The Mushroom Man

the long version

"Six-year-old Lily Newman's mother, Charlotte, has been estranged from her sister Beth for longer than Lily can remember. When Beth finally persuades Charlotte to spend a week on her farm, Lily couldn't be more excited. Vivacious and curious, the darling little girl charms her aunt and eleven-year-old cousins - identical triplets named Amy, Jude, and Samantha. Amy delights Lily with a bedtime story about a kindly hermit, the Mushroom Man, who lives with the fairies and who can turn people invisible.". "Lily, fascinated, runs away to seek out the Mushroom Man, but is brought back to the house by her cousins, whom she regales with stories of the bearded stranger she met in the forest. The next morning, when the family awakens, Lily has again vanished. The adults blame themselves and share the horrifying belief that a child predator lurks in the wild. And matters become more complicated with the arrival of Lily's father, who is cheating on his wife with Lily's au pair; a lonely minister who pines for Beth; and two bumbling police officers. The triplets begin to wonder whether, indeed, Amy's story about the Mushroom Man and his invisible-making powers has come true, and so they round up a band of children and head for the forest - armed only with their belief in fairy tales and their desire to get Lily back."--BOOK JACKET.