the hill above the town--a creature forged from the sparks of a long-extinct volcano. Jem is adamant that there is no such thing. But it is through the magic and mayhem of this small mystical creature that Jem finally finds a sense of belonging, a sense of home--and once again discovers a spark of magic.