The Gargoyle in My Yard

What do you do when a 400-year-old gargoyle moves into your backyard, especially when no one else but you knows he's alive? Twelve-year-old Kathryn Newberry can tell you all about life with a gargoyle. He's naughty. He gets people into trouble. He howls at the moon, breaks statues and tramples flowers to bits, all the while making it look like you did it! Where did he come from? What's he doing there? How do you tell your parents there is a monster living in the yard? Most of all, how do you get rid of a gargoyle? When Kathryn finally plucks up the courage to tell her mother and father that it is the gargoyle who is causing all the mischief, she is surprised by what her mother already knows. Together, the family confronts the unwanted visitor and discovers he is lost, has a sad secret to share and needs Kathryn's help to find his way again. He tells wonderful stories about the past. He becomes fast friends with Milly the cat. He protects the family at Halloween and creates breathtaking ice sculptures at Christmas. In the spring, devastated flower beds return to full bloom, and a magical apple tree grows at an astonishing pace in the yard. Do they help the gargoyle leave for good? If you're like Kathryn and her parents, after getting to know him, you might really want him to stay!

Philippa Dowding was born in England and came to Canada with her family in the mid-60s. At university she studied English and Literature and emerged with a Master of Arts degree. She worked through the 1990s as a senior copywriter for a large Canadian news magazine, before striking out on her own as a freelance copywriter. Her clients include magazine publishers, fundraisers, advertising agencies, movie producers and website owners. Her work has won several magazine industry awards, and her poetry has appeared in many journals.