Young Tom has been dumped by his parents on his great-uncle Percy in Oxford for the summer. The boy goes missing. In steps a toy bear called Bodley. The story revolves around the bond between Bodley and Bloomsbury, bear-in-residence in the British Museum. The plot is driven by the search for a highly important lost manuscript. A streetwise hero emerges in Russell Rat. Lives are at risk as the two bears seek refuge back in Oxford. Here, an inspired Bloomsbury finally grasps the meaning of everything, and Bodley gets to find out who he really is. The story balances on the cusp where childhood dreams fade away. Fantasy and reality mix and mingle. Young meets old, past meets present, silly meets serious. Talking animals serve up philosophy and humor. The book challenges fixed ideas about growing up, contemporary lifestyle, cultural values, generation gaps. It's an adult story for the young and a young story for adults. But first and foremost, this is entertainment from start to finish.