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1st out of 45 books
—
17 voters
Tall Story
by
Candy Gourlay (Goodreads Author)
Tall Story was nominated for the Carnegie Medal and shortlisted for 13 book prizes in the United Kingdom. It won the Crystal Kite Prize for Europe. Andi hasn't seen her brother for eight years and when he steps off the plane from the Philippines, she cannot believe her eyes. He's tall. EIGHT FOOT TALL. But Bernardo is not what he seems. Bernardo is a hero, Bernardo works m...more
Hardcover, 296 pages
Published
2010
by David Fickling Books
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May 28, 2011
K.D. Oliveros
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to K.D. by:
Tina Matanguihan
Candy Gourlay truly loves the Philippines and it just shows in this book, Tall Story. This being her first novel makes me agree with one of the blurbs that she is an author to watch. Having been married to a British national and now raising her three sons in London, I will not be surprised to know that she has changed her citizenship from Filipino to British. But the way that she carefully, positively and realistically depicted the Philippines and its people, culture, folklore and even superstit...more
20 likes · like · see review
view all 7 comments
Rating: 3,5 stars
I was definitely pleasantly surprised by Tall Story! I was a bit afraid this one would poke me right back into my reading slump, but I shouldn't have worried. It was a truly great and sweet read!
I truly loved how different this story was! We get to experience two quite different countries and cultures through the siblings POVs, we get some magic mixed in with a contem...more
"We both got our wishes. But one good thing deleted the other, like a finger falling on the wrong computer key."
I was definitely pleasantly surprised by Tall Story! I was a bit afraid this one would poke me right back into my reading slump, but I shouldn't have worried. It was a truly great and sweet read!
I truly loved how different this story was! We get to experience two quite different countries and cultures through the siblings POVs, we get some magic mixed in with a contem...more
7 likes · like · see review
Nov 10, 2010
jzhunagev
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Kids at heart!! ♥♥♥
Recommended to jzhunagev by:
Chachic
Also Posted at my book blog Dark Chest of Wonders
"Rush hour. So many armpits, so little deodorants." So begins Tall Story, Candy Gourlay’s fantastic debut novel about basketball, sibling love, cultural differences, legend and magic. A poignant tale that warns us of the dangers of the things we wish for and that ultimately, size doesn’t really matter.
Andi is a basketball-obsessed, 13 year old, half-Filipino who wishes not...more
A Giant Tale with a Giant Heart
(A Book Review of Candy Gourlay’s Tall Story)
"Rush hour. So many armpits, so little deodorants." So begins Tall Story, Candy Gourlay’s fantastic debut novel about basketball, sibling love, cultural differences, legend and magic. A poignant tale that warns us of the dangers of the things we wish for and that ultimately, size doesn’t really matter.
Andi is a basketball-obsessed, 13 year old, half-Filipino who wishes not...more
7 likes · like · see review
Jun 05, 2011
Teresa
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Teresa by:
K.D. Oliveros
With four children, all under the age of 10, spending the weekend here, this was the perfect kind of book for me to be reading if I wanted to get any reading done at all. (And, of course, I always do.)
Besides enjoying this book very much, I learned new things about the Philippines, such as that the country loves basketball -- I had no idea -- and the legend of Bernardo Carpio, which I especially enjoyed, as I love folktales from other countries and noting the similarities and differences among t...more
Besides enjoying this book very much, I learned new things about the Philippines, such as that the country loves basketball -- I had no idea -- and the legend of Bernardo Carpio, which I especially enjoyed, as I love folktales from other countries and noting the similarities and differences among t...more
7 likes · like · see review
Jul 20, 2011
rhea
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to rhea by:
Teresa Brader
I'm so glad this book was passed onto me, it was very touching. I am close to my family, especially my mom and brother and to read about a family like this was emotional, happy and sad. I also learned a lot from this book, the mythology or folklore of other cultures can be very cool. My first thought after reading this was to email my favorite anthropology teacher, who I took Cultural Anthropology from, and see if she'd read this. Maybe she'd even want to teach this book with the other ones she...more
6 likes · like · see review
Full review posted at Pinoy Pop
My brother doesn’t know this, but I consider him to be one of my best friends. He’s four years older than me, and like every other sibling pair, we used to have our share of screaming matches when we were kids. We only started having serious conversations as we grew up, thanks to the long rides from school to our house during college, when he'd pick me up. My relationship with him gave me a soft spot for stories about brothers and sisters, so it was no surprise tha...more
My brother doesn’t know this, but I consider him to be one of my best friends. He’s four years older than me, and like every other sibling pair, we used to have our share of screaming matches when we were kids. We only started having serious conversations as we grew up, thanks to the long rides from school to our house during college, when he'd pick me up. My relationship with him gave me a soft spot for stories about brothers and sisters, so it was no surprise tha...more
6 likes · like · see review
Jul 29, 2010
Chachic
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
actual-books-owned,
by-a-filipino-author
Originally posted here.
This book is more middle grade or younger YA for me, just to give you guys fair warning. The story is told in alternating perspectives of Bernardo and Andi (real name: Amandolina, such an old school Filipino name). Andi is a thirteen-year-old girl who lives in London with her parents. She has a half-brother named Bernardo and he lives in the Philippines. Their mum came to the UK to work as a nurse and that's when she met Andi's father, who also works as a nurse. They've be...more
This book is more middle grade or younger YA for me, just to give you guys fair warning. The story is told in alternating perspectives of Bernardo and Andi (real name: Amandolina, such an old school Filipino name). Andi is a thirteen-year-old girl who lives in London with her parents. She has a half-brother named Bernardo and he lives in the Philippines. Their mum came to the UK to work as a nurse and that's when she met Andi's father, who also works as a nurse. They've be...more
3 likes · like · see review
Reviewed by Kira M for TeensReadToo.com
Standing over 8 feet tall with size 22 shoes, Bernardo has always felt like somewhat of an outcast. While his mom, stepfather, and half-sister live in England, Bernardo lives in the Philippines in hopes of making it back to England one day. When his wish comes true, however, he has a hard time dealing with the hustle and bustle and unfamiliar feel of his family and home.
Will he be able to adjust?
Amandolina has always lived in England and has only met her ol...more
Standing over 8 feet tall with size 22 shoes, Bernardo has always felt like somewhat of an outcast. While his mom, stepfather, and half-sister live in England, Bernardo lives in the Philippines in hopes of making it back to England one day. When his wish comes true, however, he has a hard time dealing with the hustle and bustle and unfamiliar feel of his family and home.
Will he be able to adjust?
Amandolina has always lived in England and has only met her ol...more
This is one of the sweetest and most refreshing books I've read this year. It is a very sweet story, extremely well written and deeply enjoyable !
Actually, you want to know a funny story? My roomie is from the Philippines and (wait for it) is a nurse! Exactly like the mother of Andi and Bernardo. And I laughed so much when Andi transcribes what she thinks is Tagalog, because that's exactly what I hear when my roomie talks to her family there. Sorry, I'm in a boring anecdote mode today !
This is a...more
Actually, you want to know a funny story? My roomie is from the Philippines and (wait for it) is a nurse! Exactly like the mother of Andi and Bernardo. And I laughed so much when Andi transcribes what she thinks is Tagalog, because that's exactly what I hear when my roomie talks to her family there. Sorry, I'm in a boring anecdote mode today !
This is a...more
4 likes · like · see review
Gourlay, C. (2011). Tall story. New York: Random House/David Fickling Books. 298 pp. ISBN: 978-0-385-75217-6. (Hardcover); $16.99.*
Bernardo is TALL, very tall, 8 feet tall. Andi wants to play basketball but Andi is not only short, but a girl as well. Bernardo is moving from the Philippines to London to be reunited with his mother and his half sister, Andi. Andi has wished for this and she knows Bernardo is tall. Andi has finally landed a spot on her school’s basketball team and she is hoping tha...more
Bernardo is TALL, very tall, 8 feet tall. Andi wants to play basketball but Andi is not only short, but a girl as well. Bernardo is moving from the Philippines to London to be reunited with his mother and his half sister, Andi. Andi has wished for this and she knows Bernardo is tall. Andi has finally landed a spot on her school’s basketball team and she is hoping tha...more
This children's novel is set in England where Andi lives with her parents, who are both nurses. Andi's mom is from the Philippines and she has an older half brother who her mother has been trying to bring over for years. Andi's parents have finally made the move to a home of their own, just as she finally works her way onto the basketball team at school. Now she must start all over at a new school.
Back in a small village in the mountains of the Philippines, Bernardo is living his life with his a...more
Back in a small village in the mountains of the Philippines, Bernardo is living his life with his a...more
When I first picked up this book, I assumed it was titled Tall Story because one of the main characters, Bernardo, is sixteen years old and already eight feet tall. But, I love a twist in any title and was totally pleased to discover this book was rich with tall tales from the Philippine's. As a kid, I always loved folklore: Hansel and Gretel, Jack and the Beanstalk, etc. They had an element of danger. Candy Gourlay's Tall Story took me right back to being five years old. I felt myself holding m...more
3.5 stars
This book is split between Andi and Bernardo. Andi is a tomboy, she lives in London and dreams of playing Basketball, she just makes the team at her school when her mum tells her they are moving, but the worst thing is that her new school Basketball team is boy only so she can't see any way of achieving her dream of being Point Guard on the team.
Bernardo lives in the Phillipines, he is Andi's half brother, when his mum came over to England they wouldn't clear his paperwork and so he go...more
This book is split between Andi and Bernardo. Andi is a tomboy, she lives in London and dreams of playing Basketball, she just makes the team at her school when her mum tells her they are moving, but the worst thing is that her new school Basketball team is boy only so she can't see any way of achieving her dream of being Point Guard on the team.
Bernardo lives in the Phillipines, he is Andi's half brother, when his mum came over to England they wouldn't clear his paperwork and so he go...more
A beautifully constructed book, well-written and full of humour, magic and pathos.
This is storytelling at it's finest. It's a story about wishes and being careful of your wishes - because they may not come true in quite the way you expect.
From the start, Candy Gourlay draws you into the worlds of fire-cracker Andi and Bernardo, the giant - a brother and sister who have lived at opposite sides of the world - one in London, one in the Phillipines. And herein lies Candy Gourlay's great strength - t...more
This is storytelling at it's finest. It's a story about wishes and being careful of your wishes - because they may not come true in quite the way you expect.
From the start, Candy Gourlay draws you into the worlds of fire-cracker Andi and Bernardo, the giant - a brother and sister who have lived at opposite sides of the world - one in London, one in the Phillipines. And herein lies Candy Gourlay's great strength - t...more
This is an unusual story about a family divided by thousands of miles who are reunited. The brother, Bernardo, has been living in his native Phillippine village with his aunt and uncle. His widowed mother left her son and moved to London to work as a nurse, where she remarried and had a daughter. She has struggled to bring her son to the U.K. to be with her, and finally the paperwork comes through after several years of waiting.
Bernardo, meanwhile, has developed a medical condition, gigantism, w...more
Bernardo, meanwhile, has developed a medical condition, gigantism, w...more
Andi and Bernardo, half-sister and brother, tell this story in alternating chapters. For most of their lives the two have lived half a world apart. Andi (Amandolina) lives with their mother and her father in England, and Bernardo lives with his aunt and uncle in San Andres in the Philippines, because his mother has been unable to get a visa to bring him to England. Bernardo is named for a famous legendary giant, Bernardo Carpio, who is said to have saved San Andres from a devastating earthquake,...more
16 yr old Bernardo lives in the Philippines with is aunt and uncle. His mother lives in London with her husband and Andi, his step sister. For years Bernardo's family has been trying and waiting to get his Visa. Finally Bernardo is allowed to be with this family.
12 yr old Andi is looking forward to welcoming her step brother to London. Though when Andi discovers that Bernardo is 8ft tall, she doesn't know what to make of him and keeps her distance.
Andi's short like their mom. She loves playing b...more
12 yr old Andi is looking forward to welcoming her step brother to London. Though when Andi discovers that Bernardo is 8ft tall, she doesn't know what to make of him and keeps her distance.
Andi's short like their mom. She loves playing b...more
When I was going through a new batch of books, the cover of "Tall Story" got my attention - plus the small size of the book was ironic it light of the title. When I read the jacket, I thought, "This book will never get read unless I read it and booktalk it." So...
"Tall Story" is a gentle, charming book. The story is told from the points of view of 13 year old Andi and her brother, 16 year old Bernardo. The two literally and figuratively live worlds apart. Andi lives with her parents in London. B...more
"Tall Story" is a gentle, charming book. The story is told from the points of view of 13 year old Andi and her brother, 16 year old Bernardo. The two literally and figuratively live worlds apart. Andi lives with her parents in London. B...more
What I liked: To be honest, I knew I would adore this story before I even began. Everything about it screamed ‘heart-warming’ at me, which is exactly how I would describe Tall Story. It’s one of those books that is so sweet it makes me want to frolic through a field with a puppy or something, in a good way. When I finished the book I sat back for a few minutes and savoured what I had read, feeling all warm and fuzzy and that definitely cannot be a bad thing.
I always enjoy a split narrative and t...more
I always enjoy a split narrative and t...more
A sweet tween story about a Filipino boy reunited with his family in London. Left behind when his mother emigrated, Bernardo has been raised by relatives in a tiny village. He dreams of the day when he can see his mother again and meet his half-sister. Short Andi lives in London and eats, sleeps, breathes basketball. She also wants to meet her half brother--but when they see him in the airport, when he at last is granted permission to come to England, it's a shock: Bernardo is eight feet tall. B...more
Told in alternating chapters, this story allows us to see the world through Andi and Bernado's eyes. Andi is the half sister of Bernardo who lives in London. Andi is "laugh out loud" funny and very insightful. Andi was given her dream of being point guard on her school's basketball team only to be told that day that her family was moving her to a new school. While Andi suffers hardships, she is resilient and sweet. Bernardo is on the other side of the world in the Philippines, being raised by hi...more
"What you want is not always what you get. Even when your wishes come true. Andi desperately hopes her long-lost half brother, Bernardo, will be as crazy about basketball as she is. But when he steps off the plane from the Philippines, she can't believe her eyes. She hasn't seen him for ten year, but even so, how did he get to be EIGHT FEET TALL? This eight-foot-tall boy is about to crash into her life with his size 22 feet. But Bernardo is not what he seems. Bernardo is a hero, Bernardo works m...more
7 likes · like · see review
MIRACLES HAPPEN EVERY DAY...let us pray to earthquake/tsunami victims
THIS BOOK REVIEW IS DIFFERENT FROM the rest of my previous reviews. Honestly, I don't intend to write this review very soon but today is very important for us to offer our prayers and support (in any means) to people who are currently affected by a 8.9 magnitude earthquake (that created tsunamis/surges) in Japan (coast of Sendai City) and for those people in Christchurch (New Zealand) that suffered the same fate few weeks ago....more
THIS BOOK REVIEW IS DIFFERENT FROM the rest of my previous reviews. Honestly, I don't intend to write this review very soon but today is very important for us to offer our prayers and support (in any means) to people who are currently affected by a 8.9 magnitude earthquake (that created tsunamis/surges) in Japan (coast of Sendai City) and for those people in Christchurch (New Zealand) that suffered the same fate few weeks ago....more
1 like · like · see review
A short, simple book that will appeal to basketball fans, "Tall Story" is about a fractured family from two very different cultures. Andi is thrilled when she makes the basketball team, and quickly devastated when she learns that her family is moving out of their tiny flat to a bigger home -- in a new school district with no girl's basketball team. How can she prove to the boys that she's good enough to play on their team?
Bernardo is her half brother living a very different life half a world awa...more
Bernardo is her half brother living a very different life half a world awa...more
The rating may be too high for my liking, but what the heck. It was a good book -- as good as they come nowadays. I think I say this because I was expecting a little bit more and was rather "bitin" at the end. I wanted more, really.
Much of the story teeters between reality and magic (and maybe the genre "Magical Realism" can be used here). The myth of Bernardo Carpio is used extensively, the character of Andi is quite vivid, and some facets of their mother are quite indicative of (ehem) Filipino...more
Much of the story teeters between reality and magic (and maybe the genre "Magical Realism" can be used here). The myth of Bernardo Carpio is used extensively, the character of Andi is quite vivid, and some facets of their mother are quite indicative of (ehem) Filipino...more
TALL STORY
Author: Candy Gourlay
This touching and bittersweet fictional story is about sixteen year old Bernardo. For some mysterious reason Bernardo is EIGHT FEET TALL! Bernardo lives in san Andres but then moved to London do be with his mom and dad. But when Bernardo leaves the Philippines something very unexpected happens.
I think this book has much more strengths than weaknesses. One of the strengths is the concept in which the author chooses to switch the points of view between Bernardo and...more
Author: Candy Gourlay
This touching and bittersweet fictional story is about sixteen year old Bernardo. For some mysterious reason Bernardo is EIGHT FEET TALL! Bernardo lives in san Andres but then moved to London do be with his mom and dad. But when Bernardo leaves the Philippines something very unexpected happens.
I think this book has much more strengths than weaknesses. One of the strengths is the concept in which the author chooses to switch the points of view between Bernardo and...more
3.5 stars and my summary won't come close to explaining this story told in alternating chapters by Bernardo and his sister Andi. Bernardo's mother moved to England when he was a baby to pay medical debts but she had to leave him behind. Now sixteen, Bernardo has finally been granted a pass to come live in England with his mother, her husband and Bernardo's half sister, Andi. Bernardo is a hero in his small village, where it is believed his height (unknown to them, he has Gigantism) and name pro...more
Tall Story is the story of a Filipino family split between London and the Philippines. 12 year old, basketball-loving Andi lives with her parents in London. 16 year old Bernardo lives in the Philippines until he gets his papers to move to London to be reunited with his family. When he finally arrives, the family is in for a surprise; Bernardo is not just tall, he is an 8 foot giant.
The story is told through the separate points of view of Andi and Bernardo as they deal with adjusting to each othe...more
The story is told through the separate points of view of Andi and Bernardo as they deal with adjusting to each othe...more
Tall Story by Candy Gourlay is a wonderful book about, bravery, Filipino culture, and new beginnings. It is written from two different perspectives of a girl (Andi) and her half-brother from the Philippines (Bernardo). When Bernardo is planing to move to America to live with Andi and her family, Andi is very exited about having a brother, and hopes he would like basketball as much as she does. Although, when she first sees him, shes in shock. How did she get an eight foot tall brother? At first...more
Tall Story by Candy Gourlay is a fictional story about a boy from the Philippines and how he moves to a completely new place, where he struggles to fit in because of his appearance. Published in 2010, it is a favorite among children, and has an average rating of 3.95 stars. The story is told from the perspective of Bernardo and his little sister Andi.
A 14 year old boy named Bernardo lives in the Philippines with his aunt and uncle. Bernardo is just like every other boy his age expect for one th...more
A 14 year old boy named Bernardo lives in the Philippines with his aunt and uncle. Bernardo is just like every other boy his age expect for one th...more
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| Red Dot Books: Ol...: The Best and the Worst? | 1 | 2 | Oct 21, 2012 03:50am |
Hello Goodreads people! Well I've FINALLY finished my next book! I'm proud to announce that as of September 2013 when SHINE is published, I shall no longer be a debut author. Do check in, add me, say hello (I get all the notifications) - and whenever I have time I hope to be here with you, goodreading along!
Candy Gourlay was a journalist writing about dictators in the Third World before she took u...more
More about Candy Gourlay...
Candy Gourlay was a journalist writing about dictators in the Third World before she took u...more
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