A brilliantly emotive short story about bullying and finding strength and support. You can't help but feel for Ben, his loneliness and family dynamics. An engaging (and gruesome!) opening, accessible format and hopeful ending - a must for a school library.

Barrington Stoke publishes some of the very best books for upper key stage 2 readers and slightly older who have a younger reading age or may just be a reluctant reader. Their stories are always relevant to the target readership and never patronising . Keith Gray is a great writer and Ben's Gargoyle is a terrific book. Ben has moved into his dad's flat now that mum has moved to France with a new partner. Ben is bullied by his dad and also at his new school. But this is nothing compared to the fear he feels when he spots a mysterious figure moving across the rooftops at night from his attic window - an adult-sized gargoyle with claws and wings. Is Ben going mad? What will happen as the creature gets closer ? Historically , the gargoyle faces upon a church symbolise protection and ward off evil or malevolent forces- but this one looks nothing like kind ness but a monster. This is a story about strength and resilience and finding the inner self-belief to confront forces that push you down. Keith Robinson's superb illustrations also add to the sense of foreboding and isolation felt by Ben Keith Gray's story may will resonate with many readers but could also make a good class discussion read . Pitch perfect in prose, suspense and length and a book I'll be recommending to colleagues in upper key stage 2 /lower key stage 3. Highly recommended Thank you to Barrington Stoke and Netgalley for the advance copy

Although they might not think so, today’s young readers are spoiled for choice with the titles that are published for them. Long gone are the days when stories were filled with similar characters who came from nuclear families and invariably had happy endings, and modern reads are increasingly likely to represent a diverse range of family units and children whose lives – and the problems that come with them – would never have been written about when I was a child. This is, of course, an enormously positive thing and here is a short read that proves that point very well. Awake at just after midnight after having to move in with his father, Ben gazes out of his attic window with the help of his old telescope and is startled to see a gargoyle sitting on a rooftop a few streets away. Feeling the need to tell someone, Ben makes his way downstairs to speak with his dad, who he finds asleep in front of the telly. After accidentally waking him up, Ben tells Dad about what he has seen but is disappointed and hurt when Dad not only refuses to believe him but also tells him that he needs to grow up and stand up for himself in his new school. Having not as yet made any friends in his new environment, Ben increasingly finds himself struggling with his feelings of isolation and his father’s behaviour towards him. As the gargoyle reappears each night and comes closer and closer to his home, can Ben somehow find the strength to deal with the monster in his life…? Within the first few pages of the story, it’s very clear just what an awful time Ben is having following his move into his father’s flat. Bullied at school, Dad’s main concern is not that this is unacceptable and needs to be stopped but that Ben not only needs to fight back but must win any and all physical fights in which he finds himself. More than happy to dish out violence and emotional abuse towards the child who should be the centre of his world, Dad is a prime example of toxic masculinity that will come as a nasty shock to many young readers but who, very sadly, will be all too familiar to others. As we watch Ben trying to deal with home and school and the slow approach of the gargoyle, there are glimmers of hope in the form of an old friend and a sympathetic teacher – balancing out what might otherwise be a really depressing read – that encourage the reader to continue until the end to see just if and how everything is resolved. In addition to providing the stunning cover that will surely draw lots of children to pick this up, illustrator Keith Robinson has provided some incredible images within the book’s pages that match its dark tones brilliantly well. These together with the title being around the 100-page mark and its having all the trademark features that you would associate with Barrington Stoke, make it a fabulous choice for those in Year 4 upwards.

Thanks to Poppy at Barrington Stoke for arranging for me to have a copy of this book. Having read The Den and The Climbers was intrigued by this. Ben's Gargoyle is possibly not my usual type of book - looking at the cover (which is pretty stunning) you might think it is a horror story - the Gargoyle is pretty scary looking but it isn't a horror. Ben is looking out of the window with an old plastic toy telescope. Is that real? Is he that tired that he's seeing things? Is it really a Gargoyle - and if so how can it be crawling across the rooftops 4 streets away. And it's looking at him. He has to tell Dad...but should he wake him. Ben turns the TV off and Dad wakes. Ben has a black eye. Not from the fight with the bully at school. Dad's landlord doesn't know Ben is living in the attic - he's been there 4 weeks. Mum is in France with Marc. Ben persuades Dad to climb the little ladder but he sees nothing. He sees Ben being a baby who is scared of monsters, doing art (the attic has Ben's pictures around it) and using a toy telescope. He says Ben needs to stand uo to the bullies. Ben sees it again - it's 3 streets away. Ben's friend Max from his old school is astounded by Ben looking for a gargoyle, in a churchyard. Each night the Gargoyle seems to get closer. Ben's art teacher notices how good he is. Notices it's hard being the new boy at school. And still the gargoyle get closer...until that night... Fabulous! Stunning illustrations by Keith Robinson throughout.