Gruff doesn’t like change. When Matylda and her family move to his Welsh island from Manchester, he doesn’t really want to have to look after her and teach her the ways of their community. But Matylda just doesn’t understand about the Sleeping Stones – a line of rocks that lead straight out to sea. Like the stepping stones of a giant, these six stones seem to call to people, encouraging them to walk out into the wild waves and carry on right off the end!

This is completely different to other books out there a middle grade book that combines Welsh folklore and farming. You will be transported into a magical place of mermaids, weeping and moving stones, escapee sheep and friendship.

A real gem of eery magical mystery set on a remote Welsh island & oozing with myth.

Two friends have to get to the bottom of a fantastical local legend to save their island home. Full of Celtic culture, supernatural encounters & reverent representations of the power of the sea.

Things are afoot on the island. Mat and her family (it's short for Matylda) have just arrived, to the slight pique of Gruff, whose family's wool farm is under threat. But what nobody else knows is that the whole place is also at risk, but from whom, what, and why? It probably has something to do with the fact the six large stacks of rock leading off the beach into the cold Irish sea are pulling people to clamber on them, and use them as stepping stones to their doom; Gruff has also started to see a seventh rock and someone stood on it. Just what the hell kind of mysteries does the legacy of the island lore have in store for Gruff and Mat?

This is a flawed book, but the flaw is not an insurmountable one. Finding what Gruff and Mat will face is just delightful, the way the place has a legend running through its core the humans barely know about seeming to my mind like something a young Alan Garner may have thought of. But it's too delightful, too early – and by the time Gruff sees the thing on the thing and learns about the thing we're relishing every aspect of the fantasy here, but it's all been ramped up to eleven too soon. So by the time the pair know they have to do a weird, mystical variant of something quite mundane, you feel right in the doldrums. I'm not asking for a linear plod of a plot, but something a bit less front-loaded and a bit more sustained.

That said, there are merits galore here, including three very nice characters – his, hers and the place's. That latter is vital, as Gruff would seem a bit silly doing what he does and thinking what he thinks were it not for the legends and stories he vaguely knows about – he still seems to put things together and accept everything with too much naivety. And nobody can deny the high drama of the final, storm-drenched third, meaning one's final thoughts are very much in its favour. While there are questions remaining about the balance of fantasy earlier on, this is a strong debut novel.

A fantastic story that mixes Welsh mythology with life on a small island and the hazards that people face from the weather. The story of families trying to survive in this environment also acts as a counterpoint to the main story.; Gruff (the hero) and his dad and Nan are struggling to keep their farm viable, but the problems of the modern economy make this very difficult. This is one of those stories that really resonates and makes you appreciate the depth of history and myth that forms part of peoples' lives.

The Sleeping Stones is a book quite unlike any other that I’ve read - and I’ve read a lot of books! Beatrice Wallbank has written a story that is both magical and believable all at once. Set on a small island off the Welsh coast, Gruff and his family are facing financial ruin and the possibility of having to move to the mainland if their wool business doesn’t improve. A new family move in next to them and Gruff is pleased at the thought of someone his age to talk to. But Mat seems to have wild eyes, and when Gruff touches her he recoils at the sensations of the sea he gets.
There is a big storm approaching, and Gruff keeps seeing things happen to the large Sleeping Stones down on the beach. Who is the person standing there? Is she real? When he sees Mat disappearing into the sea one night, he rushes in to save her, as she can’t swim. Gruff then has to reveal to her what he knows about the stones and the sea. I had to keep reading at this stage, as I was so drawn in to the storyline and wanted to see how it would end. You will be transported into a magical place of mermaids, weeping and moving stones, escapee sheep and friendship. I really enjoyed reading this book, and can’t wait to read more by Beatrice.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Firefly Press for providing me this book in exchange for an honest review*

Wow this book was AMAZING. Gruff and Matt was an adorable duo. This book had everything I wanted from a book. Excellent world building, amazing characters. I didn't want to put it down. So I didn't. I finished it on 24 hours and I'm planning to read again. Read this, you won't regret it.

With a name like "The Sleeping Stones" I Reckoned this would be A Fantastic Fantasy Novel for Children & It DID NOT Disappoint! 5 Stars, Highly Recommended!
(Thanks to Net Galley for this Book).

Rydw i mewn cariad â'r llyfr hwn - I am in love with this book!

In actual fact, The Sleeping Stones blew me away. It woke me right out of my reading slump - I literally could not put it down!

Interesting setting? Check.
Real feeling of peril? Check.
Unpredictable storyline? Check.
Likeable characters? Check.

The Sleeping Stones has all the ingredients of a perfect story and Beatrice Wallbank has woven them together to create something truly special. Her world building is exceptional and I loved the real authentic welsh feeling that rang out on each and every page.

This book is perfect for fans of Catherine Doyle’s The Stormkeeper’s Island or Tamsin Mori’s The Weather Weaver. I loved the sense of community, friendship and belonging that it sparkled with. I would thoroughly recommend The Sleeping Stones to any reader in Year 5 and beyond. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

This was absolutely gripping. As usual I read a little of the book myself before reading it to my grandchildren, we then enjoy the book together. Not this time, I started reading and just kept going till the end, losing sleep in the process ! The story is about a small communities myths, legends and struggles to survive on a small island off the coast of Wales. It is about friendship and accepting who you are and what makes home. I cannot recommend it highly enough, read it now.

The Sleeping Stones is an intriguing Welsh mystery. Gruff doesn’t like change. When Matylda and her family move to his Welsh island from Manchester, he doesn’t really want to have to look after her and teach her the ways of their unusual community. She just doesn’t understand about the Sleeping Stones – a line of rocks that lead straight out to sea. Like the stepping stones of a giant, these six stones seem to call to people, encouraging them to walk out into the wild waves and carry on right off the end!

Dark nights, a mysterious figure, a strange weeping stone and the lure of the sea create an eerie tale that will make the hairs on your arms stand on end. Gruff does all he can to keep Matylda safe and find out the truth about the stones. Can he work it out before it’s too late?

The combination of Welsh folklore, friendship and a sense of home make this a gripping story for middle grade readers.

I really enjoyed this story with its mix of myth and magic, danger, adventure and the power of the sea.
In particular, I loved the Welsh island setting, the rural community, the farm, the sheep. I really loved those sheep, especially Guinevere the master of escape, and I was terrified for them during the big storm.
I also really enjoyed the story of local myths about sleeping stones and weeping rocks turning out to be true. I loved that the sleeping stones lured people out to an invisible seventh stone (and to their demise!). I loved the magical items, especially the sword, which was so fantastical. The morgen, Welsh merfolk, added to my enjoyment.
Gruff, with his anxiety over the island, his occasional jealousy of Mat, and his love for the family farm, was likeable and resourceful. As was Mat, and I felt for her insecurities about belonging.
A few elements in the story weren’t clear to me. For instance, who cursed Dylan and the blacksmith? Who moved the seventh stone? How did Mat have the sea inside her, when there didn't seem to be a family history? Also Gruff's mother abandoned the family when Gruff was little, and I felt this was glossed over.
However, these are minor points. Overall The Sleeping Stones is an enjoyable tale with magic and myth (and completely endearing sheep!), in a wonderful setting.

Awesome! Edge of the seat, read beneath the covers after lights out type of good. Well written and a great story, each time I thought I knew where it was going it surprised me. Again and again. I loved the descriptive writing about the setting too. Top of my list for Christmas currently.

On a small island off the Welsh coast, Gruff and his new friend Matylda are feeling an increasing pull from the Sleeping Stones, a line of rocks that goes out towards the sea like a series of stepping stones, Old legends linked to the stomes are taking life and showing themselves to be real. Gruff discovers that some ancient magic and a story laced with tragedy and pain means the island is thretened by a terryfying storm that could kill them all..Together with Mat they must risk everything to save the island and their families.

In the same way the Sleeping Stones are calling to Gruff to step onto them until there is nowhere to go but plunge in the waves, the story calls to the reader to go from chapter to chapter and join the turmoil of danger and legends!
Gruff and his family, the whole island community, Matylda, are immensly attaching characters. Both the hardship and wild beauty of life on the island grip the reader's heart and don't let go. The difficulties Gruff's family are facing cleverly highlight the sense of belonging weaved through the novel - something linked to every day life and struggles as well as the lives spent on the island before.
The stories...
The stories Gruff's grandmother told him since he was little and that he suddenly discovers to be all true.
The magic!
A magic of history, legends, the power of the sea. Can Gruff and Matt wield this power to save the island? An extraordinary journey awaits as you read the Sleeping Stones to find out!!

An enjoyable adventure, weaving myth, legend and magic. When Matylda arrives on the small Welsh island where Gruff lives, she finds they are the only two children of their age on the island. But ancient forces are stirring and legends are coming to life. The sleeping stones are luring people into the sea, and the wounded sea storm is coming. And mysterious things keep happening around Mat and Gruff. Will they be able to save the island and save Gruff’s farm? I liked the legends and the interactions of the small close-knit island community, and of course the sheep!

A magical story steeped in Welsh folklore and farming.

I loved The Sleeping Stones. The first half is a really intriguing mystery, replete with prophecy in the form of old stories, strange standing stones, and unexplained feelings, as powerful magics begin to unwind across an isolated Welsh island. The second half is pure magical fantasy action adventure as Celtic gods unleash their power and draw on their influence (though none of them are actually named as gods, just as strange beings, either ghost like or mysterious sea-beings).

It's so richly steeped in Welsh mythology and folklore, a delicious mix of old songs and stories and mythological creatures of great power and fury. It speaks to every child who believed in the old tales about the standing stones and the old warnings about meddling with things beyond their ken. It's also rich with Welsh culture and language, with much of the dialogue presented in Welsh and translated into English. There's nothing that would provide an obstacle to those of us ignorant in Welsh, rather it adds another layer to an already strong sense of place.

As well as the mythology, it also reads at times like a love letter to the farming tradition. Gruff is so at home on his farm, and his love for it and all who dwell on it is palpable. It's quite beautiful, but it also gives him so much more to lose. When the storm hits, we're so invested in the farm and the sheep that every potential loss cuts keenly. It's quite remarkable really, the way this book builds up empathy for a herd of sheep so effectively!

The friendship at the core of this book is beautiful. Gruff and Mat are both presented as such flawed people, something quite unusual in young protagonists in middle grade fiction really, that watching them bond and become friends is really lovely. I love Gruff for all of his flaws, from the anger and bitterness at being lied to, his fear of losing his home, and his frequent bouts of jealousy towards Mat, he feels like a real person and not some idealised child hero. Mat's fear of being surrounded by new people, of being the outsider, always on the move and never allowed to settle also helps to humanise her and provides a sharp contrast with Gruff that's echoed in his fears of losing his home on the island just as she's starting her new life there.

As Welsh as an incredibly Welsh thing in Wales, and as magical as a fairytale, The Sleeping Stones is a beautiful book.