Book Info

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Synopsis

The Sandfather by Linda Newbery

Hal's life is in upheaval. Trouble at school; problems at home; a quarrel with friends. Then Hal is sent to his grandfather's seaside home.

Soon, his anger is absorbed by the pull of the crashing waves, buffeted by the tides, smoothed by the endless sands. Yet thoughts of the father he has never known, and from whom his only legacy is a bag of marbles, won't go away. In fact, soon, his dad seems to be everywhere: in the sand figures Hal makes on the beach; in his dreams; in the shape of Wesley Prince, his mother's old boyfriend.

Since no one will tell him the truth, Hal is determined to find out for himself. Will his elusive father ever come into his life? Is he any more substantial than the sandfather, blurred and dissolved by the incoming tide?

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Reviews

'A real page-turner'
DISNEY GIRL MAGAZINE
'This is a gripping, fast-paced and at times heart-stopping read...'
Julia Eccleshare LOVEREADING 4 KIDS
'A lovely kitchen sink drama, easy to read, but with the level of underlying sophistication you will only find in the best of writers'
THE BOOKBAG
'This is a haunting tale of a displaced boy trying to find an identity that's both enjoyable and realistic'
FLIPSIDE
'Touching and enjoyable'
TELEGRAPH
& ARGUS Newbery conveys the teenage angst of not belonging with perception and sensitivity, and the story ends on a satisfying high note -- Sally Morris THE DAILY MAIL 'A gripping, fast-paced read
MIZZ MAGAZINE
'A good novel which establishes a solid and engrossing world full of characters you care about. From the gripping first sentence to the satisfying ending, it is a story to believe in '
WRITE AWAY
'A moving story... gripping'
ANGELS
& URCHINS 'Wonderfully atmospheric and moving
TBK MAGAZINE
'An Intense and excitingly paced story'
BOOKS FOR KEEPS
'A wonderful story with lots of atmosphere'
BOOKS FOR KEEPS
'A good novel which establishes a solid and engrossing world full of characters you care about... from the gripping first sentence to the satisfying ending, it's a story to believe in'
WRITE AWAY
'You know that a book by Linda Newbery will be well crafted, with a compelling plot, well drawn characters, and evocative descriptions of place. She loves playing with words and ideas, and has the rare ability to get inside the head of a teenager and be fascinated by what happens there'
CAROUSEL
'A touching and enjoyable read'
WOMAN
'S WAY 'An enjoyable read'
THE SCHOOL LIBRARIAN
'Newbery creates a strong sense of place - you can smell the sea-weed-in this story as Hal makes discoveries that change his life'
Jane Sandell THE SCOTSMAN
'A heart-rending and candid search for identity'
OXFORD TIMES
'This is a tense, atmospheric, page-turning new novel'
LITERACY TIME PLUS
'Linda Newbery's writing is engaging and addictive... a real page turner'
READ BETWEEN THE LINES
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About The Author

Linda Newbery always wanted to be a writer, filling exercise books with stories which she hid in her wardrobe, but only began submitting her work once she became a secondary school teacher. She had her first novel published in 1988 and is now a full-time writer. Linda writes for various age groups and has twice been shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal, for The Shell House and Sisterland and in 2006 won the Costa Children’s Book Award for Set in Stone.
Linda lives in a Northamptonshire village with her husband and three cats. She is an active member of the SAS and on the committee of the Children’s Writers and Illustrators Group of the Society of Authors.

Linda on Linda
When I was a child, dreaming that one day I might be an author, I used to gaze longingly at the N shelves in bookshops and libraries, and imagine my own books parked next to E. Nesbit’s. She’s still there, with her classic stories The Railway Children, Five Children and It, and others. Philip Pullman, nearby, takes up an awful lot of space, but sometimes there’s room for me between them.

As a child I used to do a lot of secret writing in my bedroom. I rarely showed anyone, and certainly not my teachers. At that time I was rather unwisely trying to write complete novels. Later, when exams got in the way, I began writing poetry - because poems could be short!

When I was a teenager, there was no such thing as teenage fiction – you went straight from children’s books to adult books. It wasn’t until much later, when I was training to be an English teacher, that I came across teenage fiction, and excellent writers such as K. M. Peyton, Aidan Chambers and Jill Paton Walsh. Before long I wanted to have a go. 

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