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Stonebird

Mike Revell - Author

Liam’s home life is under pressure: his grandmother is ill, his mother is not coping, and his sister skips school. At school, Liam faces bullying and finds confidence in telling stories about the gargoyle.

More about this book

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?

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Book Analysis

At a Glance

Discover

StorytellingImaginationSupernatural

Consider

Family disruptionSocial conflict

Personalised Fit

Beyond the Cover

storytellingimaginationsupernatural

FictionNovel

Themes in Context

Storytelling and the gargoyle

Liam tells stories about a gargoyle that he finds at a rundown church; it seems to act out those stories and protect him.Ambiguous

How the book presents it: The story makes the boundary between Liam’s imagination and supernatural events uncertain, rather than clearly resolving whether the gargoyle is alive.

Talk about: What clues make you think the gargoyle is alive, or that Liam’s stories are helping him cope?

Why It May Be Worth Reading

The story brings dementia and family difficulties into a child’s life, while also following Liam’s storytelling and his uncertain belief that the gargoyle is acting. It may suit a reader interested in both realistic troubles and supernatural possibilities.

What Deserves Attention

Liam’s grandmother snaps and snarls and eats birthday cards; his mother drinks wine and is not coping, while his sister skips school. Liam also faces bullying at school.

A Conversation Worth Having

Would it help to talk about how Liam’s stories affect his confidence, and whether he feels responsible for troubles in his family that he cannot fix?

Reading Approach

Consider reading together or checking in after the family and bullying episodes. Let the reader decide what they think is happening with the gargoyle rather than settling that uncertainty for them.

Confidence & Basis

Theme indicators describe how the book presents a topic; they are not a verdict on the whole book or your family's values. Confidence reflects how much book-specific material was checked. Only part of the book information was available, so some details remain unconfirmed.

What remains unconfirmed

Storytelling and the gargoyle: Whether the gargoyle is alive remains unresolved.

Stonebird - Mike Revell - Google Books

Limited information

Checked: 1 October 2026.

Relevant to: Storytelling and the gargoyle

Stonebird by Mike Revell | Open Library