Dark is Rising PB

"The cold December day before Will Stanton's birthday brings a series of strange events: a cryptic gift, a terrifying flock of birds, and a deep, cold fear emerging from the darkness that Will can't quite explain. The next day, his eleventh birthday, is also Midwinter, and with it Will's world is suddenly changed with an astonishing discovery: that he is the last of the Old Ones, immortals who fight to keep the powers of evil, the Dark, from taking over the world. At once Will is plunged into a quest for the six magical Signs that will one day aid the Old Ones in the final battle between the Light and the Dark. But the Dark has already sent out the Rider -- evil cloaked in black, mounted on a midnight stallion -- and has far worse in store. Will must find the six great Signs (wood, bronze, iron, water, fire, and stone) before the Dark begins its dreadful rise.