After a life-threatening illness keeps him out of school for months, David is given a tutor to help him catch up-his elderly, tough Aunt Annie, who is as frightening to him as a monstrous, snake-haired Gorgon. He even secretly nicknames her "The Gawgon." But, to David's surprise, a bright heart lurks inside the old woman. She challenges him more than any schoolteacher ever could, opens all sorts of possibilities in his life, and the two of them-The Gawgon and The Boy-develop a very special friendship. Loosely based upon Lloyd Alexander's own childhood, this jewel of a novel will be treasured by readers of all ages.