Stonebird

June 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 âdemon inside,â and heâs terrified when she shouts that sheâs âkilled beforeâ during one of her outbursts. But after Liam finds his grandmotherâs WWII-era diary, he begins to learn that they are not so different. Liamâs fears involve his motherâs drinking (âI realize that wine oâclock is not like bed time or lunch time or home time, because those times donât changeâ), as well as and his new school and its bullies. He gains an unexpected ally when his grandmotherâs old protector, a stone gargoyle from Notre Dame cathedral, seems to come to life and is able to enact his wildest dreams, which doesnât always go well. Liamâs sensitive, insightful voice is engaging and easy to identify with, and his evolving relationship with his family as his grandmotherâs dementia worsens is tender and moving. Ages 10â12. Agent: Gemma Cooper, Bent Agency.

November 1, 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

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from June 1, 2015
Grades 4-6 *Starred Review* So many things are hard for 11-year-old Liam: making retirement-home visits to the grandmother who no longer remembers him, watching his mother turn to drink when faced with her mother's worsening dementia, and dealing with aggressive bullies at his new school. When mild-mannered Grandma screams, GET OUT! I'll kill you! I've killed before, it's another hard, painful thing, one that raises alarming questions he cannot ask. Reading her childhood diary gives Liam unexpected insights into her past, while, in the present, he discovers that the stone gargoyle in a nearby church can come alive, attack his enemies, and possibly even save his disintegrating family. Liam struggles to understand this fearsome power and the overwhelming responsibility of wielding it. In his first novel, Revell gives his protagonist the gift of storytelling, not only in the compelling first-person narration but also as a story element that enables Liam to communicate with the gargoyle. Excerpts from the WWII-era diary add another layer to the narrative, bringing the past into the present while strengthening Liam's bond with the grandmother who is slipping away. Projecting a somewhat lighter tone than the novel, the distinctive jacket art will draw readers to this wonderfully engaging and thought-provoking debut.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)