Stonebird

by Mike Revell Narrated by Joe Jameson

Overview

When ten-year-old Liam moves house to be closer to his dementia-suffering grandma, he's thrown into an unfamiliar place with a family that seems to be falling apart. Liam doesn't remember what his grandma was like before she became ill. He only knows the witch-like old woman who snaps and snarls and eats her birthday cards. He wants to fix it, but he can't.

Walking his dog one day, Liam discovers an old stone gargoyle in a rundown church, and his life changes in impossible ways. The gargoyle is alive. It moves unseen in the night, acting out Liam's stories. And stories can be dangerous things...

Seeking revenge against the bullies at his new school, Liam tells a story about the gargoyle attacking them. When one of them ends up in hospital, a regretful Liam vows never to go near the gargoyle again.

But his grandma's illness is getting worse, his mum isn't coping, and his sister is skipping school... What if the gargoyle is the only thing that can save Liam's family?
(P)2015 WF Howes Ltd

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

06/22/2015
Eleven-year-old Liam is disappointed when he, his sister, and his mother move in with his grandmother, who has rapidly advancing dementia, in order to help with her care. To Liam and his sister, Jess, it seems like she has a “demon inside,” and he’s terrified when she shouts that she’s “killed before” during one of her outbursts. But after Liam finds his grandmother’s WWII-era diary, he begins to learn that they are not so different. Liam’s fears involve his mother’s drinking (“I realize that wine o’clock is not like bed time or lunch time or home time, because those times don’t change”), as well as and his new school and its bullies. He gains an unexpected ally when his grandmother’s old protector, a stone gargoyle from Notre Dame cathedral, seems to come to life and is able to enact his wildest dreams, which doesn’t always go well. Liam’s sensitive, insightful voice is engaging and easy to identify with, and his evolving relationship with his family as his grandmother’s dementia worsens is tender and moving. Ages 10–12. Agent: Gemma Cooper, Bent Agency. (June)

From the Publisher

"I loved this and read it in one sitting ... It's a really special debut, full of heart, hope and the power of storytelling"—Bookseller

"A heartbreakingly good debut. Fresh and beautifully written, this is something very special"—Robin Stevens, author of A Murder Most Unladylike

"It is a beautiful, delicate story about a boy who is just trying to do the right thing for everyone, and it will provoke much thought and discussion."—The Book Bag

"Incredibly moving... [Stonebird] has a beautiful message founded in a strong moral compass, that every story must be told and every person, remembered in its telling."—We Love This Book

"[A] wonderfully engaging and thought-provoking debut."—Booklist (Starred Review)

School Library Journal

11/01/2015
Gr 5–7—In this blend of solemn reality and gothic fantasy, set in present-day England, 11-year-old Liam has reluctantly moved with his mother and older sister to his grandmother's old home in Swanbury. Finding the diary of Margaret Williams, age 13, Liam realizes it belonged to his grandmother, now living in a retirement home and suffering from dementia ("a demon in her"), and that the drawing on the cover is that of a creature he has seen flying by his window late at night. When he explores an old church nearby, he recognizes the creature as the stone gargoyle in a crypt inside, with the head of an eagle, the body of a lion, and a strange warmth near its heart. Missing his absent father, bullied at school, upset by his grandmother's dementia, and worried about his mother's drinking and his sister's rebellious behavior, Liam is encouraged by a kindly teacher whose story circle gives him an outlet for his imagination and a chance to have some status among his classmates. Reading further into his grandmother's diary, he comes to believe that the gargoyle is the same one who guided her home from Paris, where she was sent during the war, and that its power can help him solve the mystery of her past and some of the problems swirling around him. The author has attempted to pack in a lot here, with mixed results, but the story is fast-paced and exciting, the writing style crisp, and the conclusion satisfying. VERDICT A solid additional purchase for larger middle grade collections.—Marie Orlando, formerly at Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY

Product Details

BN ID:	2940159734372
Publisher:	Octopus Books
Publication date:	02/05/2015
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

Videos