The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper

Title: The Dark Is Rising
Author: Susan Cooper
Pages: 267
Publisher: Puffin
Synopsis:
From Amazon: 'This night will be bad and tomorrow will be beyond imagining. It's Midwinter's Eve, the day before Will's eleventh birthday. But there is an atmosphere of fear in the familiar countryside around him. This will be a birthday like no other. Will discovers that he has the power of the Old Ones, and that he must embark on a quest to vanquish the terrifyingly evil magic of the Dark. '
This book has been one of my favourites since I was a child.
It is the second novel in Susan Cooper's Dark is Rising series, and the one I enjoyed the most.
Will Stanton is the seventh son of a seventh son, and an Old One, one of those who protect the world against the forces of darkness.
Newly awakened on Midwinter's day, he must find the 6 signs and keep the dark Rider at bay.
Interweaving pagan mythology, traditional winter and Christmas customs into a great story, Susan Cooper keeps us spell bound.
A great novel.

Please note - last year a film was made with the same title. Although loosely based on the novel, it is nothing at all like it. The film was a huge disappointment.