The Dark is Rising is a children's fantasy novel about Will Stanton, a boy who discovers he has magical abilities on his eleventh birthday. As an Old One, it is Will's responsibility to help locate four Things of Power that will help the Light, a force for good, defeat the Dark forces. Will's first task is to complete the Circle of Signs by collecting six medallions. The Dark is Rising is the second book in the series of the same name.
Boasting the largest collection of book summaries, BookRags is the best option for titles you can't find elsewhere. They offer all of the basics (quotes, chapter summary, characters, historical context, literary criticism) but also walk through a few major topics that recur throughout the book, which can be particularly useful for essay writing.