When 10-year-old Liam's family moves to be near his grandmother who is suffering from dementia, he's left to navigate his new neighborhood, school and grandmother's illness all by himself; His mom regularly looses herself in a bottle of wine, and his sister sneaks out to who knows where shortly after'wine o'clock'-as they've come to call it-strikes. Life it isn't easy. The one place he seems to find solace is a rundown church where he finds an over-sized gargoyle that keeps drawing him in. After learning that they were created to protect people from demons and evil spirits, he can't seem to shake the image of the old stone bird and its presence weaves itself into the stories Liam tells himself and others, so much so that Liam starts to believe that it might be alive. Shy Liam's only means of confidence during shared story time is to tell tales of the gargoyle. His classmate mock him at first but are soon are captivated by his storytelling, and his teacher's slight nods of encouragement fuel Liam's belief in the bird and lead him to think that she knows a thing or two about the old bird herself.As his home life gets harder and the bullies more relentless the gargoyle seemingly brings Liam's stories to life-swooping in to protect and defend him in the most unexpected ways. But is the old stone bird really alive, or is it just Liam's imagination finding ways to help him through a difficult time?

Revell, Mike, author

Quercus NA

United States, United States of America

New York State, 2015

2015-06-02

US, 2015

obscured text back cover

277 pages ; 21 cm
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?

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?

When ten-year-old Liam moves houses 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 a 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?

When eleven-year-old Liam moves house to be closer to his grandma, he's thrown into an unfamiliar place, with a family that seems to be falling apart.
Liam doesn't remember what Grandma was like before she became ill with dementia. He only knows the witch-like old woman who snaps and snarls and eats her birthday cards. He desperately wants to make everything better, but he can't.
Escaping the house one evening, 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 . . .
But Grandma's illness is getting worse, Liam's mum isn't coping, and his sister is skipping school.
What if the gargoyle is the only thing that can save Liam's family?

While trying to cope with his grandmother's dementia and bullies at his new school, ten-year-old Liam strikes up a friendship with a magical gargoyle, with a shared love of stories

2023-06-28